Enlightenment, Satsang from May 15, 2007, Yudhishtara spoke on the subject of Enlightenment. "You come here and say, "I want to be enlightened. I want to be free. I want to be wise." Well, how can these things take place when in fact we haven't given permission to ourselves to go be free of the cultural chains that exist around us? If we don't do a tiny thing like that how can we do something that is so much more awesome than that?
My beloved teacher used to say when we would come into satsang, "Leave your thoughts, your ideas, your opinions, your knowledge, your arrogance outside of the door when you enter." Otherwise, all that you do is judge using all the prior thoughts you've accumulated. So again we have the judge, the opinions, and the reinforcement of the I. If you are able to put this I outside the door and not feel attacked when you hear new ideas and not attack when you hear a new idea. When you are able to peel all the opinions, ideas away from the I, all that you will have left is your essence; you will be left with your Beloved. You are left with something that was never born and will never die..
Spiritual Enlightenment
For those of us on the quest for Spiritual Enlightenment, Yudhishtara’s next Satsang will occur on August 22, 2007. It is a time for all those seeking answers to questions surrounding spiritual enlightenment and other spiritual matters, as well as the day to day questions of life to visit Yudhishtara and ask any and all questions.
From Yudhishtara's Satsang of April 18, 2007
Spiritual Enlightenment “Natural Religion & That“
On April 18, 2007 during his monthly satsang session, Yudhishtara talked about the subject of Natural Religion, which is a topic that he voiced to those on the journey for spiritual enlightenment. He further went on to say that “Natural religion is not a religion that has been formulated by somebody who says "I know and you don't know." It's the religion (if we're going to use words like that) that comes from within you. It's not from within me for you. It's within you for you.”
Yudhishtara continued on the quest of Spiritual Enlightenment by saying, “What I have inside of me is different than what you have inside of you. It has to be different! I don't want anybody to copy me. And I don't want to copy anybody. That's why the structure I'm proposing is a temporary structure, not a permanent structure. It has to be temporary. But it starts to give you the strength to be able to fight the structure that has come from all the different religions and thought patterns you have been exposed to.
What I've suggested is a very simple structure. But it is very powerful. It is a continuous appreciation of that that you don't understand. By appreciating something that you don't understand, the strangest thing happens. Without being able to explain to you how this happens, that that you do not understand becomes clearer within you because you have stopped searching for ways to make it come to you.”
“(You have stopped saying to yourself –That) I am going to will enlightenment to me; (You have stopped saying to yourself –That) I'm going to will wisdom; (You have stopped saying to yourself –That) I'm going to will continuous happiness and joy and all these different things. You don't will these things. There is no road that will take you to some place where all of a sudden everything is different. Everything is not different. Your whole life, every step that you take is this magnificent gift. All the bad things that you think are bad and all the good things that you think are good and everything in between, this whole life is the gift!” If one can take a moment to really read the last two paragraphs and experience them, one will have found the Truth of spiritual enlightenment.
Spiritual Enlightenment, Memories and the Beloved
Yudhishtara continued on April 18, 2007 with Satsang after sharing his views of spiritual enlightenment and natural religion, demonstrating that the two were one and the same. He continued later by saying, “We have to put memories in perspective as to what they really are. Memories are events that have taken place. At the same time we have to develop some internal strength by being in love with the Beloved and knowing that when the time comes that the memories are not here – it is not the beginning or the end of the essence of what we are.
There is a big difference between this word essence and the word memory. Essence is that that created this form and is occupying this form. Essence is an inexplicable thing emanating from that magnificent, infinite thing that I try to speak about with inadequate words and that, in fact, has always been and will always be. And that is not interested in memories. That is not interested in memories because what that is – is everything. It is so much more magnificent than any memories that we've created. Any memories, even a collection of all the memories in the world, are infinitesimal in comparison to its magnificence.
and from Shivakti ...
As I was transcribing Yudhishtara's words for this hand-out, these thoughts came to me.
Perhaps there is a world of difference between a spiritual being and being spiritual.
For many people much time and effort is put into being spiritual and it becomes a dedicated structure for them. Many other people require room to flow and expand. They bloom with more freedom. For them the short cut is to rest in their inherently spirtual nature-to rest in their essence.
Regardless of the paths we follow, what you are, what I am, what we all are is spiritual beings. There is no priest, pope, monk, guru, teacher, imam, or shaman required to meditate between you and the Infinite. Your contact with the infinite is direct and immediate just as is your knowledge of the finite.
Contact with the infinite and knowledge of the finite - why not consider both of these as gifts... and ponder who is giving to whom...
