The Philosophy, the Religion, the Spirituality, and the Yoga of the Upanishads
A lecture by Sri Chinmoy
at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts
I had decided to give thirteen talks on the Upanishads. Today I will be giving my thirteenth talk on the Upanishads. That means that today we are at the end of the race, the divine race. We are nearing the goal. When we reach the goal, we shall offer our most devoted gratitude to the Inner Pilot.
When we think of the Upanishads, immediately our minds enter into these particular subjects — philosophy, religion, spirituality and Yoga.
The philosophy of the Upanishads is the vastness of the mind.
The religion of the Upanishads is the oneness of the heart.
The spirituality of the Upanishads is the Immortality of the soul.
The Yoga of the Upanishads is the total manifestation of God here on earth.The vastness of the mind needs God the infinite Consciousness.
The oneness of the heart needs God the supreme and eternal Beloved.
The immortality of the soul needs God the ever-transcending Beyond.
The total manifestation of God needs man’s constant inner hunger.God is Purity in the vastness of the mind.
God is Beauty in the oneness of the heart.
God is Life in the Immortality of the soul.The philosophy of the Upanishads tells me, “See the Truth.”
The religion of the Upanishads tells me, “Feel the Truth.”
The spirituality of the Upanishads tells me, “Grow into the Truth.”
The Yoga of the Upanishads tells me, “Become the Truth.”
God tells me, “You are the Truth.”When I see the Truth, I know what God’s Compassion is.
When I feel the Truth, I know what God’s Love is.
When I grow into the Truth, I know what God’s Concern is.
When I become the Truth, I know what God’s selfless Life is, and what His unconditional Duty is.
When I realise that I am the Truth, the full manifestation of Divinity’s Light begins.The Upanishads offer to each aspiring heart countless messages. There are quite a few messages which are at once most significant and most fulfilling. Here is a stupendous message about life and death. Before death and after death, what happens? This is the message of the Upanishads:
Before death, life is a seeker.
After death, the same life becomes a dreamer.Before death, life struggles and strives for perfection.
After death, the same life rests and enjoys the divine Bliss with the soul.Before death, life is God’s Promise.
After death, life is God’s inner Assurance. This Assurance of God’s we notice while we fulfil God in our future incarnation.Life for each individual is an act of inspiration and revelation. Life is an experience; even so, is death. Our human life is God’s sacred flame mounting towards the highest Source. Human death, the so-called death, is a secret play of God’s Will.
When we study the Upanishads, we start with the concentration of the mind. This concentration of the mind is the most difficult thing that we can ever think of. We know what the mind is, we know what concentration is, but when it is a matter of concentration of the mind, it is extremely difficult to do.
Once some spiritual aspirants went to their Master and said, “Master, we have been meditating for so many years — for ten long years. How is it that we cannot control our minds?” The Master said, “My children, God-realisation is not so easy. Had it been easy, you would have by this time controlled your minds. God-realisation is extremely difficult — here is the proof. We consider the mind to be our best instrument. We consider it to be the highest, most developed part in our human life. But look at its helplessness.” Then he went on to say, “You are all standing before me. Now if somebody stands up right on the shoulders of one of your spiritual brothers, what will happen? Immediately your brother will be irritated, he will feel disturbed. His prestige will be hurt. He is also a human being. How does someone dare to stand on his shoulders? The same thing happens to the mind. When the mind is agitated by our thoughts — low, undivine, uncomely thoughts — it does not allow us to become calm, quiet and serene enough to meditate on God.”
The origin of the mind is divine; the mind itself is divine. But unfortunately, the mind that we are using right now is the physical mind, which cannot help us at all in our upward journey. This mind has consciously or unconsciously accepted three undivine friends: fear, doubt and jealousy. I said in the beginning of this talk that the vastness of the mind is the philosophy of the Upanishads. Now, when vastness wants to appear before the physical mind, the physical mind is horror-struck. It is afraid of the vastness. Further, it looks at its own insufficiency, its own limited capacity, and says, “How is it possible? I am so weak; I am so impotent; I am so insignificant. How can the vastness accept me as its very own?” First it is afraid of vastness, then it doubts. It doubts the very existence of vastness. Then, by God’s infinite Grace, fear leaves the mind and doubt leaves the mind. Alas, now jealousy comes in. The mind looks around and sees that there is some fulfilment in the vastness, whereas in its own existence there is no fulfilment, there is no joy. Jealousy starts. Fear, doubt, and jealousy — these three undivine forces — attack the mind and make it meaningless, helpless and hopeless in our upward journey. When the mind is attacked by fear, doubt and jealousy, something else consciously and deliberately enters and feeds the mind, and that is our ego. With ego starts the beginning of our spiritual end.
