Reading this passage authored by Natureza Gabriel Kram reminds me of Adi Sankaracharya the enlightened Vedantic teacher born 1500 hundred years ago. He describes four states of consciousness:
normal state of wakefulness-Jagrati,
dream state of consciousness-Swapna,
Sushupti -sound sleep state of consciousness, and 
Turiya-Transcendental or Unitive state of consciousness.

The first three states of consciousness are like liquid, solid, and steamy states of consciousness and water going through the first three states of consciousness without being bound by liquid, solid, and steamy states of consciousness. When our contemplative practices go deeper, we realize the Transcendental or Unitive Consciousness. And that is Self, our True Nature. This is the defining characteristic of a Self-realized being with no divisive boundaries and barriers, beyond time and space.

hen my meditative state goes deeper I experience Turiya, the Transcendental Consciousness. In that state the egoic mind, the little self fades away and this is an experience of Transcendental or Unitive Consciousness. I come "home", a home of harmony, openness and oneness. In this state I experience profound peace, deep contentment and bliss. Arriving at home takes time, patience, persistence and perseverance. This is a spiritual journey, an inward journey, an inner work, sadhana. I have been on this journey for along time and I am not in a rush to reach my destination, moksha, liberation, salvation. I bow to all who are on this spiritual path, my fellow voyagers.
​Namaste!

Reading this conversation of David Godman (the questioner) and Ramana Maharishi's, published in the awakin.org, it reminds me of the chant I do before I do my daily meditation : "OM asato ma sadgamaya,
tamaso ma jyotir gamaya,
mrityor ma amritam gamaya.
OM shantihi, shantihi, shantihi.

Translation:
Om! Lead me from the unreal to the Real,
from darkness to Light,
from death to Immortality
Peace. Peace, Peace.

We are looking for eternal peace. It is my understanding that real peace comes from inside, not from outside. It comes from silence when all the external and internal noises fade away. Peace is already and forever dwells in Silence. I hear the voice of Peace when my mind is silent. In the silence I hear the sound of Peace within me, without me, without then, without there but in the Presence, Here, and Now. It is like the clear sky with no clouds. It is in the present moment.

When I meditate, when my mind is not engaged in the past and the future, but in the now and here consciousness I abide in the flow of full and clear consciousness, and that is I. As long as the flame in my mind is flickering I cannot see the light within me, the light of awareness of pure or transcendental consciousness which is always present, always free. I have been learning the power of "now consciousness" by practicing Mindfulness Meditation regularly. Practicing Mindfulness Meditation regularly helps me see and disperse the clouds of ignorance and delusion and that way I see the luminous light that shines within us for ever. I also live mindfully so that I do not reside in the self-created prison in me. Practicing mindfulness and living mindfully helps me to be liberated from myself-created bondage. May we all get awakened and get connected with the Divine light of awareness.
Namaste! 

I like the title of this passage The Self Is Not A Thing, But A Process. A process is fluid. It is flowing. The body- mind complex creates obstacles in the flow of the unitive consciousness where I and You or you and me get dissolved. What makes the "I" making the decision and "I" receiving the decision different, not the same? According to my understanding it is the ego that creates the split between I and you. When I become free from the grip of my ego I am in the flow of the Unitive Consciousness or Self-realization. In this spiritual realm we become one with us and with others. In this spiritual realm the apparent distinctions of I and you, and mine and yours, fade away and the Light of Oneness shines. There are many occasions in my life when I have gone beyond myself. Serving others without any selfish motive and loving people in my life unconditionally have enriched my life. What is nobody? When I know who I am and let the light of that awareness shine within me, I realize that we all are one. This is True Love, my True Nature. Namaste!

When Thomas Berry was asked for words for future generations before his passing, his response has been posted on awakin.org.. and below is my reflection to it:

How do I relate to the earth makes a significant difference in living my life. If I view the earth as a collection of matter to be used for my personal selfish gain, the future looks very dismal and dark both for the human and the earth. I was raised to relate to the earth as our mother, matrubumi. Viewing the earth this way changes my relationship with the earth. The relationship becomes sacred and that way opening to greater life.

With the rise of industrialization and commercialization, our earth is exploited and polluted. In the midst of such darkness there is an awakening and hopefulness. There is a chance for opening to a greater life. In that sense, I feel spirit of optimism like the author Thomas Berry. I hope more people get awakened to save the earth, to save the human kind, recover the sense of the sacred in the human-earth relationship. I stay on this path by seeing the sacred relationship between the human and earth. I have a spiritual orientation to life. To me life is sacred and the earth is sacred. May we listen to the optimistic and inspiring call of Thomas Berry when he says "Tell them something new is happening...a new sacred story is coming into being in the transition from one era to another. 

