Meditation - The Last Birth and the Last Death
When we meditate, our passion becomes compassion, our lust becomes love. Our dreams drop, our imagination gets burnt and our fantasies are destroyed. Our life experiences a total transformation. We understand life and sex in a different dimension. We penetrate death in a different dimension. When we add meditation to our daily living, we bridge life and death.
How can these three aspects - sex, death and meditation - become a single experience; how can they unite? First, we saw how they exist currently in our lives. Second, we saw what they can become when meditation is added to our lives. Now we will see how all three can lead to the same experience.
In sex, death and meditation, in all three, our mind experiences a gap, our intellect stops working and our being floods energy into our systems. Just for a moment, our mind stops working. Meditation gives us a glimpse of this mindless state. Actually we can reach the mindless state, access our innermost energy in three ways: through the physical, mental and the spiritual.
The physical way is through sex. Through sex also, we reach the mind-less state. Just for a moment, we have a glimpse of the same joy, the same ecstasy. But it is not permanent. That is the problem. It is not permanent. It is mithyananda, not nithyananda. Mithyananda means ephemeral happiness which can disappear, which is not rooted in reality.
If we consciously penetrate death, we once again go through the outer-body experience. We will have a deep bodiless experience. When we enter into sex, death or meditation, we undergo the same boundariless experience; we reach the same exalted state.
Tantrics (people who practice tantra) use the body to reach the enlightened state through sex. Vedantins use the mind, enter through fear of death and reach enlightenment. Yogis work at the being level through meditation and reach enlightenment. In all three, logic is put aside. In sex also, we need to put our logic away. The man who is logical, who lives in his mind too much cannot really relate with the other. As I was mentioning earlier, living with a philosophy professor is the greatest possible hell on Earth!
Using the head too much does not allow us to relate with others. Whether it is sex, death or meditation, we need to drop our head; we have to become illogical. No matter how much we argue, death is not going to argue with us. Death is almost like a wife: she simply does, that's all! We may be great philosophers, convincing thousands and thousands of people in the world with our logic and arguments, but what happens inside the house? We can argue from morning till night, but in the end, we will see that the other does exactly what he or she want; they neither consult you nor give you any explanation.
Death also behaves in a similar manner. It never argues with us. We can plead, we can beg, we can cry for the postponement of our death. But no! Death will not wait to argue. Arguments or logic cannot be used with death. It is the same with meditation. The man who is logical can never meditate. He can never let go. In meditation also, we need to drop our logic.
Sex, death and meditation are similar types of experiences. In sex, we are born; in meditation, we are reborn. In death, we die; in meditation we die once and for all. In sex, we are born once. In death, we die once. In meditation, we do both. Both, death of the old and birth of the new happens in meditation. We become enlightened.
In sex, regular birth happens; in death, regular dying happens. In meditation, the last birth and the last death happen. We die as the Ego is the last death. Our taking birth as an enlightened person is the last birth. Our last death and last birth: nirvana is the last nightmare; Enlightenment is the last dream. So also with meditation, our last death happens and our last birth happens.
When we add meditation to our lives, we see that both life and death are bridged. If we are wise, we will add meditation to bridge both, to unite both. When we do this, both become one. As long as we don't have this bridge, both are separate cities. When we bridge them, they are no longer two separate cities, they become one.
When we bridge life and death with meditation, we experience a totally different way of living. We experience the ultimate birth and ultimate death. Please understand very clearly, meditation enriches our death and enriches our sex. It enriches our leaving and our living.
Meditation is the way to unite, to communicate and to commune between birth and death. It transforms our lives. If we bring meditation between birth and death, it makes our lives worthy. Otherwise, it is just one more cycle in the great cycle of our personal evolution.
Ramana Maharishi says beautifully, 'If we wake up from our dreams, we come out of our dreams. If we don't wake up, we just dream, fall asleep, dream again, fall asleep again and dream again. The same cycle continues.'
In the same way, when we become enlightened, we come out of this dream of life and death. Otherwise, the cycle of birth and death goes on continuously. Until we wake up, until we meditate, the cycle of life and death will go on without our conscious awareness.
Someone asked me, 'Master, why is it that on most tombstones in graveyards we see: Born on this date, died on this date? I told him that nothing worth mentioning happens in between, that's why!
