Reading scriptures or listening to the Masters makes us feel content. But the Founder of the world-renowned Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur (SRMD) spiritual organisation explains the limitation of words, as he calls upon us to transcend words to realise the Self in this exclusive column.
We have a great liking for words and faith in them too. We value words, memory, scriptures more than the truth, the real Self. Why is so much importance given to words? Words have sweetness, melody, and fascination. Words have logic that satisfies the intellect that at least something is understood!
Written Words
An intellect, holding on to words, wants to check whether what Sadguru speaks is written in the scriptures or not. They become authentic and authoritative only when they are written! Even if what is spoken is the truth, you will still have doubts because it’s not penned down; and you believe all that is written as right.
Mullaji’s car hit a truck. He was rushed to the hospital. The car was badly damaged but fortunately, Mullaji was not seriously injured. The doctor assured Mullaji that he was fine and can go home in a day. Next morning, the doctor told Mullaji, ‘You cannot leave today. I just read about your accident in the newspaper. It was a really bad one, and I feel we need to re-evaluate you before we let you go.’ What was evidently visible was ignored, and words of the newspaper became more credible!
The Purpose of Words
Only when the illusory hope of truth from words reduces, we can move towards truth. It is not that there is no relation between truth and words. But truth is related more with inner silence and less with words. Truth is realised not by words but in the absence of words or thoughts.
Saints say that the only purpose of words is to glorify the state of no-mind. Words should increase your interest, importance and pull for the no-mind state. Instead, if they hinder the inner silence, they become a block.
The objective of the authors of scriptures was to help you become enthusiastic about truth, wisdom, no-mind state, and not that you learn them by heart and feel content. Therefore, do not get stuck in words. Move forward in search of inner silence. Words are only pointers. Take their help to go beyond them. Take a leap from words to silence. Transcend the mind. And for that, forgetting words alone is the means.
Study of scriptures does not bring knowledge; only memory gets trained, and some learning transpires. But as said earlier, learning and knowing are not the same. We are able to learn and speak a lot about the Self, we are able to answer and explain, but just think, what is the difference between this and parroting.
From Words to Experience
No efforts are made to experience the truth. All efforts go towards understanding words and feeling content with that. This satisfaction is an illusion. We are not interested in realising the truth. We just wish that people appreciate how much we know about truth! If we were really interested in truth, then mere words would not satisfy us.
The Enlightened Ones recommend the study of scriptures so we understand the worthlessness of words, realise our ignorance, and our thirst for inner silence increases; that alone seems meaningful. The purpose of scriptures is to increase our thirst and not satisfy our quest. Unsatisfied with words, if it brings on thirst for inner silence, inspiration and yearning, then they are worthwhile!
The Wise Ones say that you want to experience the truth but you are stuck in the prison of words. Only when the walls of information and memories break, the sun of realisation of the Self shall dawn. Truth is ready to manifest, but you have to make room for it within. Set aside words, memories, and thoughts and see – truth will reveal itself in that empty space. When God descends, pure Self shall appear, then you will not behold the Self; you will be one with it. You will be that.
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By Seeing, not by Thinking
Don’t just stop at thinking about what is truth and how it is because such reflection is blind. It is like a blind imagining about light! Whatever he imagines will be false. Let alone light, he cannot imagine about darkness without the eyes. Then what should he do? He must treat his eyes. Not reflection, but treatment is helpful and meaningful.
What surprises is that those who talk on light, they only know about light; they have no first-hand experience of light. Had they known light, they would certainly have understood the worthlessness of talks and their energy would have been focused on treatment. Once the eyes are cured, the experience of light happens by itself. Light is ever present, only vision is needed. The path of experiencing light is not of thinking about it but of seeing it. Seeing is religion, a solution. So, are you interested in realising light or knowing about light? Are you a seeker of wisdom or information?
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Collection and Capacity
The two directions are absolutely opposite. Wisdom takes us towards the end of ego, and information towards strengthening it. One makes us simple, the other makes us complicated. Thoughts are also accumulations. All collections, all accumulations feed the ego. They nourish the expectations and greed of the ego.
Dry intellectualists collect thoughts. Thought is neither the Self nor does it arise from the Self. It is a veil. The blind can be given information about light from outside, but the experience of seeing must arise from within. Reading, listening, thinking, imagining, etc. about light is collection, whereas treating the sight, getting rid of blindness is capacity. Collection is from outside, capacity is from within. Collection creates delusion of capacity, and when it increases, the ego gets nourished. Ego is not capacity, it is delusion of capacity. It is powerlessness alone. Even a ray of truth can make it vanish.
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Scholarliness and Wisdom
There is a difference between scholarliness and wisdom. Mere scholarliness is delusion; it is knowing without really knowing. Borrowed knowledge of someone’s experience creates a delusion that ‘I know the truth’ and veils right discrimination. It satisfies the quest without inner experience and deprives us of real wisdom. Delusion is a greater hindrance than ignorance.
There is a difference between knowing the scriptures and realising the Self. In the world, it is enough to know the scriptures. But this is not even a beginning in the direction of Self-realisation.
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Philosophy and Spiritual Practice
Therefore treatment - spiritual practice - is important. By this, the eye of wisdom opens. When inner vision is attained by spiritual practice, thoughts become irrelevant. Thought is the sign of ignorance and not wisdom. Inner vision occurs in the state of no-thought.
Philosophy cannot give inner spiritual vision. Philosophy is a mere intellectual storage, a part of memory. It does not transform into wisdom. Philosophy cannot transform hearts. Like clothes change the outside, and the inside remains the same, the veil of thoughts changes but the delusion of the Self remains the same. To remove delusion of the Self and create an inner revolution, you will need to work in a different direction – the direction of spiritual practice, not of philosophical words and thoughts, the direction of opening the eyes to the truth and not thinking about truth.
Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, an enlightened master and an ardent devotee of Shrimad Rajchandraji, is the founder of Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur (SRMD) – a spiritual organisation with 206 centres across six continents advancing the path of Lord Mahavir. In June 2024, he will be in the UK for a series of life-transforming discourses.