"I
Know the Teachings are Coming from the Absolute ...
BUT
'I' Don't Agree With Some of Them ..."
How often does Sri Ramakant hear this? Genuine Self-Realized Masters like Sri Ramakant Maharaj are so rare, and yet unrecognized, undervalued and generally unappreciated.
These Masters are like precious gems or...a flower in the desert.
All they ask for is our trust.
Trust so that they can show our Reality.
Some Masters:
To "know ourself in a real sense", says Ramakant Maharaj, we are to understand that all the knowledge that we have amassed since baby-hood is body-knowledge, has come "after the spirit clicked with the body". Then came the impressions, conditioning, pressures and illusory concepts which we have pretty much unwittingly imbibed and accepted over the years without question. These have kept us trapped in a vicious circle of body-knowledge, trapped in an illusory world.
WE ACCEPTED ILLUSION AND ALL THE SUFFERING THAT IT BROUGHT
WHEN THE EGO/MIND/INTELLECT BECAME OUR MASTER.
NOW THE MASTER SAYS: YOU ARE NOT THE BODY/MIND. YOU NEVER WERE! COME OUT OF THE ILLUSORY CIRCLE. COME OUT OF IGNORANCE, AND THEN YOU WILL DISCOVER YOUR REALITY.
BUT BEFORE YOU CAN DO THIS, YOU MUST EMPTY YOURSELF OF EVERYTHING, OF ALL KNOWLEDGE TO DATE.
KNOWLEDGE IS NO KNOWLEDGE.
THE MASTER WILL SHOW YOU HOW TO CLEAR OUT YOUR HOUSE AND GET RID OF THE UNWANTED TENANTS. SOME OF THEM HAVE HAD LONG LEASES. SO, IN ORDER TO EJECT THESE, COMMANDO TRAINING IS NECESSARY.
All the illusions that you have been caught up in will fall away, if you trust the Master and follow his guidance. The only way to uncover Reality, the Master says, is by first undergoing the discipline of Meditation, along with the help of Self-enquiry, singing the bhajans and absorbing the Knowledge from the Master.
There must be trust, wholehearted, complete trust, not partial. And deep self-involvement is necessary, especially at the beginning. It is simple, if you trust the Master!
But putting our trust in the Master and the teachings is not so easy.
We are suspicious and
we rebel.
We don't want Reality, not really. We pretend that we do,
but we really just want the dream.
We want the dream to continue!
Seekers are always complaining to Shri Ramakant Maharaj: “Why do we need a Master? Why should I meditate and sing bhajans? You are asking me to do too much, too many things, when I already know that I am not the doer. I don't need a Master! Why should I bow to the Master? I know the teachings are coming from the Absolute, but 'I' don't agree, so 'I' can't accept them! Why should I meditate, recite the mantra and sing bhajans when I am not Indian? Why should I do all these things. There are too many demands, etc, etc”.
Master Meditation Mantra Bhajan
It
is interesting
to hear all these objections, resistance, ego rebellion, lack of
humility, excuses, call it what you will. All of this is very
understandable, if you keep
the mind going with its stream of mental questions, and
take
the
Master's words literally. But if a little light is cast on these
seemingly problematic issues, then maybe more people will see, that
these apparent blocks and barriers are in fact illusory, and not such a big hurdle to overcome. You
will come
to see
that the whole process is in fact an illusion!... BUT ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, essential in fact, so that we can dissolve all the impressions, experiences, concepts, influences etc.
This is a big task. Deprogramming will take time because if you think about it,
we have all been shaped, moulded, programmed.
Have we not all been conditioned since babyhood?
So we do need some help, don't we? And we need some tools to help us.
Clearing the 'field' Hammering/chipping Self-enquiry Meditation
We can use these tools to de-condition ourselves.
Maharaj tells us repeatedly that in order to get out
of the ditch of illusion,
a ladder is needed to help us climb out.