In many of our lives, only our birth and death are worth mentioning. Nothing else worthwhile happens. If we add meditation, then something really worth mentioning happens in our lives between birth and death.
Something so worthwhile that it can transform our very living.
Add meditation as a bridge between birth and death. If we miss meditation, we miss the real dimension of our life. Meditation is not meant to be just a part of our lives. It is not something we do for half an hour and forget for the next twenty-three and half-hours. It is meant to transform our whole life. Please understand that meditation is not a luxury; it is a necessity! Do not find excuses to postpone meditation.
Meditation is like a bright torch; it is the light with which we can explore all the dimensions of our lives. When we do this, we start understanding each and every dimension in a new way. That is why I tell you to build this bridge, so that you will understand both banks of the river. When we build the bridge of meditation, life, death and meditation all meet and merge in the river of Existence, the river of Brahman, God, the Divine, Eternal Bliss. So I request you all to construct this bridge, to touch both the banks of your life with courage and understanding.
May this bridge of meditation not only help unite the two seemingly opposing banks, but also help you reach the experience that all the three lead to: enlightenment, eternal bliss, nithya-ananda.
Questions and Answers:
Q: Is Kundalini awakening the only way to enlightenment?
A: Actually when we become enlightened, the kundalini (energy centre located at the navel) awakens automatically. The kundalini getting awakened is not the only way; it is one way, but not the only way. There are so many other techniques. It is actually vice versa. When we get enlightened, the kundalini automatically gets awakened. But to reach the enlightened state, there are so many other paths. So we can reach through any technique. But once we reach that enlightened state, the kundalini automatically awakens.
Q: What is the root of all evil?
A: This question is the root of all evil! The questioning mind, the intellectual mind which continuously questions is the root of all evil!
Q: Why do we do prostrations and touch the feet of the master or God? Is it not a de-humanizing experience?
A: It is the only humanizing experience. If we don't touch the feet of the God or the master, we will be touching the feet of our own ego. If we don't follow God or our master, we will be following our own ego.
People come and ask me, 'Master, why should we chant God's name?' I tell them that there is no need to chant God's name. Why should we chant? If we don't chant Rama or Krishna, we will be chanting 'coca-cola, coca-cola', or our wife's name, that's all! If we chant the Divine name, we will not be chanting the other things. If we don't chant this, we will be chanting that; that's all. That is what one youngster asked me, 'Why should we chant Rama, Rama, Krishna, Krishna? I hate all this stuff, master!' I told him, it is alright. If we feel comfortable chanting something else, do that!
If we don't touch the feet of God, the feet of the masters, we will be touching our own ego's feet. There are only two options for us: either we listen to the master or we listen to the ego. Master is the man who has already achieved eternal bliss, nithya-ananda. So if we follow him, we will get that state. As for our ego, what it has achieved and towards what it is leading us, we already know! If we are quite happy, comfortable, content, blissful in the path in which our ego is leading us, then we can touch our ego's feet, nothing wrong. If we are happy, ecstatic, blissful with our ego, then we can follow our ego, touch the feet of our ego; there is nothing wrong. If we are a little uncomfortable, if we want to change, then the time has come to follow the master's path.
There are only two things: master and the mind. If we follow the master, we cannot follow the mind; if we follow the mind, we cannot follow the master. If we touch the feet of the master, we will not touch the feet of the mind; if we don't touch the feet of the master, we will be touching the feet of the mind.
That is why there is a beautiful word namaha in Sanskrit. When people touch the feet of the master, they say namaha. It means, 'Not mine, I am not the 'I', the 'I' and 'mine' are surrendered at your feet.' The 'I' and 'mine' are surrendered at the feet of the master or God. So touching the feet of the God or the master is the only humanizing experience. If we don't, we will be following our senses, we will be following our mind, which is the greatest dehumanizing experience. We drop from our divinity to become animals.
So touching the master's feet will make us human beings; imbibing his teachings will make us Divine. This is the only humanizing experience that can happen in our lives. Of course, I personally don't encourage touching the feet or doing the pada-puja (anointing the feet of the master). But now, I am explaining from the philosophical point of view.
