Knowledge and Religion

Where did the universe come from?

When reading a book on Modern Physics and Vedanta, I came upon this beautiful hymn from the Rig Veda. Did you ever wonder where this creation came from? From a state that existed before there was even one division between the seer and the objects seen; and now we have this multifarious universe. 

Without opposites, there is no way for us to conceive of the state that was before the universe came into being; or maybe there is a way for us to know what was before there was a was, and before the first second in universal time ticked by? How can we possibly conceive of such a state? Even now returning to our true identity as objectless Awareness, we become that which is free of the rising and falling of the universe. Now I will let these verses point to that which does not easily fit into words:

Nasadiya Sukta (Not the Non-existent)

1. At first was neither Being nor Nonbeing.
There was not air nor yet sky beyond.
What was its wrapping? Where? In whose protection?
Was Water there, unfathomable and deep?

2. There was no death then, nor yet deathlessness;
of night or day there was not any sign.
The One breathed without breath, by its own impulse.
Other than that was nothing else at all.

3. Darkness was there, all wrapped around by darkness,
and all was Water indiscriminate. Then
that which was hidden by the Void, that One, emerging,
stirring, through power of Ardor, came to be.

4. In the beginning Love arose,
which was the primal germ cell of the mind.
The Seers, searching in their hearts with wisdom,
discovered the connection of Being in Nonbeing.

5. A crosswise line cut Being from Nonbeing.
What was described above it, what below?
Bearers of seed there were and mighty forces,
thrust from below and forward move above.

6. Who really knows? Who shall declare it here?
Whence was it born? Whence issued this creation?
Even the Gods came after its emergence.
Then who can tell from whence it came to be?

7. None knows when creation has arisen;
Whether He made it or did not make it,
He who surveys it in the highest heaven,
Only He knows, or maybe even He knows not.

Now we can return to that state which was before the world was. It is known and unknown both at the same time. Standing here we can enjoy that which cannot be put into words.

For more detailed explanations and examples read through these blogs or get my book, Making Your Wisdom Come Alive. Also feel free to ask questions. Questioning is the key to your freedom. You’ll see that when you question limitation, it falls away.

Asking Question
As always feel free to ask questions. It is only when you don’t ask that you get to live in assumed limitations. When you can ask you are well on your way to freeing yourself from the limitations that seem to cause your suffering.

Here questions about this article or other things going on in your life are always welcome; you can write us at michael@ananya.com. I love questions and try to answer them all in this blog. That’s because when you start to question limitation, you are on the verge of destroying it.

Please Tell Your Friends
Please tell you friends. Although we don’t have an advertising budget, we hope that everyone who wants to can find out about and wake up to this wisdom.

Best Wishes,

Michael Gluckman

Spending Time away From this Computer

This week we went on a retreat into the hills of Northern California. There was no cell phone connection, and no internet. We were cut off from the modern world. In some ways it was like being dead. Although we were doing fine, except for the beauty around us we were out of contact with the world. This leads to several questions: first of all, “When I crave all of the distractions that come with my cell phone, the millions of websites and the thousands of TV shows and videos at my disposal, what do I hope to find?” Or more to the point, “What am I running away from?”

If you have read these blogs before, you know and may have discovered afresh for yourself that the sparkling sense of existence that seems to come from the world actually comes from you. Also the happiness that seems to come from objects actually comes from the place where you experience happiness, your own self-nature. For more information on this go to: Inspire Me Today. 

You are the seer of limitation not the one caught in it _____________________________________________________________________________________

Give the gift of enlightenment when you give Making Your Wisdom Come Alive. This book points to the wisdom and joy that you find at your center. Here you can find the light that makes life shine in its full glory. See our fully revised second edition.

For more information go to:Amazon.com

Also now you can read this book on your Kindle or other electronic device. Please go to Amazon Kindle.

 ___________________________________________________________________

So what happens when you find yourself away from the things in the world that keep you distracted? Are you at ease without your usual distractions? Or are you tempted to run back into town to watch that TV show, get your email, and make a phone call? But before you run anywhere ask why? Are you afraid of the thoughts coming up in your mind like “What happens when I die?” Or do you feel that the world is a scary or threatening place? Do you feel bored when you are not busy? The great thing about this type of questioning is that once you discover the thing that bothers you, you are on the verge of releasing it. That’s because assumptions survive by lack of questioning. When you recognize the thing that is really bothering you, by your wisdom, you are able to stop identifying with it. That’s when you return to your natural state of freedom as the seer of limitation.