YOU ARE SUBTLER THAN SKY
The ladder in the form of knowledge, self-enquiry, mantra and bhajans are all essential and very useful aids in the beginning - with the emphasis of “in the beginning”. Maharaj tells us that these tools are all illusion, but necessary. One illusory thorn is needed to remove another thorn.
But
we may still continue to object...
When the illusory ash of “I am the body” has been removed, the Master tells us to throw the thorn away! Throw the ladder away! There is no further need of these. When you have reached home, the address becomes superfluous. It was a means to an end that has now served its purpose.
The
Master is illusion, and the disciple is illusion. There is only ONENESS. However, the Master-disciple meeting seems
to act
as a catalyst that uncovers our
Inner
Master, the Master within. What happens in
this
dynamic is a kind of transmission which cannot really be explained - because what happens, happens spontaneously, and is beyond
words.
When you are in the Presence of a Self-Realized Master, your 'Masterly essence' is drawn into a timeless, spaceless, formless realm - Reality. The Master's Presence is Omnipresence. This Reality has nothing to do with words. Because the Master is liberated from the body form, he speaks from Thoughtless Reality, from Source.
When awakening occurs, it occurs spontaneously.
So,
do we need a Guru, a Master? Yes! Absolutely! What is the role of the
Guru? The Guru or Master assists in removing the ash of illusion. He
hammers the disciple with Knowledge,
Reality.
He washes the brain of a lifetime's
brainwashing: “You are not the body. You were not the body. You are
not going to remain the body. You are unborn”.
He re-ignites the FIRE.
The Guru/Master is also illusion. There is no master, and there is no disciple. But, at the beginning stage the "disciple" does not know this. Once the ocean of illusion has been fully traversed, and the knowledge absorbed, it is no longer needed.So the Master is illusion and the disciple is illusion. There is only ONE, ONENESS alone.
Illusion aside, something happens when the Master meets the disciple.
The Master has no attachments left. He is beyond the body, beyond the mind - Transparent.
This transparency then acts as a mirror in which we can see our Self and our True Nature.
And
what about Meditation?
For many of us, the word has
negative associations – it turns
us a shade of pale green! If
everything is illusion, then that includes meditation. Right? So why
does the Master instruct us to persevere with it? OK
Meditation
is illusion, but
still, it is absolutely necessary in
the beginning
because it ensures that
a solid foundation is
being laid, a solid base. At the moment, our foundation is the body-form, not formless Reality. We measure everything in, and by, the body-form. We are not the body, therefore the body is the wrong foundation.
Here the meditation is mantra-centred and helps to erase body-knowledge. The purpose of this is to constantly hammer into dissolution the stronghold that the illusory ego/mind/body complex has over us, until it is fully dissolved. Once this objective has been achieved, and Conviction is established spontaneously, the meditation has done its job.
You could say that in order to know oneself in a 'real' sense various tricks and tools are used.
Reality is beyond words. However, the mantra is used as a
concentration
tool. When we are focussing on the mantra, 'mind' activity stops. We
have, all of us, had 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70+ years of
conditioning/brainwashing, reinforcing that we are the body/mind.
Some concerted
effort and
use
of various techniques are essential,
to assist in awakening from the
stupor of the apparent "human condition".
Therefore meditation is essential to dissolve all body knowledge and erase memories, experiences, illusory concepts that sustain the body-mind, that sustain the dream.
And
the biggest bugbear of them all seems to be the bhajans.
Surely bhajans are only part of the Indian culture, and
not for us Westerners!
This
is a
common complaint. Again,
the bhajans are to
be seen as simply another
illusory tool. While we are singing the bhajans, mind activity is
halted.
The
bhajans assist in melting the ego and body/mind complex so that one
becomes more receptive and open to Self-knowledge. They
also lift the spirit so that the knowledge LIVES. As Nisargadatta Maharaj and his Master before him
said:
“knowledge without devotion is dry and colourless”.