Q: Is learning about our past lives a good way of helping resolve some of the issues in our present life? If it were, would you be able to uncover my past life and tell me what it was like?
A: Learning about our past lives is a really good way of resolving some of our issues. We do this in our initial level meditation program. This meditation technique, the cleansing of the chakra, has given experiences or a glimpse of past lives for many participants. It clears it without you knowing it. It clears it at a very deep level. But if I start teling you about your past lives, it will only add chaos to your present lives. Even with present life memories, you are unable to live peacefully! Imagine if I open up your past life memories! There is no need. What needs to surface and leave you will leave you through our meditation itself.
Q: People are afraid of enlightenment as much as they are afraid of death; am I correct?
A: You asked the right question. We are undergoing the last nightmare. Nirvana is the last nightmare. A devotee questioned Ramana Maharishi, 'How can seeing the master help us to wake up or become enlightened, Bhagavan?' Ramana Maharishi replied, 'The master is a simha-swapna (dream or nightmare of a lion) for us. He is a nightmare for us. If we experience a nightmare when we are asleep, we wake up with a start! If we see an elephant chasing us, or a snake biting us in our dream, what happens? We wake up from our dream. In the same way, the master is a simha-swapna; he just frightens us out of our unconscious way of living.'
We can wake up in two ways: either through a dream of deep desire or a dream of deep fear! If in our dream we see someone whom we have wanted to meet for a long time, the moment we go to grab him or her, we will wake up! Just at the point when our desire is about to be fulfilled, we wake up! It is the same with fear also. If we have a nightmare, a dream that totally shakes us, frightens us, we wake up before we actually die in the dream!
Dreams related to sex wake us up; dreams related to fear wake us up. Both wake us up. In both the cases, we wake up to the conscious state. In the same way, the master also uses two techniques to wake us up from our long slumber. He creates in us the greed for bliss. He is continuously blissful, ecstatic. We feel envious of his state. We feel a deep, disturbing jealousy. Many people tell me, 'Master, we may or may not understand half the things you speak. All we know is that we feel very jealous of your blissful state. You are so busy meeting your devotees, listening to their problems, looking into the organizational work, traveling and yet you remain fresh and joyful all the time!'
Yes, the master creates a tremendous greed in you. He shows you that something more is possible; that you are capable of much more. The master is a tree and you are a seed. He shows you that you can become a tree. He proves your potentiality. He is the certificate or the authority of the state in which you can flower, in which you can blossom. He continuously creates the greed in us to reach that state. He awakens us so we may become enlightened. For some people who do not respond to greed, he creates a deep fear of logic: you are in hell, the seventh hell. The desire of seventh heaven and the fear of seventh hell are created just to wake us up, slap our face! Wake up! You are Buddha. That's all!
Q: The death penalty was introduced in the American constitution not long ago. Now the government executes people who murder someone. Is this the correct thing to do spiritually? Would it help the overall development of the society? Or would it inflict more negative emotions in an atmosphere of pain?
A: Of course, we are no one to comment or criticize the law of a place. But from the spiritual point of view, I can give you a small explanation. The concept of 'an eye for an eye' is: if someone takes your eye and you take his eye in return, he will take one more of your eyes and you will take one more of his eyes. Then, his followers will take one of your follower's eyes. If this 'eye for an eye' goes on continuously, where will it end? The whole world will become blind! It will end only in the blindness of the entire world. So an eye for an eye is not the preferred mode of retribution. We are no one to comment on the government's reason to do so. We cannot criticize the political structure or the constitution of a country. They have their own reasons. But from the spiritual stand point, death for death is not advocated. Transformation should happen at the individual level and it is perfectly possible for peace to prevail.
Q: Regarding the meditation that we did yesterday, I am not clear about what was said at the end. You said Aum, and then something; could you please say it clearly so I can know what the chant is?
A: When the meditation ended, I chanted the peace mantra: Aum shanti, shanti, shantihi. Shanti means peace. That is the vibration which creates peace in us, which creates silence in us. It is the bridge that can connect us with Existence.
