An extract from The Illumined Understanding

The illumined understanding is the very nature of one who has realized the ultimate Truth, and is ever contented, ever fulfilled. This understanding is present in seed form in every man and woman. Following a spiritual way of life, meditating and seeking to look deeper into experience, our understanding is expanding. When Truth is realized, that understanding will be illumined and we shall no longer be in quest of any end.

Man in general is thirsting for experiences that will make him feel better, and the world is his field of opportunity, the occasion of his hopes and fears. He looks outside himself for approval and satisfaction — but on this level, things are never quite right.

The spiritual seeker is also thirsting for experience that will bring peace and light to his inner being. His search is wise. He realizes that the outer life is a caravan on the move, that ultimately he can rely on nothing exterior to himself to give him enduring security and joy. He believes in the promise of the sages — that there is peace, light and joy enshrined at the centre of his being, and that he must learn to tap that source of inner strength and joy. He turns within, thirsting for the deeper spiritual experience. This thirst is the motive power of his life and will lead to the water of immortality.

The one of illumined understanding is not thirsting for anything. He has found himself. He is not in quest of any end, because he is fulfilled. He has not only found the water, but knows that he is the water, and there is only water. He knows that the whole of experience appears as an extension of his own consciousness, that his innermost Self is one with the supreme power of the universe and the reality that underlies it.

Outwardly there may be no obvious difference between the ordinary extrovertive man, the spiritual seeker and the one who has realized the spiritual Truth. One of illumined understanding may withdraw from the banquet of life or be a vigorous participator in it. But whatever way of life is manifested, there is total inner independence.

Two devotees once met after a long separation. One was a wandering monk, the other the head of a monastery. At length, the homeless one chided his brother: 'O my brother, isn't it time you renounced the honour and comfort that surrounds your position as an Abbot, and adopt the path of true renunciation, like me?' The Abbot said: 'Yes, indeed, brother. I will do so immediately. Come, let us now wander away from this region, taking each step in meditative peace.' The other one said: ‘Well,....yes.....but I've just remembered that I left my little bag and blanket at your monastery. Please wait while I collect them.' The Abbot had inner light and was identified with nothing finite. There may be no outer sign whatsoever in one who has an illumined understanding, but there is an inner spirit of complete independence. We may be rich or poor outwardly. What matters is the degree of detachment we have attained inwardly, what we can let go of easily, if such demands are made on us.

As regards our everyday life, the advice is: 'Hold tightly, let go lightly.' It means that while we have these connections and responsibilities, we need to fulfil them as best we can, to hold them tightly, firmly, with care and conscious attention. Others may depend on us; we are links in the immense chain of the social order and must play our part. But always we should try to cultivate the ability to set worldly thoughts aside for the time being, and dive deeper into our self. Realizing the independence of our spiritual nature, which is our real Self, we will be able to accept all happenings with serenity and do what is necessary if we have to lose a position, a possession, a friend, a loved one. This is because we shall have developed the inner resource of a spiritual understanding, and this will help us at all times. The true peace is that which we find at the deeper level of our own being.

Always, with one of illumined understanding, there is this spirit of independence; not of rebellion, not of superiority, because their consciousness is rooted in the spirit of unity and tranquil bliss. Whatever happens on the physical plane, or in the realm of human relationships, there is no longer the fear of loss, or hope of gain, no regrets or expectations.

The sage is always aware of the eternal glory of the immediate experience of pure being and absolute consciousness. The past and the future do not burden him. The importance we give to the past is the creation of our mind, and the pictures we make of the future are also our mental projections. The sage is hypnotized by neither; he has transcended both. In the words of the Sufi master, Jalaluddin Rumi, 'Past and future are veils. When you are freed from these two, the difficulty is solved.' The one of illumined understanding uses the mind as an instrument that serves a higher purpose, but has no independent existence. He is identified with the subtle spiritual principle on which the mind depends for its very existence, but whose peace and light can never be interfered with by the mind.

This true Self abides within us as the ground and support of our being. It is our essence, just as electricity may be said to be the essence of the lights in a room. The lights are the localized expression, but the force is universal. The consciousness expressing itself in us, apparently conditioned and personalized, is in reality the universal consciousness, pure spirit, unwavering awareness, never affected by the changes in the body and the mind.

The aim of Yoga is to help us realize our true nature. For the prepared mind, self-realization is the natural resumption of one's true identity. An actor pours his emotions and intelligence into his portrayal of a particular character; then he becomes himself again when the play has ended. The yogi learns how to progressively disidentify his true nature, his spiritual being, from layer after layer, role upon role, presented by the mind. In reality, he is none of these limitations, but is the supreme, infinite power behind all appearances...