We have to go beyond the domain of the physical mind with the help of philosophy, religion, spirituality and Yoga. The seeking mind operates in philosophy. The crying heart operates in religion. The illumining soul operates in spirituality. The fulfilling Goal operates in Yoga.
There are two approaches to the Goal. One approach is through the mind; the other is through the heart. The approach of the mind is not safe; it is not secure. But one eventually can reach the Goal this way. It is not that if you approach God through the mind you will not realise God. You will realise God, but the road is arduous. You may doubt your aspiration, you may doubt God’s Compassion for you. Hence, it may take you hundreds, thousands of years to reach the Goal. But the approach through the heart is safe and sure. We can do one of two things: either we can identify ourselves with the subject or the object — with the Supreme Pilot, the Eternal Beloved — or we can surrender our existence at every second to the Inner Pilot. Either we have to become totally one with the Will of the Inner Pilot, or we have to surrender totally, unconditionally to the Inner Pilot. When we approach God in either of these ways, His Infinity, Eternity, Divinity and Immortality we feel immediately as our very own.
If we follow the messages of the Upanishads step by step, if we start first with philosophy, then with religion, then with spirituality and finally with Yoga, then God-realisation need not and cannot remain a far cry. God-discovery is our birthright. If we really want to discover God, then we can start right from the beginning: philosophy, religion, spirituality and Yoga. When we fulfil the demands of philosophy, religion, spirituality and Yoga, God fulfils all our demands. Their demands are very simple: aspiration and self-control. Our demands are God’s Gifts: Peace, Light, Bliss and Power.
Do we really care for God’s Gifts? If we really care for God’s Gifts, then God will offer us the capacity to receive His infinite Wealth. In our ordinary life, when we want something from somebody else, that person will not give us the capacity to receive it. He will demand our own capacity. If we have the capacity, if we work for one day, then the boss will give us the salary. But in the spiritual life, God wants to know whether we really want the salary — Peace, Light and Bliss. If we want them, then He Himself will energise us and be our aspiration and self-control. He will work in and through us. He will work as the seeker within us and, at the same time, He will work as the Pilot for us. He Himself will be both Employer and Employee. If we really want God, God will play at once both the roles. He will be the Giver and the receiver. He will be the seeker and the Fulfiller.
Published in The Oneness of the Eastern Heart and the Western Mind, part 2
Three Meditation Exercises
by Sri Chinmoy
At the top of the head is the Crown centre — Sahasrara chakra we call it. Imagine that this centre is opening up seven times — imagine, but don’t count them. Each time it opens, it rotates one full circle. While it is rotating, chant either “peace” or “AUM” or “Supreme”, or you can try two of the three.
Afterwards, please see me seated on the top of the snow-clad Himalayas. I am seated at the top, the way you see Lord Shiva meditating on the top of a mountain, and you are at the foot. Do not chant “Supreme” or “peace” or anything else at that time. Only try to observe me there at the top of Mt. Kailash. Above me is only the moon, and below are all of you meditating most soulfully.
At the Third Eye try to imagine a disc. Imagine that the disc is rotating clockwise, and seven times chant “light” or “AUM” or “Supreme”, whichever you want.
Then inside that rotating disc please imagine seven very very bright flames. Try to imagine me playing with those seven flames, and at times try to see that I have become one with those tiny flames, instead of playing with them.
Please imagine a disc rotating around your Heart centre. Now you will chant “delight” or “AUM” or “Supreme.” Inside that circle, which is the Heart centre, Anahata Nada, where the soundless sound comes from, please imagine that your heart is a flower-garden, absolutely larger than the largest. Inside that large garden try to see a most beautiful swimming pool, very big. The water of the swimming pool is silver. There you are swimming, diving, and doing all sorts of things that give you joy. Then see inside the swimming pool the Golden Boat. Enter into the Golden Boat, and while you are entering it, please try to imagine that your entire being has become totally golden.
Published in AUM – Vol. 6, No. 4, April 1980
A Trip Back to India
Sri Chinmoy recounts stories to his students in New York after his two-week visit to his homeland, the first time in 42 years
Travelling by car and train
From Dhaka I went to Chittagong by car; it took six hours. I wanted to visit all the places that I had read about in history and geography books. I wanted to see those sacred places where Sri Ramachandra and others were supposed to have visited. Now they have become places of pilgrimage. But in the end I was only able to visit my family homes in Chittagong and Shakpura.
I came back from Chittagong by train. I was in an Indian first-class car, which is like an American third-class car, or worse. They played very loud music, which was almost like jazz.