Perhaps the bhajans might be seen as simply songs/hymns of praise to Oneself, with the understanding that our Selfless Self - Ultimate Reality is the ineffable source and one-pointed 'focus' of the song. Selfless Self vibrating within the illusion as Selfless Self, using words and tunes/songs. No duality in this devotion...see below. As Ramakant Maharaj says "Selfless Self likes the bhajans". Singing bhajans helps reduce/stop the monkey mind and its rabid activity. The teachings to be found within the bhajans are of the same order as Maharaj's. Nisargadatta Maharaj and his Master before him sang the same bhajans 3 times a day, every day.
If it was
good enough for the great Sri
Nisargadatta Maharaj
and Sri Siddharameshwar Maharaj, then surely we can do them, too!
*It's
worth mentioning here that this devotional aspect is an
integral part of these lineage teachings. It
was left
out from
various Western translations such
as I
Am That,
and other Nisargadatta books, maybe because of a misunderstanding that there is some sort of duality implied in
devotion,
(which
would have put seekers off the teachings).
If
everything is illusion, and Reality is one, then there is no duality
in devotion either:
“the worshipper, the worshipped and the worship are One”.
These elements have pretty much been ignored or overlooked by non-Indian scholars. Bhajans make up part of the powerful cocktail, alongside Knowledge and Meditation which, together with the illusory Guru-disciple relationship, are central to the Inchegiri Navnath Sampradaya. At the same time, there is also the clear understanding that True Knowledge is beyond any Sampradaya! “Where was the Sampradaya prior to beingness?” challenges the Master.
So why Bhajans? Bhajans are sung to assist the whole process of erasing body knowledge and help fend off mental wanderings. The ego is not so keen on this, so it raises a lot of objections. It does not want to be silenced, erased and dethroned. What is needed to overcome these barriers is a tablespoon of humility.
Bhajans are simply another form, a vibrational form of hammering the ego, while at the same time lifting the Spirit. Chanting and singing have always been a natural expression of contentment, gratitude, praise, worship - call it what you will - that is present in all cultures. Joy, inner contentment or organic happiness expressed in gentle rhythmic, or sometimes powerful, ecstatic ways using the medium of singing is nothing new.
These bhajans are simply tools, without duality.
We are celebrating
our true nature, humbled before
this wondrous Presence and bowing
to ourselves!
Bhajans are yet another reminder of Reality, of who we truly are.
These bhajans contain the highest teachings, and are used to help absorb the Knowledge. Knowledge by itself will remain 'dry' knowledge. The bhajans bring the knowledge to life – they oil and make it active, flowing knowledge. The bhajans make this whole illusory process a living and pragmatic one - and not just some kind of vague abstract idea found in a dry book, and mulled over in one's head for a few moments.
Our
doubts continue with a “Yes, but”... So
what is the point of it all? What is the result?
The point is that Conviction is spontaneously established.
CONVICTION THAT YOU ARE NOT THE BODY.
YOU WERE NOT THE BODY
AND YOU WILL NOT REMAIN THE BODY.
If we take the Master's medicine, and patiently persevere with the power-packed concoction, the Conviction will arise that we are not the body! And when this happens spontaneously, we will know that the various tools have served their purpose. Knowledge has been absorbed. Time to 'down tools'!
Maybe we
are still not convinced: “Is it worth investing in all this?
What are the rewards?” we ask. The rewards are Indescribable! Once
you KNOW, when the Conviction is established, outside sources of happiness decrease in importance, and in time, will not be relied upon. Gradually, they lessen, and do not
hold the same importance or attraction. You can still be part of the show, but one step removed, without taking it all for real. So, what
used to seem important and maybe brought contentment has lesser importance.
EVERYTHING IS FORGOTTEN!
However, the Master can never be forgotten, for without the Master, we would never have known ourselves in a real sense. He alone has enabled our awakening/enlightenment/liberation, or whatever you wish to call it.
