the time of awakening

in what is called knowledge

the man of ignorance awakens into light

which is what the soul is in reality

this one then is free and forever in peace 

he has no burden to carry again

he has no pride or shame or unrest

he has no worries that ripple the clear water

he has no judgements or thoughts that come and go

he is like a beautiful body of water 

that has been cleared of mud and sludge 

and now embodies the glory of that which is true

he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt 

that truth is not a body

or a mind 

or an appearance that comes and goes

what is truth is here as light and pristine 

consciousness 

this is not understood as a concept

but is lived *directly* as non-dual awareness 

a man that is this way --

clear and purified 

is a saint, a master, a buddha 

he takes away not a thing 

he leaves no trace 

he is pried open and unleashed of all that binds 

though he looks to be ordinary

and moves about in ordinary ways 

inside he is still and always still...

in what is called knowledge

the man of ignorance awakens

to himself 

this time of great auspiciousness 

is not known by mind 

it is not understood by a thought or concept

it is not to be marked on a calendar

like an event

it is not to be awaited for 

because it cannot be known

it is *unknown*

and so why fret about it?

stay with efforts and in the heart 

and let grace do the work that 

only grace can do...

and simply flow with life as it is ...

the highest..

showman of the world that claim to be lights

are up on stage to be entertainers and gain affections

of the people 

they are not here to bring truth or break down the walls

of ego 

they have within them little in the way of true wisdom

and are not set steady in the absolute 

as many have no idea what it is to let go of suffering 

and die the death that brings eternal life 

they plant seeds of confusion for the seekers as the words

spoken do not flow from stillness

but from ego based understandings and philosophies

this is a very harmful thing to put out to the universe

this idea of oneness being freedom, engenders a false 

notion of liberation 

and is taken in by those that are too unsteady to go forward

into the light in full

so these ones take up *ideas* and *notions* of freedom

as this feels much safer

but in the end it is another prison that confines the mind to 

a particular pattern of thinking
that lays yet another cover on reality

another separation, another barrier 

that most will guard with vengeance out of fear of

opening to the real 

which will wash this type of clinging away

the mind can be its own worst enemy so easily

and many times these ones have had no deeper experiences

so do not know the difference 

or they are unwilling to let go of the spiritual status
they feel they have reached 

and will fight with all they have to maintain it 

conversely, the mind can be made into a tool for the absolute 

channeled in the direction of peace, joy and light 

and eventually dissolved into everlasting purity

the true Guru is here to give the hard hitting pointers 

that will strike the illusion

and lay it bare so ever present stillness can be revealed 

these ones are not here to be on stage or play mind games

these ones stick to reality always and are not swayed by emotions 

and personal stories of the seekers 

what is given is what is in the best interest of the student to wake this one 

up to reality

what is given can be strong and powerful

or gentle in nature

whatever is needed 

this type of wisdom flows from the source directly

without stain of mental thought or plan

without motive or thoughts of what is to be gained or lost

these concepts do not arise in a still mind

so the pointings given are of the highest 

rishikesh (india part #4)

rishikesh is where Guruji spent the majority of her time while in india..
it is a crowded place filled with a constant flow of colorful life of all sorts and varieties.... a steady stream of indians, tourists, sadhus, cows, monkeys and beggars line the walkways...
devotional worship and rituals
are constantly taking place near the ghats or along the dirt paths that are laden with cow dung and mud from the last rains..
as usual Guruji escorted us to a decent place to stay that had a restaurant downstairs...
... one could even order american style food..
the area  in rishikesh that we hung out much of the time was relatively small
it made for easy travel on foot with market stalls and cafes lined up throughout..
have written about rishikesh in the first post entitled india (part # 1) ...
this is where we spent the majority of our time ....  wandering about and relating to the sadhus,
market vendors and beggars...
though we spent our days in the thick of sadhu life... it was not near to the degree that Guru lived several years back when she was in rishikesh...
she lived on the banks of the ganges for a time with a group of sadhus (this is where she entered realization)
it was a very rare thing for a sadhvi (female sadhu) to live in the *raw* open land with just a little sparse hut set up ...
she would bathe in the ganges early every morning and that water was *COLD* she said many
times....
(i can attest to this as did dip the feet in awhile and brrrrr)...
one of the sadhus she lived with  (who has now entered maha samadhi) was very dear to her and took the role of watching over her ....he took this role *very* seriously it sounded like from the stories
she told about him....
there are many different sects of sadhus in india -
each dons a different style and color of robes (or lack thereof as in the case of the naga babas who roam stark naked)...
one sect of sadhus are called aghoris -- some these sadhus wear all black...
they are Shiva devotees and engage in extreme practices and austerities as a means to break through
mental conditionings and attachment to form...
there were a group of aghoris in rishikesh that we met... one of these sadhus had a very peaceful
presence and did appear to be absorbed in sadhana and deep contemplation...
we would see him along our route everyday and Guruji would praise him for holding his concentration
within....

