Awakening to the infinite : essential answers for spiritual seekers from the perspective of nonduality

219 Pages·2015·1.17 MB·English

by  Muktananda

Copyright English language edition © 2015 by Swami Muktananda of Rishikesh (Hans Schutt).
All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the written permission of the publisher. For
information contact North Atlantic Books.
First published in French as L’Éveil à l’Infini: réponses essentielles à tout chercheur spirituel by
Éditions A.L.T.E.S.S.
Copyright © 2013 by Éditions A.L.T.E.S.S.
Published by
North Atlantic Books
P.O. Box 12327
Berkeley, California 94712
Cover photo of Swami Muktananda of Rishikesh by Yves Devaddère
Cover photo by Philip Yuan/Shutterstock.com
Cover design by Claudia Smelser
Awakening to the Infinite: Essential Answers for Spiritual Seekers from the Perspective of Nonduality is
sponsored and published by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences (dba North
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Muktananda, Swami.
Awakening to the infinite : essential answers for spiritual seekers from the perspective of
nonduality / Swami Muktananda of Rishikesh.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-58394-866-8 (paperback) — ISBN 978-1-58394867-5 (e-book)
1. Advaita. 2. Spiritual life. I. Title.
B132.A3M78 2015
294.5′44—dc23
2014021819
v3.1
CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Editor’s Note
Introduction: Swami Chidananda—His Part in My Life
1. A FEW BASIC PRINCIPLES
Render to God the Things That Are God’s
The Parasitic Attitude
Yashoda’s Vision
Serving God
The Deer
The Bird and Its Reflection
If I Gave You a Palace
The Egoic Territory and Its Laws
The Psychology of Desire
Living Connected to Life
The Individual and the Universal Soul
Mozart, the Man and His Music
The Purpose of Evolution
Fears and Interiority
Human Beings Are Part of Nature
Euthanasia
The Paraplegic Child
The Death of Gandhi
At the Hour of Death You Reap the Rewards
Where Do the Words of Christ Come From?
Letting Yourself Be Touched by Life
2. SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
The Basis of Action: Changing the Direction of the Current
The Black Virgin of Montserrat
Different Levels of Faith
Devas
Awareness
Educating the Mind
Does Meditation Mean Believing in God?
Why We Need the Concept of a Personal God
A New Birth
Concentration and Meditation
A Restless Mind
Being Real
Beyond Duality: The Steadfastness of Being
First Let Yourself Be Filled by Peace
Concepts Are Born and Die: Reality Remains
It Isn’t That Complicated
Becoming Poor Like a Child
It’s Impossible to Meditate!
Making God Your Best Friend
The Lord’s Prayer
Sounds and Silence
The Cure for Fear
The Carapace
Do Whatever You Enjoy
Finding a Partner at Sixty
Channeling, Angels, and Co.
3. DIFFICULTIES ON THE PATH
Knowing, Loving, and Believing
Rejecting God
Trusting in God
Abortion
The Role of Suffering
“Ye of Little Faith”
The Divine Mother of Your Thoughts
The Role of Religion
Suffering and Evolution
The Origin of Suffering
There Is More to the World Than Your Worldliness
The Role of Nature
Totality and Locality
Science and Reality
Karma
The Egoic Territory and Unhappiness
Wanting God and God Alone
The Egoic Territory and “I Want”
Manifestations of God and Faith
Eliminating the Individual
God Also Manifests as Absence
How to Stop Judging
Surrendering to God
God Is the Best Therapist
Self-Knowledge and Psychotherapy
Anger
Incorporating Desire Into Peace
Identification With the Body
Belief
Kali
Sin and the Devil
Doubt and Despair
Peace and Nostalgia
The Devil’s Favorite Instruments
4. ACTIONS
The Root of All Problems
The Greatest Service
You Cannot Help Anyone
Emotion and Compassion
“Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself”
Karma and Humanitarian Aid
Action within Inaction
Injustice
The Three Reconciliations
5. DAILY LIFE: RELATIONSHIPS, FAMILY, WORK
The Broken Bottle
Brahmacharya, Human Love, and Divine Love
Loving Others as Much as You Love Yourself
Love
Detachment
Be Happy
Domestic Violence
Attentiveness
Divine Mother and Human Mother
Right Action
Changing Perspective in a Difficult Situation
The Role of Parents
Children Are an Opportunity for Mothers to Grow Spiritually
Self-Sacrifice
Family Gatherings
The Right Attitude
“It Is Not I Who Am Doing but Thee”
Hatha Yoga and Spirituality
The Workplace: A Place of Liberation
Work and Dysfunction
Professional Ambition and Wanting God and God Alone
The Dignity of Belonging
Insult and Injury
Reconciling the Bhagavad Gita and the Message of Christ
Abiding in Peace and Silence in All Circumstances
Trusting God
The Man Who Meditated in the Forest
6. THE RELATIONSHIP WITH A TEACHER
The True Teacher Is “I Am”
My Relationship with Swami Chidananda: Recollections
7. AWAKENING TO THE SPIRIT
The Immaculate Conception
Baptism by Water and Fire
Ripening in “I Am”
The Field of the Almighty
Renunciation
Visions, Samadhi, “I”
The Dream State and the State of the World
Yoga-Nidra
Freedom
“This Body Is a Prison”
What You Are Lies Between Two Thoughts
Zero Ego
How to Realize God
Realization and Perfection
Protection
Life Is an Illness
The Power of the Spirit
Everything Is Perfect
Faith and Belief
Divine Will
Don’t Chase after What You Already Are
What Makes Us Begin to See?
Attachment and Detachment
Waves Need Do Nothing to Be Water
Free Will
You Are Love
Notes
About the Author
EDITOR’S NOTE
This collection of talks was recorded at satsangs during retreats
conducted by Swami Muktananda, who has read and revised the
transcripts.
Many different topics are addressed during the satsangs, particularly
since much time is given to questions from participants, but the guiding
principle remains always the same and is identical to the teachings of
the great masters of the past: “You are not this body, not this mind: you
are the immortal, unchanging Self.” It is the “tat tvam asi” of the
Chandogya Upanishad, the “aham brahmasmi” of the Brihadaranyaka
Upanishad, and the “sarvam brahmamayam” of Sadasiva Brahmendra.
Swami Muktananda’s entire teaching is aimed at leading us to this
realization. To arrive there, however, requires a certain process of
maturation.
The talks have been arranged to reflect the different stages in this
process.
1) What is the true purpose of life? The answer given by the sages of
India and other traditions is that we are here to realize God, which is to
say, to become aware of our universal dimension and free ourselves from
the illusion of being individuals confined within the narrow limits of our
human condition. Chapter 1 deals with the direction we need to take
and the mechanisms—particularly the egoic territory—that prevent us.
2) When the desire to set out on the path makes itself felt, certain
practices are required. For many people this implies a reconciliation
with the concept of “God.” Questions about meditation, prayer, and
various different techniques crop up. Answers to these are outlined in
Chapter 2.
3) Once you are established in the practice, doubts begin to arise,
created by the apparent confrontation between the spiritual path and the