While in a deep meditative state, you may be in another plane. You need to come down to this plane. Suddenly bringing you back may give you a shock or a jolt. It may shake you. You should be brought back in a very loving, beautiful way. It is like when babies are delivered, these modern nurses treat babies roughly. They give a stinging slap to the tender bodies of the babies! It gives them a terrible shock. Of course, we should make them cry, there is nothing wrong with that. We should make them cry and only then, will they start breathing. But it need not be done in such a rude manner.
They are not received with love or in a welcoming mood when they come to planet Earth. When we are born on planet Earth, our mind is very fresh, pure, and clean. The first moment of a baby's life is very crucial to the manner in which it will respond to the world later in life. This moment will be imprinted forever in it's being. The emotion of that single moment will decide the way in which that individual will live his life. That is why, with a few exceptions, all of humanity is still reacting to the manner in which they were welcomed to planet Earth!
We live our lives protecting ourselves, defending ourselves from pain. We close ourselves to all possibilities. Now we are trying to work with a technique of painless delivery so that babies will be received with love. They will be welcomed in a gentle manner in a fragrant atmosphere with beautiful music.
When newborns are received with deep love, in a caring manner, they will carry this love and the feeling of giving themselves to others all through their lives. Please understand that the impression received at birth is carried till the very end of our lives.
Similarly, when we come out of meditation, we are like babies. We need to be brought down to the realities of this world in a gentle, loving manner. A small bridge is necessary to connect us to this plane so that we can carry the joy, the peace and the silence of our meditation with us twenty-four hours a day throughout our lives. That is why, 'Aum, shanti, shanti, shantihi' is chanted at the end of every meditation.
May we have the knowledge and the experience of eternal bliss, nithya ananda!
Epilogue
As this book was being compiled from a few of THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's discourses, Master's father died while Master was delivering a discourse on Ashtavakra Gita to a packed audience in Bangalore on 12 November 2005. Only a handful in the discourse hall knew what had happened since Master continued with the discourse and the blessing session followed without missing a beat, after he was informed of his father's death.
The following article is a rendering by a disciple who along with a few other healers and ordained teachers (acharyas) accompanied Master to Tiruvannamalai where his father Sri Arunachalananda had attained enlightenment and left the body, what we call Maha Samadhi.
This article describes the way our Master walked his talk. Death indeed was a liberation, a celebration, a continuum.
In the timeless Katopanishad, Nachiketa asks Yama, Lord of Death:
When a person dies, there comes this doubt: he exists, say some; no he does not, say others. Teach me the Truth, that's the boon I ask thee!
The Master answers this without words through a profound event described below.
Death: The Ultimate Liberation
It was the third and final day of the Ashtavakra Gita discourse in Bangalore.
The topic: 'Enlightenment-Have It!' The hall was packed to overflowing. There was pin drop silence as the young Master expounded so authoritatively on the sutras of Ashtavakra. The mesmerized audience listened to the flow of words suddenly interrupted by a coughing bout.
Master asked for water, drank and continued talking.
There was another interruption. Ayya (Secretary to Master for the mission in Bharat) came up on to the stage, went behind Master's seat and whispered something. Master covered the mike with his hand, listened calmly with a facial expression that conveyed 'I'll take care' or something to that effect. The discourse resumed. Then to the audience's utter consternation, Master gestured for Ayya to come on stage. More whispered exchanges followed. There was stillness, finality about Master's body language. Ayya left, the talk continued and finished. The effect of the speech was electrifying. No one left their seats; spontaneous applause; long serpentine queue for Master's blessings.
I sat in the balcony watching the flow of events. Little did I know that one soul had already taken the offer of enlightenment.
The Master is compassion incarnate. He blessed each and every one of those who sought his grace. As the long line of people was shortening, I went down to the entrance to take my allotted place. Just then Ayya came and said, 'Ma, Master's father has attained Maha Samadhi. All of us are leaving for Tiruvannamalai as soon as Master finishes. Please round up all the acharyas (teachers) and healers and gather them in one place. At no point in time should our body language reveal what I have just conveyed to you. Master wants us all to remain calm and act with spiritual maturity.'
That set the tone for the unimaginable series of events that followed. Very smoothly Master's car moved away with his mother beside him in the centre seat and a few others occupying the rear seat. Mini buses were arranged for us, most not knowing why we were leaving. The unknowing ones were delighted by the turn of events. They were travelling out of Bangalore and would be in Master's company.