I am sure that you know that you are the seer of limitation, not the one caught in it. Since your nature is freedom, limitation feels constricting like a shoe that doesn’t fit. That’s why when you identify with limitation you find yourself attempting to escape from it by running after all of the distractions you can find. But even the thousand TV shows at your disposal are not enough. If on the other hand you can inquire into and see the assumptions that cause your suffering, you can stop the frantic running and return to your home, your natural state.

At the time of death the world disappears, not you!
So if you enjoy meditation, I would recommend spending some time away from the world of modern electronics. Are you really missing something that’s important? Instead of picking up that cell phone to make a call, or clicking on one more link, just sit and enjoy bliss at its source. You will find that you can enjoy the wisdom and bliss that does not depend on the things in the world. This wisdom springs from your identity.

And you will know that even when you pass away nothing really changes. It is more like the phone line that connects you with the world gets cut. Although the world disappears your sense of existence remains the same. What you are you always were and always will be. When you wake up you find that the character in the dream was really nothing at all.

Asking Question
As always feel free to ask questions. It is only when you don’t ask that you get to live in assumed limitations. When you can ask you are well on your way to freeing yourself from the limitations that seem to cause your suffering.

Here questions about this article or other things going on in your life are always welcome; you can write us at michael@ananya.com. I love questions and try to answer them all in this blog. That’s because when you start to question limitation, you are on the verge of destroying it.

Please Tell Your Friends
Please tell you friends. Although we don’t have an advertising budget, we hope that everyone who wants to can find out about and wake up to this wisdom.

Best Wishes,

Michael Gluckman

Expanding Your Mind

Did you ever have a mind expanding experience where life seemed to come in close and get amplified in ways that you could barely describe; an experience punctuated by waves of bliss? Are you curious about what actually happened to your mind? How did it actually expand? You might be surprised to know that your mind did not really expand. Rather what you thought was an experience, was really a glimpse into your natural state. But because it seemed to have a beginning and an end, you thought that that it was an experience.

Your next question might be how can I get back there again and that’s where the trouble starts. Your question implies that you are somehow separate from the state that you were in. Your assumption was that you were a person having a great experience. And based on that assumption, you look for ways to get back again. You might ask, “Was it the way I was sitting or that my eyes were open or closed; was it the tree that I was sitting under or the position of the sun as it set over the hills?” “Maybe,” you might think, “it was my breathing or the thoughts or lack of thoughts in my mind. Was it perhaps the drug that I took?”

Once you determine what you think the causes of the experience were, you try to setup and repeat those conditions, with the hope of returning to that wonderful state. And if you fail in your efforts you bring in self judgment: “I must be deficient.”

The five keys to the kingdom
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Give the gift of enlightenment when you give Making Your Wisdom Come Alive. This book points to the wisdom and joy that you find at your center. Here you can find the light that makes life shine in its full glory. See our fully revised second edition.

For more information go to:Amazon.com

Also now you can read this book on your Kindle or other electronic device. Please go to Amazon Kindle.

 ___________________________________________________________________

Today I am going to give you the four keys to the kingdom so you never have to come down and suffer again. So are you ready? First, you are what you seek! So if you want to expand your mind fully, and get back to your highest states, find out who you really are.

Second, you are not an object. Assuming that you are an object, life seems divided and you feel limited. When you look into it deeply, you will find that all the factors mentioned above as possible causes for your experience are just objects that you see and not the real conditions. Whether it is factors in your environment, body, or mind, these are only the conditions of objects. You are the space-like ever-free Awareness that sees them. You are not the one caught by their limitations. The cause of your experience was your identity, not some object that you saw.

Moreover you do not sense yourself like you sense an object by sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell. You are not a thought either. You know yourself because you are yourself. This is the essence of direct experience. As soon as you attempt to capture yourself in the same way that you sense an object, you bump into limitation and feel as if your experience is disappearing. 

The third key is that it is your view of the objects that you sense that keep you stuck in limitation.  For instance if you feel that the world is a dark or scary place, you will not be able to enjoy the oneness that underlies it and makes it up.