Inner contentment is supreme.
Fulfilment is abundant, and inexpressible, and quiet.
What need is there of anything?
All these changes are manifestations of the dissolution of body knowledge.
Now Reality shines forth uninhibited and unobstructed by layers of illusion.
It
is a fact that being in the active, actual presence of the guru
acts as a direct catalyst. The Master-disciple encounter is one which
has been shown to work, through the methods demonstrated within this
sampradaya.
It is said that when the disciple meets the Master, he meets himself.
The Master draws the disciple into the spaceless, timeless, thoughtless realm, and brings him home. Within this spontaneous merging, the melting process of the 'individual' begins, and will continue, until this illusion is extinguished. Illusory obstacles fall away and the sense of separation dissolves - to reveal ….
One cannot fail to be impressed by the number of Realized Masters who have come through this lineage. But again, lets not get caught up in a lineage! The Master says “Look at you. Be with you”. Forget the rest! Forget the lineage! Forget everything! The world is a projection of your Spontaneous Presence. All illusion!
You are not the body. You were not the body. And you are not going to remain as the body.
Care
is needed to protect this new-found status especially in the early
days. Rome was not built in a day! So dynamic Self-enquiry, mantra
practice, bhajans are needed to act as reminders to stabilize and
prevent one going off at a tangent and falling back into the
ditch.
Ramakant Maharaj Dasbodh start.mp3
Tukaram Song.mp3
"
The new book, 'Selfless Self' is a self-help, spiritual manual and is - like its predecessor - seminal and iconic. A real ground-breaker and fresh road map for enlightenment.
Self-Realized Master, Ramakant Maharaj 
spent 20 years with the famous Master, Nisargadatta Maharaj. 
If 'Be Here Now' via Ram Dass: 
and his guru, Neem Karoli Baba
AWAKENED a generation to Indian philosophy, and was a profound life-changing book for many, (eg George Harrison - song 'Be Here Now' 1973) Selfless Self via Ramakant Maharaj and via his Master Nisargadatta Maharaj, is now awakening readers to Reality, a Reality that is prior to any philosophy, Indian or Western; prior to any name, prior to, and beyond everything. Wonderfully inspiring, simple and intoxicating! As one reader said recently, “In time, this book may emerge as the closest you can get to truth on paper!”
Like Be Here Now in the 70’s, Selfless Self has the power to dramatically alter your perceptions of life, spirituality and sense of self. Get a copy and start “reading the reader”. You will hear Truth ringing out, and feel the energy emanating from within, behind and beyond, Ramakant Maharaj's words. He explains that this truth that speaks from the "bottomless bottom of Reality" resonates forcefully because it is Our Truth, our Reality, our Knowledge, prior to any language, prior to the ‘body-form’.
There are so many AHA! moments, so many insights contained in this one book, that it offers the ultimate experience in self-discovery... akin to an exciting and wondrous trek through a
Treasure Trove of sparkling gems,
As another reader described recently: “Selfless Self took me, (WHO?) through a whole gamut of experiences, ranging from
elation to ecstasy to feeling punch drunk
Till eventually ... being stunned into silence.” 
Any reviews that you may come across of this book will likely tell you as much about the reader as the book BECAUSE 
they are one and the same. Reading Selfless Self is comparable to reading your own biography! The Master explains: “What you are reading is your story. It is not just another spiritual book of ideas but your reality,
your knowledge, Self-Knowledge that is being narrated." 
“You have forgotten your Identity, Master reminds you. You are like the amnesiac. The Master jolts your memory until you are convinced: "I AM THAT!”
He presents you with your story, your Reality, your Godhead.
You have forgotten your identity. The Master is reminding you.
"You are covered with ash. The Master removes the ash".
Feedback to date? Awesome! e.g. "When I first picked it up, it grabbed hold of me and refused to let me go. Then I dissolved ... into truth, reality, my story, as if 'I' had been absorbed by the book, into Oneness. Indescribable!"
