CALL TO BLISS

[Ms Tercy Lonan]

CALL TO BLISS

December 29, 1985

Swami Chidananda

Beloved, Immortal Atman! Blessed pilgrim souls upon the ascending path leading to the supreme destination of spiritual illumination, upon the inner radiant path leading to Divine perfection and Self-realization, pilgrims upon this sacred journey that takes you to liberation and everlasting bliss and blessedness. It is a radiant day, dedicated to the Supreme Being, that Light of Lights beyond all darkness, to the infinite and spontaneous grace of the Divine Who has drawn us all together into His presence at this sacred center of Yoga and Vedanta and spiritual living, dedicated to our beloved and worshipful Master Swami Sivananda who came amidst human beings in this 20th century to spiritually awaken all mankind to his supreme divine destiny and to call man back to his eternal spiritual abode from whence he has come into the earth plane in this embodied condition. As we are drawn into the presence of the Universal Being and into this bond of spiritual fellowship, it was the privilege given to me yesterday to point out that the sum and substance of all spiritual life, the central-most process in all spiritual practice, the quintessence of all Yoga and Vedanta is what constituted the initiation and carrying on perseveringly of the upward movement into the Divine Reality. What is spiritual life? It is the commencing of the return journey home to our eternal abode. What is spiritual life? It is the transformation of our life into a Godward movement. What is Yoga and spiritual practice? It is the recognition of our eternal inseparable relationship with the Supreme Divine Reality which is the source and sustainer of countless billions of universes that come and go in it like waves and bubbles and ripples which rise and vanish again into the vastness of the ocean. Even so, countless billions of galaxies and universes in eternity keep on emerging and lasting for awhile and dissolving back into that vast inponderable ocean of timeless existence, into that eternal Being Whom we call THAT. Because we do not know what it is, we call it “TAT”. Om Tat Sat. It is that ever-existing Consciousness. It is that I AM. Yahweh. Spiritual life is therefore the recollection of our eternal inseparable relationship with that Being which is the origin and end of countless billions of universes throughout eternity. And having recognized this relationship, we see the senselessness and meaninglessness of this momentary little period in the body-bound existence upon planet Earth. We see its pettiness and its absolute worthlessness, yet also recognize its value in that it constitutes a golden chance, an opportunity not to be missed, by which we can once again link ourselves with and enter into conscious experience of that vastness and grandeur, that imponderable glory and greatness that is the Spirit, that is Brahman, that is Atman. Thus we have a love-hate relationship with this life; a dual, paradoxical relationship. On the one hand, the awakened pilgrim soul realizes the futility, meaninglessness and absolute absurdity of this flash in the pan of momentary earth existence. But simultaneously, if endowed with spiritual discrimination and if lucky to have been blessed by God and the saints and their wisdom teachings, we become aware that this meaningless, empty earthbound existence CAN be filled with meaning if it can be seen as a means to a supreme consummation, to a supreme goal and purpose. Then the meaningless becomes meaningful, the purposeless becomes filled with purpose, the futile becomes fruitful, the petty becomes precious. Then we catch hold of life with both our hands and grasp it and 4 CALL TO BLISS put it to the highest use. We convert it into the process of Yoga, into a flight into the infinite. We convert it into a determined ascent into God-experience. We transform life into an upward soaring, high up to the vast imperium of Cosmic Consciousness. That then becomes to us a great adventure, a wonderful occasion, an opportunity not to be missed of transcending once and for all the limitations and imperfections that constitute this petty, finite earthbound condition of planetary life. That which is worthless becomes worthy of careful attention, wise direction, persevering application, and spiritual cultivation, so that you may reap a golden harvest. You are fortunate to see life thus, not as something that ends in death, but as something that leads to immortality. This is your blessing. We saw that in this life if we perceive the supreme goal and engage ourselves in such exercises of our faculties and of our physical body, mind and feelings that initiate this process, it will lead to our original pristine, glorious state of abidance in the supreme Satchidananda. It restores our fullest experience and realization of our eternal abidance in that state of infinite bliss and peace. That becomes real life. It becomes the fulfillment of our being, and the true application of life, which is the mission granted to each individual pilgrim soul. We therefore saw that at the heart-center of all spiritual life, practices and aspiration, no matter from what tradition it springs, whether from the Vedic religion or Zoroastrian or Judaic or Christian or Islamic or Sikhism or any other faith, at its heart-center, spiritual life means movement towards the Divine, terminating in Divine experience, spiritual illumination and liberation. Seen thus, all the different techniques and practices have but this one objective: to direct our consciousness towards the Divine, to focus our attention, to lift up our thoughts, to channelize our emotions and feelings, and to apply our reason in that one direction towards God-experience, of Brahmic realization, and to know that we are living in God and that God lives in us as our own Self. In as much as that during the week in this spiritual retreat we are all here together with this one purpose of gathering ourselves and focusing our entire being upon God in the direction of the great ideal of God-realization, then this entire sadhana camp constitutes an ongoing initiation of our consciousness into the purposeful process of moving towards the Divine. Thus, I drew your attention to the fact that this is a very significant retreat since it comes at the dawn of a new year and at the conclusion of this current year. Therefore it might well be an initiation indicating the way in which we should direct our consciousness when the new year dawns. How in the new year our life-stream should proceed, ever intent upon that one goal of God-realization, and how through the year we should look at it as a fresh opportunity given to us to renew this upward ascent of spirit into illumination and liberation and to renew the purposeful flowing of the stream of our consciousness towards the ocean of Satchidananda. Let us understand and grasp the significance of this spiritual retreat from this angle and ingather all our faculties at this moment and direct our entire interior towards the Supreme Presence within, towards that Supreme Reality. Compose yourselves and assume your meditation posture. Keep your body straight and motionless, but totally relaxed and restful. OM OM OM.

