Brahman – In Gita Verse 14.26 One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.
In the profound wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna illuminates the path to Brahman. He teaches us that when we realise that thoughts are distinct entities from who we truly are, and when we dwell in the gap between thoughts, we embody Brahman.
Thoughts are transient visitors, passing through the infinite sky of our consciousness. They do not define us, for like the sky, we are constant, unchanging despite the shifting clouds of mental impressions. The thoughts are born, they stay, and they fade, much like these momentary visitors, they are not the hosts of the abode that is our true self.
Deep observation allows you to reclaim your role as the host, appreciating thoughts as mere guests. Beautiful in their fleeting nature, yet harmful when mistaken for the master of the house – this illusion is the root of suffering, a self-created hell. You are the sovereign of your inner world, the thoughts but temporary residents.
The struggle arises when we internalise thoughts so deeply that we forget our separateness from them. This distance is crucial; the recognition of what is permanent within us – our true nature, our Tao. Focus not on the ephemeral visitors but remain rooted in the permanence of your own being.
We need not worry about the nature of these mental guests, whether they are negative or positive. Adherence to equanimity in their reception is key. Favouring neither, disfavouring neither; for when we discriminate, we form attachments, and attachment fosters identification – the root cause of misery.
Gurdjieff’s wisdom echoes similarly, emphasising non-identification with the impermanent. Sunrise and sunset, the cycles of day and night – they all pass as we, the eternal witnesses, remain. Stripped of name, of form, we are simply pure consciousness, the very essence of awareness, untouched by the transient.
Identification is a misstep that breeds the illusion of self as name, body, and form – or as the Hindus say, nama, rupa. Losing sight of the eternal, the momentary becomes falsely magnified. It is the world; the eternal is the divine.
While we cannot shield ourselves from thought, we can foster a No-Mind state. This is the state of Buddha, of Brahman. In No-Mind, there is freedom from all bindings, from the repercussions of thoughts that entangle.
A Buddha moves through existence with No-Mind, his actions a pure spontaneous expression, devoid of ego, resonating in harmony with existence itself. In this state of emptiness and non-self, anatta, one is liberated from the karmic cycle.
Be cautious, be alert, for each thought contributes to your inner and outer world. Yet, when I urge alertness, it is not an invitation to choose good over bad. Opposites are two sides of the same coin – where love exists, hate shadows; where compassion is contemplated, so is cruelty.
Real transformation blooms not from the soil of thought but from a state beyond it. In No-Thinking lies the different quality of being. Here, Krishna’s message is clear: remain a conscious observer without engaging in thought. Thoughts may visit as they roam freely in the atmosphere, but with increasing awareness, they dissolve – a testament to consciousness being a mightier force than thought. This supreme awareness is Brahman.
Your mindful introspection is encouraged, as it brings us closer to the ultimate state of existence that Krishna illustrates – a state where the timeless self, the Brahman, is revealed in its purest form through the very act of being aware.
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