Suryanarayana Raju: Witnessing consciousness in Self-inquiry keeps the mind in its proper place

Hindus say offer the flower of your mind (mano pushpa) to God.They are right.There is a great insight in that.Unless we put away our mind in the initial stages as an offering to God through surrender we cannot find the way to our own "Self" which is veiled and hidden under the mind.

Mind is the greatest biological evolution.It has not to be thrown away in the waste paper basket in the name of spiritual discipline.It is a great instrument given as a gift to us by the existence.But we have to find the master who can use it.

This is here Self-inquiry has a significant role to play in finding our master who can use his mind in a sane manner effectively.Right now mind is behaving like a master and using you.Till one finds his own "Self" everybody is a slave to his ego.Once you find your "Self",the mind becomes your slave.Seeing the "Self"
with its splendor as the master,mind is reduced and recognizes what its position is and stop behaving like a master any longer.

When i was a student when the master is not there in the class students used to do all sorts of things like playing,singing,jumping, quarrelling with each other and one of them assuming the role of the master.This is their natural behavior when master is not there in the class room.

Once the master enters the class room,every child used to sit where he is expected to be including the one who assumed the role of master.

Same is the case with the contents of the mind which make up the mind
when the master of "Self" is yet to come.To find and invite this master Self-inquiry is the way and the witnessing consciousness is the medium of finding the master.Witnessing consciousness is synonymous with the spiritual heart.Witnessing is simply slipping out of the mind gracefully.

The moment you start witnessing the thought process you have slipped out of it without creating any fight with it.You are watching the thought flow standing aside,it is just like watching a heavy traffic on the road of a city
in rush hour sitting silently and watching it from your balcony.As awareness level increases thought traffic slows down because we no longer participate in it and giving any strength to it.

One devotee asked Bhagawan what is the parameter of spiritual progress? He said if the thought traffic is minimal or almost absent he is said to be progressing spiritually.

To observe the contents hidden in the deep unconscious layers of the mind to be aware while we relate with others is very important because in that mirror of relationship the hidden contents of the mind brought to the conscious level.

The other day one of our friend pointed out that i have "lifted" a discourse of Osho and published it as note in my own name.It is the best opportunity for me to know my intention in posting that note,is it for pure learning or for sharing a precious material written by some other person,not mentioning his name and pretend as though it is my own understanding to gain fame,am i posting the notes with doer-ship etc.

Unless that challenge from the other is not faced we will not know that content of the mind at the conscious level.So we should not escape from relating with the others which many times bring pain to the ego in course of time,just because of getting exposed in relationship.Many do not want to be exposed and simply they escape and run away from relationship which amounts to running away from life because life is relationship.

Our innate tendencies will not be revealed and spent out if we avoid
relationship with the other.Unless the tendencies are spent out thought process will be out of our control.The word Moksha means release of consciousness from its apparent imprisonment i tendencies.

Vasanakshayam(annjhilation of tendencies) is Moksham (Self realization) says Adi Sankara.Tendencies are annihilated through spending up of them only.That is why we should not renounce and escape from the world because the world and people in it are mirror in which our face can be seen on our own.

The destruction of that reflected image happens in Self-inquiry but that destruction of that image does not amount to your destruction.When that image is destroyed, for the first time you will taste the bliss of ultimate freedom.But people are afraid to jump into this unknowable,unchartered space and so they avoid Self-inquiry on some plea or the other.

We have to start witnessing without making direct attack on the mind.Self-inquiry is nothing but putting the mind aside and bringing the witnessing consciousness which is always there with us but hidden deep under the mind.Mind resists this putting aside of it because who want to be put aside from a place where it assumed that it is the master of us for centuries.

And we want to put it aside for something which we do not know what it is? So it must be put aside lovingly and carefully,gently.In the initial stages mind will not allow you to remain as a witness for long.You can experiment it for yourself by trying to witness the Sun rise or Sun set,just observing the ethereal space of the sky
or hearing the song of a bird early in the morning.

Then you will come to know the strength of your mind.Mind will take you somewhere in a few moments because if you are present in the present tense minding i.e thinking is not possible and mind feels it like a death for it and starts its activity somehow.

I asked one friend in UK who worked as an assistant for the editor for mountain path for 3 yrs in Ramanasramam,why he came back to UK leaving such a great opportunity to live in the presence of Bhagawan.He is an honest man.He told me that he used to sit in the old hall of Bhagawan for meditation but in few moments there uncontrollable flow of thoughts started and he tried his best to come back to tranquility but mind never cooperated with him.He felt he is in war with his own mind.

Many times he forgot where he is and only after quite sometime he came to senses and found himself in the old hall wasting time as he put it.See how powerful became the momentum of thought activity which is beyond our control because all the time we are cultivating the thought for everything even in the contexts where it is not required and its presence is inimical.He is not an exceptional case he represents the whole humanity.

Many times while doing Self-inquiry we forget we are witnessing the thought activity.Sanat kumara says that this forgetfulness of witnessing consciousness is Pramada which means that which brings danger to our being.But there is no need for frustration because it is part of our growth.The very awareness that we are so far are not witnessing is enough to continue the Self-inquiry.Bringing the mind in tune with the witnessing consciousness is the great "Art of Self-inquiry".But in the beginning mind is going to be against any effort to put it aside.

But don't create an enemy out of such resisting mind by condemning or hurting it.Mind creates many hindrances before the master i.e "Self" is awakened but once the mind sees the immense light of Self inside you,it spontaneously falls in tune with your inner "Self".

There is no question of fighting then from the side of the mind.But before finding the "Self' mind will give you every fight if you are going to leave it behind or put it aside.Mind is a great complicated mechanism born out of evolution like the body,we have to preserve it,not fight with it or hurt it because it is a very useful
instrument once the "Self' is found.It is a hindrance before finding the "Self' but it is a precious instrument to execute marvelous work after finding the "Self".

All masters used their mind effectively for the welfare of all beings in the existence.Condemning the body-mind complex is a sado-masochist tendency but not a spiritual trait.Only thing is that the body-mind complex should be shown its proper place to function effectively in the light of "Self" and not allowing it assume that it is our master of our life which it is doing for many many centuries.So Self-inquiry is the art knowing what to ignore.


About the Author

Sri Suryanarayana Raju is interested in Self-Enquiry in the light of Sri Ramana Maharshi,Osho,JK.He wrote two books on "Self-Enquiry" and "Commented on Upadesa Saram and Akshara Mana Malai". available for download at http://www.esnips.com/ web/ramana-maharshi

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