“Renounce what is earthly if you wish to attain what is eternal. There is no greater treasure than contentment. There is no greater virtue than truthfulness. There is no greater bliss than the bliss of the soul. There is no better friend than Atman, your own inner Self. Man is a bridge between the two worlds: the visible and the invisible. Who is a Bhagavata? The devotee of the Lord, for a Bhagavata is one who has the vision of God. What is the external nature? External nature is the handiwork of God, the Art Divine. Scientists unite the world with their inventions, politicians separate it with their prejudices. Detach gradually from earthly delights and dwell in the constant bliss within.” This comprises the essence of what I was trying to explain yesterday. That the great call of the UPANISHADS to the life spiritual is not as a spoilsport or a killjoy, but on the contrary, it is a call to be wise. It is a call to throw away petty things and to opt for the highest and the best and the greatest. It is a call to stop being foolish and shortsighted, and instead to have vision and be wise. Be prepared to brush aside petty, momentary pleasant sensations so that you may go straight to the heights of that incomparable supreme bliss. It is a positive call to a powerful experience. Nor is it a negative request for you to refrain from doing something. “Detach gradually from earthly delights and dwell in the constant bliss within.” It is a call to bliss. “A sage’s look is a spiritual fire that burns away impurities within. Be patient with others but be impatient with yourself. Tolerate imperfections in others but do not tolerate imperfections in yourself. God reveals Himself in different ways in different stages of spiritual evolution. This earthly bondage has its foundation and basis in your own mind. The elimination of the little ego is the sole condition for Self-realization. Renunciation of ego is the real Self. Ego is the ignorant idea that “I am This” and it has to be replaced with “I am Bliss.” You see, breakfast, lunch, afternoon coffee-break and dinner may all be different meals, but there is one feast where the menu is the same: the feast of “Anandham Brahma”. So enjoy the taste of Anandham for breakfast, Anandham for lunch, Anandham for tea and Anandham for dinner. Always taste Anandham. And for this, no cooking is necessary! OM OM OM OM OM OM OM