STRAIGHT FROM THE MONK’S MOUTH

“My obesciences to you, Tathagata,” I said as I bowed down to him and sat down, in front of him. He accepted and with a serene smile looked at me for some time and then said,” What does a Haridas want to know from a monk?”

The bodhi leaves rustling with the tender breeze while some fell down.

I asked,” Tathagata, on this very day you became Atmavan, you realized who you are. It is mentioned that it took 2 days for the realisation to imbibe. But now in this contemporary world, there are so many spiritual practices going on being imparted. It creates tremendous confusion among the seekers as they go from here and there in search of the best and as a result, lose time and energy both. is there any way that they could find out, what spiritual practice will be best suited for them?”

He looked straight onto my eyes and said with a calm, yet with a firm voice.” It was not that I became Atmavan in 2 days but it was the consequence of several years of various spiritual practices and yogas that I got from various yogis and seers and then mastering it patiently. And for your answer, Spiritual practices are done, essentially, to help clean your mind so that you can realize your spiritual truth to realize the divine in you. Only when you have a clean mind can you experience the truth. It’s similar to when you look at your face in a mirror. If the mirror isn’t clean or if it’s distorted, then your face will appear to be distorted. Unless the mind is clean and clear, you won’t be able to see yourself as you truly are.Once the mind is absolutely clean and clear, Self-realization is experienced. There’s no quick way to progress on the spiritual path. So let everything happen naturally and in its own time; then you’ll see gradual and safe progress in your spiritual practices. Theoretically, it may be easy to speak about the experience of “oneness” or “Cosmic Consciousness” or “Self-realization, but it has to come into one’s own experience, and that’s the purpose of our spiritual practices. Through your practices, you’re slowly rubbing and scrubbing and cleaning out So, keep on practicing, keep on practicing. Then, one day, all of a sudden, you’ll realize who you are. When, where, how, nobody can say. Even you, yourself, may not know. So, keep doing and doing. And always remember, as a strong wind sweeps away a boat on the water, even one of the roaming senses on which the mind focuses can carry away a man’s intelligence.”

Acquiring the ultimate treasure trove I said,” I take refuge in You, I take refuge in dharma and I take refuge in the sangha.*