most of the sadhus in rishikesh, Guruji was well acquainted with and they recognized her

and called to us to come over as we walked along...
(with the exception of the ones that knew of her strong presence and tough love style manner.. these ones would run away )....
Guruji gave several diksha ceremonies on the ghats of the ganges during our stay there...
initiation was given to a sadhu as well who claimed that he was going to change his ways...
which meant that he would stop smoking cannabis and hanging out with the wrong crowds ..
he vowed that he would immerse in sadhana and try to be honest...
the spiritual name given to him by Guruji was Kali das  --
when diksha was given in the early years, the spiritual name given always ended in das which
means *servant of* ...  so his name meant *servant of Kali* or to be surrendered to that energy that
cuts thru conditionings ....  a great name indeed ....
this sadhu hung out with us much of the time we were there...
he was rather endearing, but one could still feel the mischief in him and unsteady energy that he carried...
Guruji was very generous with him and gave him some clothing and food ..
some of the sadhus we encountered appeared to be in need of hospital care .. they had wounds
or illnesses...
to live outside and sleep on the hard earth with the mosquitoes and rainy seasons and barely a cover or wrap can be brutal on the form...
so the majority do give in to smoking cannabis as a means to numb out from the rough lifestyle...
so many are very thin as food becomes secondary...
but even when money was given to take care of the needs ..  it was found out that they did not go
to the hospital at all, but spent their money on more smoking and nonsense...
this is when Guruji would get after them for their dishonest actions and she did not speak in a
shy voice about it ...
Kali das was no different... even though he was given such grace .. he was found later smoking and
hanging with the group of babas that were not good influences....
of course he was caught by Guruji and you can bet that this was addressed ...
(at the end of our stay there,  it was not looking promising that Kali das would clean up his act)...
it is a *very* strong pull for sadhus to go back to the old ways that one is used to ....  especially when
this area was saturated with fake sadhus and so many masquerading as Gurus or seekers ..
along our daily walks we also saw some sadhus engaged in austerities of all sorts...
one sadhu was found with his arm held straight up in the air everyday -- he said so far he had held it there several weeks..
and was working towards holding it up for several years or more...
there was another little sadhu in his hut who attended to his needs and appeared very devoted to aiding
this sadhu in his laborious task...
after several days we walked further into rishikesh ...  Guruji showed us where she used to live

with the group of sadhus on the banks of the ganges...
the little hut was gone --
she said a lot of the babas had been run out of the area due to their dishonest ways and lifestyle...

we walked over the suspension bridge across the ganga called lakshman jhula..
it took quite awhile to make it across as
every bit of space was crowded with motorcycles, cows, monkeys, beggars and droves of people of all types
and forms....
Guruji said this is where the beloved sadhu that watched over her entered maha samadhi --
the mind fell away easily while walking over this bridge ... an indescribabale feeling of peace entered.
the energy there was extraordinary...
Guruji said within her journey while walking across it, she lost body consciousness... this is understood...

in the early morning hour, we went to one of the temples in which rituals were performed to the
shiva lingum --
liquid and flowers was poured over the lingam as a means to honor shiva and shakti...
devotees chanted *om namah shivaya* which means "i bow to Shiva.. the lord of the yogis..
the spirit that dwells within all hearts"...

this is all the flow that is coming for now...
our next stop was to be dharmsala -- up in the foothills of the himalayas where the Dalai Lama and buddhist monks reside...
om shanti

for more on rishikesh see india - rishikesh (part #1)

deathless

death is non-existent in the o ne
it is a mere concept created by mind
like all other illusions
there is no such thing within a clear mind
that is free of shadow
what goes is the body
that is a mere appearance within pure awareness
this is all...
it is because you have claimed this body
as your own
that there is suffering...
ego is this way --
making claims and creating a world
that appears to a *me*
keep inquiring what is this *me*
and engage the practices when the story
arises
the shadow (ego) will be laid to rest
eventually
there is no doubt
because it is transient
it will go...
friend,
i will not say any of it is easy
it is not by any means
but please do not let any thought
desire or emotion
dissuade you or pull you away--
do not worry so much about your life and
what is to be lost there
surely it will all go in time...
this is fact
yes?
be true now
live like a one that is without this heavy other nature
be in heart
be free

munis, rishis and sadhus

what the munis call the one essence
is the ripe now
it is not the past or future
but the glory of living in freedom
within the o ne heart

the munis are wandering sadhus
that take a vow of silence
they do not rest for long in any particular place
they pick up their few belongings
(a mat, a staff and gourd for eating and
drinking)
and rise with the dawn
and continue
wandering without a set destination in mind
this is the heart of non-arriving
or aimlessness
where all is a spontaneous flow
not apart from nature or the life force
in complete harmony with this --

the rishis are the far seers that also
wander
sit when the body is tired
and get up and wander when the early
morning light hits ---
it is a *raw* and open way of living
not protected by even clothing much of the time
completely bare to the elements
and open earth --
not separate from it
eating like the wild creatures do
which is very primitive, but also very
natural and free when this life is imbibed in
with joy and love

munis, rishis and sadhus are the ones that have mystical
experiences and have written of kundalini
as well as the non-dual reality --
it has come out of direct experience
which is indeed what the seeker on the
kundalini path also encounters and experiences
(minus the wandering piece and externals)
it is the path of the renunciate
and it is thru the hardship and tapasya
of these seekers that the scriptures were
written
as well as the map and foundation
of the renunciate life and the path --
which is such a jewel for the
seekers that are drawn to and ready
to come into this lifestyle...

---  maha shanti om--