Selfless Self is a Master Key that unlocks the door to Endless Happiness - a happiness that is not dependent on any external circumstance or material cause.
Once the ash of
illusory concepts has been removed, 
then the fire is reignited.
Ramakant Maharaj expresses the highest teachings and universal wisdom in down-to-earth language and delivers it in a simple package for everybody, east and west, north and south,
and most importantly for YOU!
This is YOUR Knowledge,
Self-Knowledge.
"Know thyself and be within Selfless Self." exhorts the Master.
These teachings, can, and will, have a profound effect on the illusory 'you' that never existed,
thanks to the Master's tireless hammering.
Your story has been told.
... no beginning
no end ...
Straight to the nitty-gritty.
A few people who visit Ramakant Maharaj come for one thing – to receive a blessing. They say “Please Maharaj give me your blessing! Please!” Maharaj will say “Why are you asking me for a blessing?” He has begun his teaching for the day. He may not give people what they think they might want, but he gives them what they have come to hear. Maharaj continues “Put your hand on your own head and bless yourself”. The visitors look surprised and smile nervously. What to say next?
The Master tells them that there is no difference between them and himself. “You are not the body, you were not the body, you will not remain the body. The body is not your identity” “You are the same as me, but you have forgotten your true identity. You are underestimating your power. You have tremendous power. You are Almighty.”
They say OKAY, while still wondering what he's talking about, while at the same time wondering how they can still get that blessing. A long silence follows. Maharaj looks directly at them, then, it appears, through them.
One of them breaks the silence. It is going on for too long and it is uncomfortably strong. By now he's feeling a bit zapped by Maharaj's presence. He tries again, “But Master, I have come for your grace. You are the guru and I am just a humble ...” The Master stops him in his tracks, “There is no 'you', there is no 'I' Your presence is just like the sky – you are everywhere”. To say 'I' is illusion, to say 'you' is illusion, to say 'Master' is illusion. Listen to me, “You are great. You are a powerhouse. But, you see, you are considering yourself as the body form. Don't insult yourself.”
A spontaneous silence spreads. Everyone seems comfortable. The Master says a few more words, “Know thyself and be within the Selfless Self. Know thyself and be within the Selfless Self”. He hammers away. After a while the visitors eventually leave, scratching their heads a little and wondering what had just taken place. Something intangible, maybe a small shift? A sense that what has transpired in the meeting was something that they could not get their heads around, something new yet strangely familiar. …..in some way what actually felt like a blessing from within.... “like dancing on bubbles....with feet not quite touching the ground”.....perhaps thinking 'I' will return for further treatment....
“I want some more of this!”
-----------------------------------------------------
TRUTH IS FREE
Recently, Ramakant Maharaj spoke on the controversial issue of “paying for Knowledge”: "In our lineage, Bhausaheb Maharaj strictly instructed all disciples not to expect/demand money from any devotee. Knowledge is free. There should be no marketing, no commercialization of knowledge". That is the way it should be. He also said that these days, ironically, if you want to give something for nothing, people become suspicious. They don’t want it because they think it has no value. If it is free, then it must not be any good at all!
We live in an age where Western self-styled gurus are ten a penny, popping up all over the world. One "epiphany" seems to be the only qualification needed to launch a career as a teacher, giving satsangs. “Epiphany” is now a very overused term, and is considered to be an experience of sudden and striking realization. Well, OK, but… Is this enough to set oneself up as a guru? “Satsang” means a gathering together for the truth, or the company of the highest truth. These teachers don’t seem to be driven to share true knowledge, but rather, to share the partial knowledge gained from their so-called “epiphany”. They are often motivated by the desire for power or wealth or sex, or all three. This as we all know, is the triad of temptations which has caused the downfall of many gurus.