Delayed by the 'flood'
While in Calcutta, for four days I tried to get in touch with my family. But the line was always out of order. There is something called a ‘lightning call’, which costs eight times more than a regular call. I said, “I am ready to pay.” But even the lightning call was not successful.
So I flew to Madras without informing them. Every time I go home, my brothers and sisters arrange to have a car from the Ashram meet me. An Ashram driver comes to Madras and takes me to Pondicherry. I know the driver well. It is usually a three-hour drive. But this time, because I could not get in touch with them, I had to hire a car. It was the biggest mistake!
Somebody came and said, “I have a car.” When I went to the car, that person disappeared and I saw somebody else there — a driver with two helpers.
As soon as I entered into the car, I thought, “This car is older than the oldest. But I can’t get out now. My things are inside the trunk.”
The driver tried to reassure me. He said. “Oh, no, no, this is a very good car.”
We started out at 8:30. The car broke down three times over the next four hours. Around 12:30 we had gone only 70 miles and still had 40 miles to cover. Then they had to change the tire!
They were saying that we were delayed because there was a flood and there were no bridges.
I said, “Where is the flood? I don’t see water here.”
They said, “No, two weeks ago there was a flood.”
I said, “Two weeks ago there was a flood, and that’s why you can’t drive now?” What can you do with people like this!
Changing drivers
At 1:15 I was only five miles away from our house in Pondicherry. The driver said he could not go any farther because he didn’t have a Pondicherry license.
So the two friends of the driver took another car and went to a nearby hospital and brought back a car and driver with a Pondicherry license. Usually drivers charge five rupees to go to our house from there; 10 rupees maximum. But this driver said, “At this hour you have to pay 75 rupees.”
He was shamelessly overcharging, but 75 rupees is only a little more than five dollars. I was so happy that I would finally arrive at my destination that I gladly agreed to pay him.
Paying the Madras driver
The Ashram charges only 200 or 225 rupees to take me from Madras to Pondicherry. I had told the driver at the airport that I would give him 450 rupees for the ride. That is about double what the Ashram charges.
But even then, that man didn’t trust me. “In case anything happens, could you give me some money in advance?” he asked. What was going to happen? But to prove my innocence, I gave him 100 rupees.
But then look what happened! After so many hours, still he could not take me all the way to Pondicherry. I gave him his full 450 rupees, but I was so disgusted.
You are saving me
The man who asked for 75 rupees said, “You should not give him the whole amount since he is unable to take you the whole way.”
Meanwhile, the three who had brought me from Madras wanted a share of this man’s 75 rupees. They said, “You have to give us something because we found you a passenger.”
The two drivers had a serious argument because the second driver didn’t want to give them anything. He said, “I am saving you because you can’t drive into Pondicherry.”
I said, “No, you are not saving them. You are saving me.” Then I begged him to take the 75 rupees and just drive me home.
When we arrived, I gave him 80 rupees.
A big favour
The first time I went back to India, I took a taxi from Madras to our house in Pondicherry. A young couple was going to the Pondicherry area also, so I said, “You don’t have to pay. You come with me. I will sit with the driver and you can sit in the back.” They were so moved by my generosity and very grateful to me.
In those days I carried my money in a little bag with no strap. When we finally arrived at my house, I was filled with such joy that I just opened the car door and practically ran to my house. O God, I didn’t realise that I had left my bag on the seat next to the driver.
The driver drove away and had gone about half a block when the wife noticed that I had left my bag there. She was very short, so God knows how she saw my bag. Her husband was tall, but he didn’t see it. So the wife told the driver and he brought the car back. Then the husband came out of the car and gave me the bag. The driver had known that the bag was there, but he didn’t want to say anything.
So I did them a favour by saving them 300 or 400 rupees for a taxi ride, but they did me a much bigger favour. I had so much money in my bag, as well as my passport. It is because there are good people like this on earth that we still exist. Some divine forces always protect me in time of need; still the divine forces are not sleeping!
The Elephanta Caves
During my visit to India, we went to some sacred caves called Elephanta, where they keep Lord Shiva’s statue. To get to the caves, we took a boat from Bombay, and then a little ferry to the island. You have to go up hundreds of steps to get to the sacred area, but there are strong young men there who will carry you up in a chair if you are too weak to go up the stairs yourself. In my case, I climbed up the stairs, but I paid to be carried down by four men. It was a frightening experience, because the chair slants downward when they are carrying you, and they go quite fast.
A lady at the caves begged me to take her picture. Then afterwards, she wanted me to give her five rupees for allowing me to take her picture.
Published in The World-Experience-Tree-Climber, part 5