The Real vs. The Unreal: Understanding the Nature of the Mind

All reality, which includes the entire physical world, is an Unreal projection of the mind. Our human survival mechanism, known as the ego, is also Unreal. Even the worlds beyond the physical plane of reality, the astral plane, the causal plane, and whatever other dualities exist are all Unreal.

To desire anything of the Unreal is to reject The Real, which is The Self alone--the Nothingness that we call God. It is referred to as the Nothingness because beyond all these dualities is what Krishna refers to, in the Bhagavad Gita, as the Unmanifest form of himself. It is nothing--eternal silence; and yet, it is what has formed all of these objects of the Universe.

Now the nature of the mind is to want things. The mind wants everything such as food, clothes, money, sex, etc. What the mind is doing is searching for The Real; it is searching for The Self because The Self is pure bliss, the ultimate and complete happiness. However, for a being who is attached to the mind-body complex, The Self is not perceived in everyday reality. Because of this, the mind mistakes the Unreal for The Real and sends one's awareness on a "wild goose chase" after an infinite number of desires--all of which ultimately lead to dissatisfaction.

This does not mean that the mind cannot get what it wants. But what it does mean is that any desire that is fulfilled, such as eating or buying something, must be done consciously. To fulfill a desire consciously is to see the desire as something that the mind wants, and to be indifferent about the fulfillment of the desire. Paradoxically, you can have anything you want as long as you don't want it. Once one understands that the desires of the mind are Unreal, and that The Self is the only Real thing ANYWHERE, the mind's power over one's awareness begins to weaken at an increasing rate.

All "you" have to do is bow; surrender to the unfolding of the Universe. This is not "your life". You were never born and will never die; you are The Self, how could you? God is living what we call "our lives". We are just one big thing watching from an infinite number of perspectives.

By renouncing all thinking, planning, selfish tendencies/actions, personality, hatred, greed, shame, fear, desires, and any other aspect of a self/person, one gives to God what already belongs to IT. If we give God ourselves, we become God, because there is no "we" left; only The Self is left, which is Nothing.

Love to all, peace to all.
Sat Nam

-Acintya Bhakti

YOU are Enlightened; YOU are The Self

Through the study of the words of Enlightened Beings, and your own increased devotion to The One, you begin to realize how paradoxical, illogical, irrational, and inconceivable reality truly is.

You realize that since you aren't the body, mind, senses, desires, or anything but The Self, you are what you are searching for. YOU are already Realized; you are The Self, and it is pure love, bliss, life--One with all.

Ramana Maharshi described this paradox very well:

"We imagine that we will realize that Self some time, whereas we are never anything but the Self."

"Realization consists of getting rid of the false idea that one is not realized." 


So naturally you ask the question: "If I am already Enlightened, then why am I 'not Enlightened'; why am I not completely free from thoughts, desires, suffering, etc.?"

The answer is deep. Our current spiritual evolution is determined by our prarabdhakarma. We cannot enlighten ourselves. Realization and spiritual growth comes from the Grace of The Universe.

The story of your life is already written and set in stone. Whether you will realize yourself (The Self) in this lifetime has already been determined.

Therefore, it is unnecessary to feel guilty, ashamed, or depressed about your spiritual progress; you have NO CONTROL, and you NEVER HAVE.

So then the question becomes: "What do I do?"

And the Answer is: Nothing. Just surrender to Life and every moment. Surrender to any suffering you endure, any mistreatment from others, and every aspect of physical consciousness.

Just give up. Continue your daily spiritual practice--meditation, hatha yoga, mantra, pranayama, prayer, loving service, etc.

Do not seek happiness through anything exterior. 

All you have ever wanted is within you. Bow to The Universe in humble devotion.

THERE IS NO YOU. "You" are NOTHING.

Peace to all
Love to all
Life to all

Namaste
Sat Nam

-Acintya Bhakti

It's only a movie...

The Infinite Void (Ultimate Awareness, Absolute Truth, God, etc.) is the Director of this "movie" called life that we are all experiencing. But reality gets more complex when we inquire into what we are in relation to the Universal Director, and what part we actually play in this movie.

One can read any number of ancient holy texts such as the Bhagavad Gita or the Tao Te Ching--or read the words of Enlightened Beings such as Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharshi, and Buddha--in order to uncover our true nature.

Words are imperfect symbols that can only hint at the Absolute Truth that we are speaking of. But to put it simply, while God is the Director of this movie, God is also all of the actors.

Not only is God all of the actors, but also every cause, effect, outcome, action, etc. Anything that happens to us is caused by God. There are no accidents in this life, and we have no choices--despite what the world has told us.

Furthermore, since God is every actor and role in this movie, we are all God. So then the question becomes what is our Eternal Divine Nature? And what parts of us are just temporal illusions? (Basically everything in the Universe with name and form is illusory) Ramakrishna confirms this:  "Unalloyed love of God is the essential thing. All else is unreal."

The illusory parts of our beings are the body and the mind--which of course includes the ego. We are what Ramana Maharshi calls The Self. The Self is called the Atman in Hinduism. It may also be referred to as Pure Awareness, Sat chi ananda, Pure Being, etc.

This Pure Awareness is what is truly You and what is truly I; it is God itself.

No matter whether you are a spiritually advanced being or a worldly being who engages in unhealthy practices that are not spiritual, YOU are still The Self. It is all that you are and all that you will ever be.

The paradoxical thing about what we call Enlightenment (Realization) is that we are all already Enlightened or Realized. But we are blocked from experiencing this pure nature of Truth. And what is it that blocks us?

We are blocked by all of our worldly desires, our attachments, thoughts, memories, and our imagination.

Our bodies are Divine Receptors capable of undoing all of these impurities and allowing us to be The Self alone. But many of us destroy this divine receptor by eating the wrong food, using drugs (which includes caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol), and by not engaging in daily spiritual practice such as meditation, hatha yoga, chanting, prayer, pranyama, etc.

All we can do is start right HERE where we are. One may not be able to dramatically alter their life initially due to karmic commitments. But simply starting with short meditation, a mantra, hatha yoga, and prayer can have profound effects.

There is SO much more that can be said, and not enough space here to say it. But in conclusion, do Not take this life seriously. It's only a movie. Do Not take your job, or other responsibilities seriously. God is the actor that is doing them all. You aren't doing anything but watching this life go by--because all you are is the Eternal Witness; the SELF.


Blessings to you all. Peace to all, Life to all, Love to all.
Sat Nam

-Acintya Bhakti