In the “spiritual market-place” this will be a trend that continues. Even though the gurus’ teachings are often false or half-baked, they still attract followers. And because there are so many gurus to choose from, with their pseudo-truths, then seekers regularly swap from one to another - tasting an endless assortment of sweets. Maharaj calls this guru-hopping mere “spiritual entertainment” or “casual spirituality”, which is simply a hobby and a waste of time - part-time spirituality! “Time is very precious”, he stresses, “for, this moment will never be repeated”.
Ramakant Maharaj often quotes from his Master, Nisargadatta Maharaj who used to say “I am not making disciples of you, I am making you Masters”. He, like other authentic gurus actually helps aspirants on the road to self-realization. He can do this, because there is crystal clear truth at the core of the teachings, with a more than solid lineage behind him, containing the highest teachings. In contrast, contemporary, self-made gurus more often than not, have limited knowledge, and as a result, are unable to instruct seekers in a way that is fully embedded in truth.
“Knowledge has to be usable in a real sense, not just mental concepts, which come and go.” Maharaj : “Will this false knowledge or book knowledge help you on your death bed? Or will you still remain full of fear?” However, in spite of this, the self-styled gurus still continue to attract followers who are drawn to the cult of personality, rather than the teachings.
Discrimination and discernment are essentials when choosing a guru. Common sense is a must, for without this, poor judgement can cause psychological damage and spiritual darkness, and waste a precious lifetime.
The trend of paying for knowledge has become commonplace and keeps followers in an ever-expanding loop that invariably involves spending more and more money and wasting precious time and energy.
Did Sri Ramana Maharshi ask for money? No! Did Nisargadatta Maharaj? No! Or Siddharameshwar Maharaj? Knowledge is free, it is universal. Truth is free.“It is my duty to share knowledge.” Ramakant Maharaj has no hidden agenda.
-----------
16th Jan 2014.
We have been following and practising the teachings of Nisargadatta Maharaj for many years. It became obvious to us that a living teacher was necessary, even essential, to "go forward" as it were, so we searched and searched for a few years specifically for a Realized disciple of Nisargadatta Maharaj who is giving teachings. We were told by informed sources (not naming any names), that there were no teaching disciples left. However, we knew, we had a gut feeling, that there was someone out there - there had to be. Surely nearly a third of century on from his passing there was someone.... then we came across a helpful Ranjit Maharaj devotee.
We asked him, did he know of any living, actively teaching, Indian disciple of Nisargadatta Maharaj who is realized? He only knew of one - one was enough for us - Ramakant Maharaj. He is a direct disciple of Nisargadatta Maharaj and took the Naam Mantra from His Master in October 2nd 1962...over 50 years ago! He is actively teaching from his ashram in Nashik, Maharastra. We had struck gold!
After speaking to Maharaj on the phone, we Skyped with him for a few months, before planning our trip to India to meet the Master. After being in the Master's presence for a few months, all we can say is that we have found much more than we were looking for. He goes straight for the jugular, addressing issues of mind, intellect, ego, illusion, discrimination, etc. The practice is ongoing and is more real and flowing than before. We are full of gratitude to the Master and his Master, Nisargadatta Maharaj, for the transformation that is taking place. Ramakant Maharaj quotes Nisargadatta Maharaj who said: "I am not making disciples of you, I am creating Masters."
The seeker is being slowly, silently, erased for ever!
What more to say? Jai guru!
UPDATE 6th February 2016! Further on down the illusory road, a few words: There is both a sense of emptiness and fullness. The emptiness relates to dissolving body-knowledge, the lack of mind activity, the lack of distracting thoughts producing tension, fear, dispeace, sadness, depression, etc. etc. The fullness is about the cup overflowing with inner contentment and quietude. As Maharaj says, "there is exceptional happiness and peace". There is of course also immense gratitude to the Master and his Master before him.
The seed that was planted has spontaneously germinated, and continues to grow.
Jai Guru!
Sadguru Devotion.mp3