Based on Anushka Fernandopulle's article, below is my reflection:

There are three levels of happiness. In the first level of happiness I feel happy from any kind of pleasant sensual experiences, from nose, eyes, ears, tongue and touch. Such experiences are fragile. They come and go.  In the second level of happiness, I derive happiness in the mind and heart, from pleasant thoughts and feelings. But they are also transitory and fragile. The highest and enduring kind of happiness comes from deep contentedness, deep fulfillment, and peace- from an awakening that brings peace even among the vicissitudes of life. I feel free from the bonds that enslave me. It is the ultimate happiness. In Buddhism it is called nirvana. It is a state where suffering is extinguished. I have glimpses of such happiness that lean into a contentedness beyond changing circumstances. When I operate from my loving heart and quiet mind I feel the supreme happiness-a deep sense of love and oneness. The small individual self is transformed into the universal Self. It is a state of unitive consciousness. When I come out of my self-centeredness and relate to the world unselfishly and love all forms of life unconditionally, I feel oneness going beyond man made differences and divisiveness. Awakening helps me to walk on this path. Awareness helps me to stay on this path.

Namaste!

This passage by Kerri Lake reminds me of what I learned from my dad: Yatha dristi tatha sristi. The world appears as you see it. If my sight is clear the world looks clear. When I look at the world with eyes filled with "me against you" or "what is there for me", my life shrinks and I get disconnected with the essence of life which I call unitive consciousness or my true nature.

All of us have two eyes to see the outer world and to be connected with outer world and for survival. We also have an invisible third eye-trinertra- to see the light within that liberates us from self-created conflict, darkness and bondage. As a human being I do have a need to survive and be safe physically, mentally, emotionally and relationally. When I do not get stuck with the survival level and go beyond that level I feel the vastness of the clear sky with no restricting boundaries. It is an experience of oneness, of freedom and living life fully. To me life is a journey, an ongoing process of learning, growing and developing. This is the way I get connected with essence of life. I know who I am and that's a blessing.
Namaste!

I love this short parable. It teaches us that under the duality there is oneness. The salt doll realizes that oneness by dissolving the separateness. Our personal ego-based identity does not realize Universal identity as long as it holds onto ego bound identity. Self-realization is the realization of my Real Self which is universal. It is an experience of oneness regardless of apparent differences. The wave is the ocean. I have had many glimpses of my real or true self. When I am fully absorbed in meditation I lose my individual identity. Individual consciousness becomes universal consciousness. There have been times when I have experienced oneness with nature. I have experienced such oneness in unconditional love relationships. They are spiritual experiences for me. Such experiences have enriched my life and have made me a better person.
Namaste!

"Somewhere someone needs help. Send love. It matters." writes Carrie Newcomer. Yes. We all sometimes need love to sustain life. When someone needs my loving and supportive hand I feel compassion for that person and I do whatever I can. When I offer my hand unconditionally to the other my heart is filled with love and joy. I believe all of us are endowed with the gift of love. When I send love to someone who needs help I experience oneness with the other person. It is fulfilling and joyful. It is a spiritual experience , an experience of unitive consciousness. We are witnessing a horrible war in Ukraine causing property and human destruction, innocent people suffering and dying.

"Somewhere someone needs help." I deeply feel for people going through such suffering. I have chosen to breathe in the weight of their suffering. I pray for them and make financial contributions to help them. I know there are many obstacles the Ukrainians are facing at this time. I know I am not capable of bringing change in this situation. I recognize it. They are still in my mind and heart. I breathe in and do whatever I can to be helpful to them. I breathe out knowing and accepting what I cannot change and do not add more emotional pain in me. I do what I can and let go what I can't do. Awareness keeps me awake to do what I can do and intelligence and discretion to know what I cannot.

​Namaste!

Paul Kalanithi wrote essays for The New York Times and Stanford Medicine reflecting on being a physician and a patient, the human experience of facing death, and the joy he found despite terminal illness. He passed away at the age of 37, in 2015. Below is my reflection after reading excerpt from his best-selling book, When Breath Becomes Air.

We are a multidimensional human being. Science helps understand the body-mind complex, the physical, mental and emotional dimensions of us as human beings. Its approach is objective. There is something beyond the objective frame of reference. It is personal and subjective. It is the inner world of unconditional love or divine love. It is personal world yet it is transpersonal and universal. I keep my mind open and free to understand and appreciate the world of Science and the world of Spirituality. This way of living has helped me to appreciate both types of world.
​
Namaste.