Vasistha's Yoga: A contemplation on non-duality

Dear friends,
​Vasistha's Yoga is a contemplation on the philosophy of non-duality to explain the nature of Reality Itself. Contemplation is a very helpful tool for transforming the mind because it questions our assumptions about life, the universe and God. As we let go of all our assumptions, our mind becomes free of duality, i.e. ideas of me and you, this and that. According to Vasistha's Yoga, this contemplation is one of the paths to freedom from suffering. It is also called the path of the jnani or the path of Knowledge.

Vedic philosophy suggests that the universe is made up of three gunas or modes of nature: tamas, rajas, and sattva guna. Tamas represents darkness and inertia. Rajas represents movement and activity. Sattva represents goodness and meditation. Everything is made up of a combination of the gunas. These gunas are constantly changing, so the entire universe is constantly changing. If something is always changing, then it is temporary and therefore, not the Ultimate Reality. Sage Vasistha states that ANY thought in the mind is not the Absolute Truth, so ALL thoughts must be let go or surrendered. Letting go means not taking the thoughts to be Real or, for that matter, important. When EVERY thought is let go, the Final Truth is realized: Aham Brahmasmi. I am Brahman. In other words, there is only Brahman, only God. No more objectification. No longer experiencing oneself to be the mind. Just pure consciousness. The world within the mind dissolves in the fire of this realization, and all suffering ceases. There is no individual to suffer anymore since the very idea of individuality (identification with ego) is dropped.

Vasistha's Yoga is a conversation between Vasishta and Ram. Ram asks the sage question after question about the nature of Reality, especially  for the benefit of the thousands of people who are attending this great gathering called satsang. Vasishta advises Ram to consider the universe as a rope instead of a snake. The human mind worries because there are so many fears in duality. In a dark room, when one touches a rope, it is considered to be a snake and therefore, terrifying. When the light is turned on, one sees the rope and loses all fear. The same thing happens when one realizes that everything is Brahman, pure consciousness, Truth. One knows that "I am everything." Indeed, the name "Ram" means "I am everything." Ram is the incarnation of "everything," the embodiment of that realization, and even today, millions of people worship Ram as the "Supreme Being."

Vasishta's Yoga helps the mind to cancel itself out. The book presents a conundrum that the mind cannot solve. When the mind let's go of thought, the consciousness is free. As the wind brings the clouds to the sky, it also blows away the clouds. Similarly, the mind has created its prison, and it can also sweep away its prison simply through a contemplation about the nature of Reality. Using a powerful intellect, one can cut through any thought or emotion and diffuse it. Let us contemplate ourselves out of suffering and realize the self-luminous being beyond all conception.

With love,
Brian


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