JEEVAN MUKTI

Shri Bhagavan says “ existence “ is the cause of all human problems. There is just one problem or rather a single cause of all human problems such as poverty, wars, religious conflicts, disharmony in families, conflicts between husband and wife, children and parents, in offices… all the problems in the world, both psychological and material, are not at all different from one another. Those between husband and wife seem different to those that cause a war but at the root of the problem there is just one cause: the vision of existence, the sense of separation, the sense of “ self “. This is the only type of relationship we know, we tackle everything thinking “ this is me “ and “ this is not me “. This sense of separation and strong sense of “ self “ and “ non self “, this idea of “ self “ is what Bhagavan identifies as the root cause of all problems, the sense of separation between us and everything, this “ self “ must disappear from our lives.

It ( disappearing of “ self “, the “ I “, the “ me “, the sense that you as an individual, as an entity exists ) is not a psychological process but a neurobiological process. One day in a darshan, a man from Chile asked Bhagavan a question, he was a Christian but not dogmatic, he was open to other teachings: He said: “ Bhagavan for almost 30 years I’ve been so sincere in my exercises, ( sadhanas ) I have made so many efforts to feel this love for others…I want to feel this love for everyone within myself. But why doesn’t it happen Bhagavan? Why can’t I feel it? “ Bhagavan replied “ Don’t try to do it, you cant cultivate love, you cant exercise in this sense. Don’t try to be Christ, Christ is Christ because his brain is different and same for Buddha. That is why Buddha does not desire any thing ( not even enlightenment ), does not make any effort, it happens to him naturally. In the same way Christ makes no effort to love others, for him it was natural state. If your brain changes you will the same experience. So a true transformation does not occur through psychological exercise but through neurobiological transformation, for which grace is needed. You can’t sy to your self “ from today I want to stop feeling this sense of separation and I want to be in a state of oneness with the world.

There are many psychological practices which can help to solve many serious problems, but if you are seeking a clear and radical change in your life neurobiological change, a sort of brain mutation must occur.

When a child is born he does not have any sense of separation. If he looks at a tree he does not think “ I am looking at the tree”, he “ is “ the tree. He does not experience things as the observer – observed and if he listens to the music he “ is “ the music. Around the age of 12 – 13 months he suddenly has the sense of existence and start to feel separated from everything. This is traumatic moment in which the child loses paradise. The first state is natural state of each person, while we call the traumatic moment “ the birth of the self “; this is cause by the excessive activity of the parietal lobes of the brain.Enlightenment is the end of the sense of separation.

( From an interview of Anandagiri Ji )