Chapter 13 - Embers Covered In Ash
Day 64
How does ash form? It is formed by burning charcoal. The same ash formed by the charcoal cinders finish off the charcoal. Similarly, arrogance, jealousy, desire and anger have come from the knowledge in our consciousness.
You can only desire something that you have knowledge of. If you do not know what cham cham is how could you desire it? Is it possible? If in your mind there is a desire to eat gulab jamun, then you must know what it is.
Desire arises from knowledge and the same desire destroys knowledge. In a similar way, you get angry because of knowledge. Nobody gets angry without a reason.
Does anybody become angry when they are sleeping? Why do you get angry? It is because you did not get something that you wanted. Your desire is unfulfilled.
When this happens, you will instantly become angry. You become angry because of knowledge. Likewise, where does greed come from? It comes because of knowledge.
Why did you get jealous? It happened due to awareness of something. You heard about something and felt that you should have gotten it, but somebody else got it.
That is how jealousy begins. Just as the ash that is produced by burning charcoal finish off the charcoal, all these energies are produced by knowledge.
The energies, which arise in this way, are not right or wrong. They are just energies. Without lust, there would be no birth. Without anger, there would not be strength to get work done.
Often, people cannot move forward in life without some jealousy. Look at small children. Even they feel jealousy many times. All these are animal energies. All these energies are in us, and we need to use them in a proper way.
Look at a child, it gets jealous. If there are two children, and the mother takes one on her lap, the other child will become jealous as soon as it sees and will come running.
Do you know the story of Vishvamitra? Seeing the quiet radiance of Vashishta, he became jealous. Even though Vishvamitra was a great king, he could not prove himself in front of Vashishta. He was at such a loss that he could not even open his mouth to speak a few words. Vishvamitra's other name was Kaushika.
After seeing Vashishta's glow, the king became so jealous that he started to do tapas, penance and after his penance, Vishvamitra gave the world the gayatri mantra, which is so valuable.
After discovering the mantra he wanted the title of Brahmarishi. Where did this start? Jealousy, simply pride, jealousy and greed.
What was the story of Dhruva? He was greedy. Is it not only out of greed that Dhruva became who he was? Dhruva did penance only out of greed and desire.
So similarly, all the animal instincts in our life are shadows of knowledge. This needs to be understood. When the source of knowledge is known, then "Om namah shri shambhave" - the consciousness returns to its original state of bliss.
It returns to itself. Observe this happening in the mind. One who is established in the Self understands the origin of knowledge.
Many people have interpreted this sutra as they see fit. This sutra is misunderstood not just now, but since the 10th century. What is the source of knowledge? Where is the strength in knowledge?
Look to the power of consciousness. When we look in that direction, even the ash on the burning charcoal automatically disappears. When ash is removed, knowledge shines.
When you get angry, do not blame yourself and say, "I have done so much sadhana. I am meditating, but still I get angry." Immediately check where this anger started. Who is angry?
Look at it two ways. Ask, to whom is this anger happening?" or "Who am I?" and you come closer. Or, ask, "Where did this knowledge arise from?"
Look to the origin of knowledge, and when you do this, you will find that all knowledge originates in the consciousness, which is inside us. Then the goal of knowledge, the source of knowledge, is understood.
Everything runs through the power of this consciousness. When we examine our consciousness, we come to know that we create our own worlds. When there is anger in our mind, then it reflects in other people.
If you have some feeling in your mind, it will start to bear fruit through others. The power of intention in our mind starts to grow.
Grace and control of the
mind increase. Our consciousness gains the ability to bless and to curse. This is to say that through our intentions, we create our own world.
An enlightened being creates his creation with his intentions. There is one more secret in this sutra. Right now, at this moment, you are talking, listening, eating, gossiping or worrying - through what power are you doing all these activities?
With the energy of consciousness. All the activities in our life happen through the energy of
consciousness. Without consciousness in the body, it would just be a corpse.
Similarly, what energy is needed for this world to function? The sun's rays. Because of the sun the earth revolves in its orbit, trees and plants grow, and water evaporates and becomes a cloud and then falls as rain.
The sun causes all this to happen. The radiance of being that is in the sun is not different from the radiance of being in consciousness.
