Question:

There is a sort of ‘bond’ between the awareness and the mind. The awareness goes out every time (away from the self to the world). And this connection or bond must be broken. How can I break this connection? I know that I have to take a step back every time I notice I am not with the self anymore. But what makes the consciousness go out every time and not stay in the self where it feels peaceful and still?

Answer:

What makes a little child put his hand into fire? What makes a person fall into addictions like drugs, alcoholism or chain smoking? What makes an innocent mind turn to a terrorist?

It is simply their inability to distinguish between what is good for them and what is bad, they ignore their power of discrimination – Viveka. Once they understand this, a maturity of intellect happens, Viveka is sharpened. That’s all that is required, right? It may be difficult to sharpen the Viveka but it is never impossible.

It is exactly the same situation where the mind is lost in the Prakriti – external environment of people situations and things. The moment this mind realizes that it is not the Prakriti and it is the Purusha purely, this attraction towards the Prakriti starts fading away. It takes some time to fade away as the impressions of Prakriti were created again and again repeatedly in several lifetimes. But with incessant effort in applying this knowledge, one definitely unites with the Purusha- the Self.

So how to break away from this Prakriti?

1. Recognition, that ‘I am the Purusha’ – Company of the holy ones, scriptural knowledge [like Patanjali, Ashtavakra, Bhagwad, Yoga Vasishtha] and application of knowledge [abhyasa] will help in the recognition.

2. Putting constant attention on the recognized ‘Purusha’ – This helps in erasing the impression of Prakriti by the eraser of the Purusha. Constant application of the knowledge, reading the same knowledge again and again, repetition of bhajans, chants, again and again helps purify the consciousness by erasing the impressions of Prakriti.

3. Dropping the attachment that you might develop to this Purusha is the third step. Otherwise your mind will develop a new raaga for enlightenment and you will be stuck in the same chaotic Prakriti. Purusha is nothingness! It is not something to be attained. You are Purusha! You realize that only after you drop everything, after you drop all this Prakriti. It is not a question of attaining something. It is a game of losing everything, then only can you WIN!

4. Abiding in the Self – Once you have immersed yourself in the Purusha completely being devoid of even the expectation of being centered always, being devoid of the expectation of not getting lost in the Prakriti, being devoid of the expectation of enlightenment even, then you reach a point of nothingness! Then only nothingness exists, you don’t!

Abide in the Self!