Question:
Do I have to discard all old rituals and practices that I followed on the previously adhered to Dvaitam paths? Sometimes, the thought occurs to resume what has been stopped. How do I navigate this?
Answer:
On the path of Ajaata Vaada, pure witnessing is the topmost priority. Ajaata means “unborn.” It does not mean that something that was born earlier has died now. It means that to begin with, the entire creation is only an imagination, and an imagination is ever unborn. Just like the dream tiger cannot be said to be born, exist, or die; it was ever unborn. To recognize the unbornness, Consciousness need not assume any practices. Consciousness must only relinquish imagination. Hence, there is no real structure, methodology, or practice on the Ajata Vaada path.
For a beginner who finds it extremely difficult to tread this covert path, simple pointers on acute observation of the Reality are provided. The basic pointer that has been provided in the Upanishads is “Neti-Neti,” translated as ‘Not this-Not this’. The beginner is advised to use his power of acute observation to recognize what he is not. He starts the path with the recognition, “I am the witness of the body. I am not the body”, “I am the witness of the mind. I am not the mind”, and so on.
After recognizing “I am not the body”, one cannot continue practicing for the body to get enlightened. Hence, the earlier practices fall away along with the earlier assumptions.
- One naturally acknowledges that the Waker’s body cannot get enlightened. It is not forced.
- One acknowledges that all practices that were adhered to by the Waker were futile. It is not suppression.
Just like when a child matures, its dolls and cars drop away naturally; so do the Waker-body rites, rules, and practices. Just like the child does not hate the dolls and cars, similarly, the witness does not hate the waker’s rules and practices. They simply shed away like darkness vanishes when light enters the room.
Strengthening of the Direct Seeing naturally dismisses imagination. Hence, one need not discard idol worship, practices, rules, and rituals forcefully. They naturally drop off. This is the first level of Vairagya – the level of relinquishment of the “I am the body” state-of-mind.
This creates room for deeper, continuous, and silent self-inquiry. Nothing other than direct seeing in silent self-inquiry must be the Ajaata Vaadin’s priority. That is all.
It doesn’t mean that the Waker must mandatorily suppress its Waking activities. It means that the Waker naturally takes the color of the silent witness and starts becoming silent itself.
- Only unintentional and spontaneous actions remain.
- Only unintentional and spontaneous thoughts remain.
- Only unintentional and spontaneous feelings remain.
All intentions, whether good or bad, right or wrong, pleasant or unpleasant, at the levels of body, speech, and mind, naturally shed away. That is the full blossoming of Viveka [discernment] into Vairagya [dispassion].
The shedding away process has started for you.
- Let that which is naturally shedding go.
- Let what is naturally occurring happen.
Get out of your own way and honor the flow. Let the flow lead!
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