The Four Ways to Come to This Dissolution (Ashtavakra Gita 5.1-5.4) - 2nd November 2016

This is the first thing the sage said yesterday in chapter five: in this one awareness, what is there for me to renounce? Now there is nothing to be done. Then the sage said that if the appearance does appear, know that this universe and everything that comes takes birth within this one awareness. It is not separate. It can only seem to be qualitatively different, but knowing that this being is one with the Self, there are no two. And because there are no two, there is no suffering; there is no idea of separation. This is the second insight, the second verse.

The third verse was that all of this, just like an appearance of form on the top layer of water, can appear to have some tangible existence, but in reality there is none. It is just an appearance. It is only water. Just like a bracelet is only gold, although it might appear to be something other than gold. And his most famous example: just like a rope can appear to be a snake but actually just remains the rope, in the same way, this universe is just an appearance coming and going. And that which comes and goes is not real.

And the fourth was to see that all of these states and events that happen in this world—happiness or grief, life or death—there is no individual sufferer. There is no entity which is responsible for this individually. Consciousness has the entire infinite space in which everything can be experienced, and it remains unhurt, just like the sky remains unhurt even if the darkest cloud passes through it. There is nobody there to suffer the darkness of the cloud. To see this, that there is no individual experiencer, is to come to our open surrender, this open acceptance of all there is. And in this openness, the false cannot survive.

So these are the four main insights, or the four ways as the sage called them, to come to this dissolution. And the dissolution of what? Just this false idea, egotism: 'I am the doer, I am the experiencer, I am guilty, I am unworthy, I am free, I got it, I will never get it.' All these are just the representations of a non-existent one. There is nobody here to whom this kind of 'I' can apply—the 'I' with conditions. So we are coming to this dissolution. So allow that to leave which can leave. Allow it to leave because if it can go, then it is not you; it is just a concept.

Even if you were to speak phenomenally for a minute, there is nothing that can happen in this movie that can actually hurt you in reality. Many times I say you don't need to believe me, but today I feel to say: at least believe this much, that there can be nothing in this movie, in this play, which can hurt the reality of who you are. This will make you open. The Master uses this term 'frightened ghost.' We will no longer be a frightened ghost, worrying constantly about what's next, what is going to come now. There is so much fear in this way of living, constantly trying to prepare, face the next moment, living in fear of what it might throw up, trying to control our circumstances in our lives. This way of living is not worthy for you now.