The forth key is that when you see a limitation as limitation and not you, you are freed from that limitation. The only thing you have to do is see these limitations for what they really are. That will take the apparent power out of them and you will naturally return to what you really are.

The most subtle object is the thought I. Once you see that this thought is just a thought and not the real you, you will have eliminated the anchor that drags you back into limitation. That’s when there will be nothing left to come back to.

Use these keys to return to your real experience
So in your meditations and in your life try to use these keys to free yourself from the suffering and limitation that you feel. When you seem to come down from your high experiences, take some time and determine what you are coming back to. Is it a physical body or a state of mind? Perhaps it’s a view of the world. When you finally see that limitation is just that – limitation, and not a real definition for you, you will be in for a surprise. Without even trying, you and your most expanded experiences will be one.

For more detailed explanations and examples read through these blogs or get my book, Making Your Wisdom Come Alive. Also feel free to ask questions. Questions are the bonus key to your freedom. You’ll see that when you question limitation it falls away.

Asking Question
As always feel free to ask questions. It is only when you don’t ask that you get to live in assumed limitations. When you can ask you are well on your way to freeing yourself from the limitations that seem to cause your suffering.

Here questions about this article or other things going on in your life are always welcome; you can write us at michael@ananya.com. I love questions and try to answer them all in this blog. That’s because when you start to question limitation, you are on the verge of destroying it.

Please Tell Your Friends
Please tell you friends. Although we don’t have an advertising budget, we hope that everyone who wants to can find out about and wake up to this wisdom.

Best Wishes,

Michael Gluckman

A fresh view for a New Year

Now at the New Year it’s time to take a fresh view of life. Some people think that its spirituality that makes life boring. After all who would want to sit all day and play the harp? But upon further examination I think you will find that it’s the constraints that we impose on top of life that give it that same old – same old feeling.

So what happens when you throw off those constraints like worn out clothing? It defies your thought process to come up with an answer, doesn’t it? When life becomes unpredictable in this way it becomes fascinating.  The only thing you can know for sure is that life partakes of a deep harmoney and will turn out just right.

Of course there is no guarantee that you will become rich or famous or successful in any way. After all if you could predict the results of looking at life afresh, then it wouldn’t be fresh. I can only guarantee that life is different than you think. That’s because the changes that you experience will come from a different and surprising angle.

Your experience is different than you think
You will experience the harmony that actually takes care of everything in the universe, even you. And this harmony does not come from objects. Rather it comes from a deep connection that you notice when you allow yourself to be present. In this presence you get to see the magnificent beauty that underlies the universe. From here you get to see the harmony that really takes care of us. This is where words fall short and you have to go by your direct experience.

As an example, here is an experiment that you can try to go you beyond the limitations of the thoughts in your mind, and to show you clearly how your experience is different from what you think: Where do you experience the world anyway? At first blush you might think that I am over here and the world is over there. But let’s sneak a peek into what you actually experience and see if it matches your thoughts. After all if the world was really over there then you wouldn’t see it.

This is where your wisdom comes alive
That means is order to experience the world it has to be over here. So where is it? See if you can experience the place that these words point. When you see an object, like a camera, your eye takes a picture of it. The picture is transmitted through the optic nerve, to your brain, and from your brain to your mind and you see your mind. See if you can find the place where you really experience the world. I think you will be amazed to see that the world is really in here and not out there. Incidentally, you can also try this experiment with your sense of hearing, and your other senses too.

So in your meditation practice and in your life try this experiment. You will then understand what I mean when I say that your wisdom can come alive. These words are not the product of a dead religion. They are the product of living experiential truth. When you find the place that these words point to, boredom will quickly leave, and your life will become interesting and exciting.

Asking Question
As always feel free to ask questions. It is only when you don’t ask that you get to live in assumed limitations. When you can ask you are well on your way to freeing yourself from the limitations that seem to cause your suffering.

Here questions about this article or other things going on in your life are always welcome; you can write us at michael@ananya.com. I love questions and try to answer them all in this blog. That’s because when you start to question limitation, you are on the verge of destroying it.

Please Tell Your Friends
Please tell you friends. Although we don’t have an advertising budget, we hope that everyone who wants to can find out about and wake up to this wisdom.

Best Wishes,

Michael Gluckman