CONVERSATIONS WITH ANNAMALAI SWAMI
Q: I am convinced that I am, but I am not convinced of what I am. Intellectually I know that I am the Self but I don't experience this. I have to make a lot of effort.
Annamalai Swami: To experience the Self you have to dive deep into the consciousness 'I am.’
Q: You mean I should keep the mind there?
AS: Yes. When you see the rope as a rope there is no snake. You also know that there never was a snake.
When you cease to imagine that you are a body and a mind, reality
shines of its own accord. If you stabilize in this state you can see
that the mind didn't go anywhere; you will gain the direct insight that
it never really existed. 'Keeping the mind in its source' is just
another of saying 'direct realization that it never existed'.
Q: But how is one to awaken from perpetual body-consciousness? For consciousness to manifest one must have a body.
AS: If there is the constant meditation that consciousness is your own
reality in which all phenomena are appearing and disappearing, that
meditation is the activity of the sattvic mind. It is this activity
which erases and dissolves the tamas and rajas which cover the reality.
The human body is the only vehicle in which it is very convenient to
realize the unmanifest Self. With the body and the mind we can
investigate and discover the Reality, which remains unaffected by the
body and the mind. With a good car we can travel fast and reach our
destination. We know that the car is not the person; the person is in
the car. We should regard the body in the same way that we regard a car.
We should not think 'I am the body'. We should think 'This body is a
useful vehicle. If I maintain it and give it proper fuel, I can use it
to take me to my destination.'
“Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to
listen to others, I am committed to cultivating loving speech and
compassionate listening in order to relieve suffering and to promote
reconciliation and peace in myself and among other people, ethnic and
religious groups, and nations. Knowing that words can create happiness
or suffering, I am committed to speaking truthfully using words that
inspire confidence, joy, and hope. When anger is manifesting in me, I am
determined not to speak. I will practice mindful breathing and walking
in order to recognize and to look deeply into my anger. I know that the
roots of anger can be found in my wrong perceptions and lack of
understanding of the suffering in myself and in the other person. I will
speak and listen in a way that can help myself and the other person to
transform suffering and see the way out of difficult situations. I am
determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not
to utter words that can cause division or discord. I will practice Right
Diligence to nourish my capacity for understanding, love, joy, and
inclusiveness, and gradually transform anger, violence, and fear that
lie deep in my consciousness.”
