Peace of mind in the Advaita capital of the world
Around five years back in 2017, one of my friends suggested me to go to Tiruvannamalai (Tiru) in Tamil Nadu, India. When I inquired about the significance of the place, he shared that Advaita (non-duality) saint Ramana Maharishi spent most of his life in this town and many followers around the world visit this place every year. Out of curiosity I started reading more about him and then read some of the books on Advaita philosophy and came to know about his recommended approach of asking “Who am I” question to yourself repeatedly. Since then, I had a wish to go to Tiru, which can also be known as Advaita capital of the world.
Around five months back last year, I was fortunate enough to get a chance to meet Gautam Sachdeva, a non-duality teacher, in Hyderabad for an hour long 1to1 conversation. In that short time, I asked him many of my deep-seated questions and he addressed all of them with utmost simplicity and clarity. His approach can be summarized in that we all are looking for peace of mind in our daily living.
Later when I came to know that Gautam is offering a retreat in Tiru, I could not not-go and signed up immediately. There were 25 more participants and each one of them from such a diverse background. There was home maker, entrepreneur, professor, musician, sadhak, CA (haha), angel investor, few foreign nationals and so on. Only later I realized that these identities were only the mask and all of us had one thing in common that we were all looking for truth. The three days we spent together were restful, profound, fun and reflective. It is difficult to summarize what I learned in those three days but here is an attempt of what I picked up.
Spirituality in action is all about relationship.
The teaching wants us to give up the doer ship by remembering that everything is God, with our no control of what is happening. There is no other force other than God, everyone else and you are just consciousness or God acting. The book “I am that” points out the same, me and everyone, is that (consciousness). This realization can make you love everyone as if you have created them. When you realize person troubling you is functioning just like a robot because of his conditioning, compassion will arise.
Criticizing anyone is criticizing no one but God. When you apply “should be” on other people, you think yourself someone better than God. It is violence to take away anyone’s peace of mind. When you treat people, you don't like, as God in that form, the way you respond them will change. Similarly, when anyone insult you, see it as insult of God. And when anyone praises you, see it as praise of God.
If you see individuals, others will also see you as individual, if u see others as conciousness, they will also see you as same. Me vs others when healed becomes me and others. Healing can be defined as resolving the errors in your own consciousness by resting in light.
Questions to keep handy when triggered by anyone or any situation.
What will you choose between few moments of bliss experience in life with pain in other times, or just consistent peace of mind which can also be described as condition of no pain? If you answer the latter option, then the only solution is to practice equanimity in daily living. When facing any challenge, we can remember that, Thou has no power unless will of God.
Deep sleep is our natural state where we are at complete rest, it is the waking state which is the problem. Child is always in natural state. How long we can hold ourselves in that natural state? It is not about being good, it is about being equanimous in daily living. Can we stop classifying people, things or events as good vs bad. When we realize our nature as “neutral love” like sun we don’t divide people into camps of love and hate. Can we also pray for our enemies? Be in your nature, don’t go against your nature just to follow what everyone else is doing. Act as per your nature, keep asking what is my nature, am I happy in what I am doing, how can I contribute more? New beginnings will bring newer beginnings.
There are no mistake or sins, as nothing you or others are doing is in your or their control. Attaching to outcome or expecting how others should be makes you lose peace of mind and makes your thinking mind active. Allowing others to have different opinions though you don’t have to agree with them always. One person awareness is enough as tennis cannot be played by one person. In any argument, think that both of us have to end as ashes eventually. Feeling will arise but there would not be any need to hold on to it or make any stories around it. How can we wonder on the mystery of the variety of God’s creation. Can we think life as just role plays by everyone? How can you become a pillow of rest for others, a beacon of peace?
Ask yourself frequently, am I in thinking mind vs working mind? Whatever has to happen will happen, whatever does not have to happen will not happen. Instead of thinking I hear, or I see, can we say something is heard or seen. Real witnessing is to see that this happens, then full stop, no need to add “to me”. When in thinking mind, practices like silence, stillness, being in heart, body scan, visualizing yourself as consciousness can bring you back to the working mind.
Choose your meditation “technique” as how you want to live.
In non-duality. meditation is defined by Ramesh Balsekar as consciousness contemplating on consciousness or being a witness, to whatever appears as movement in consciousness. Silence has three parts, before sound, sound, after sound, when noticed carefully you can realize that sound is also based on the foundation of silence.
Satsang means company of the truth which can be also defined as impersonal awareness of being, say when all your memory is wiped out. When in company of truth, you will not feel lonely when alone. Keep reminding and acknowledging this beingness day to day specially when triggered.
When you ask, why you are living, it is like painting wants to know why painter painted it. This is ego asking. You don’t ask this question in the deep sleep. Purpose is something which ego wants; the real purpose is to let the life flow or living life. Ego does not like life simple or boring life. Mind do not know and cannot know. Heart knows and always have known. How can we bring teachings from mind to heart? Rest and be assured of u being taken care like God gives you milk through mother.
My trip was ended with a hearty conversation with a fellow participant on way back to Pondicherry, who was a true seeker and later with a long stroll in white town there during the day, Aurobindo ashram, sitting on a serenity beach in the evening, next day getting to enter the Matrimandir (symbol of peace) in Auroville, visiting a sustainability community (sadhana forest) and finally a great black coffee at the age old Indian coffee house :)
