Any Useful Answer I Give Comes from Bhagavan | Michael James

[00:00:00]There was a question asked under the video, "The mind turned inward as the self, how can it also be destroyed?"

[00:00:06]And later Laurie 1 asked, "Excellent explanation, whatever it is what you said.

[00:00:13]And I'm wondering, what would you call the energy coming through you that is actually explaining these concepts? Is that not divine mind, or do you just say it is the self through human expression?"

[00:00:26]>> Um >> [clears throat] >> Often when um when uh after meeting is over, I think about some of the answers that I've given.

[00:00:42]And I wonder I I I myself am impressed by the answers. Uh I don't see that in an egotistical way, but I went, "Oh, wow, that was a nice answer I gave. It just seemed to be perfect."

[00:00:55]And it is very, very obvious to me that any useful answer I give comes from Bhagavan. It can't come from anywhere else. It It can't come from from me, because the very nature of the mind is The mind is is as Bhagavan said, Maya. It's delusion. It's darkness, confusion. So, any clarity that comes through the mind, that clarity is Bhagavan himself.

[00:01:27]So, if if I do ever give excellent explanations, that is um that comes from Bhagavan.

[00:01:38]That comes entirely from Bhagavan.

[00:01:41]Bhagavan is clarity itself.

[00:01:44]So, any clarity in anything we say or think comes from him.

[00:01:53]>> [clears throat] >> That's why I'm able to to say with with without Well, Bhagavan protects me without a feeling of ego.

[00:02:10]I I myself wonder at some [snorts] of the answers I give because they seem to be such perfect answers and it's so clear to me that it's given by Bhagavan not by me.

[00:02:24]>> Yeah.

[00:02:25]Couldn't you Sometimes I think there are multiple levels in answering this question.

[00:02:29]>> Mhm.

[00:02:30]>> Because if there's only Bhagavan, Brahman, or and the substratum and and you're kind of dreaming your own experience, but you could even reason everything that is coming to you is Bhagavan's grace. There is only Bhagavan's grace. Or doesn't that make sense if I say it like that?

[00:02:50]>> Our whole prada Bhagavan sometimes used to say, whether you call it prada or you call it God's grace, it's one and the same thing.

[00:02:58]>> Yeah.

[00:03:00]>> So, it Our whole life is his grace.

[00:03:02]Everything we are given to experience is his grace because we're given to experience these things for our own benefit.

[00:03:11]Not for us to run out and enjoy or really, but for us to to see the shortcoming of all these things and to turn back within.

[00:03:21]>> Yeah.

[00:03:22]I was once very and that made a big impression on me, another guru or teacher who talked about Ramana's teachings who said uh that this whole life is like a dream and in that dream you dream up your own guru or Ramana.

[00:03:39]>> Yeah.

[00:03:40]>> Um that was kind of mind-blowing for me to suddenly realize >> Yes, but we need to be we need to be a bit cautious when we say do The name and form of Bhagavan is a part of our dream. Yeah, but clarity and love that he's shining through that name and form is is not just a our projection. That is Well, that is the projection of the reality within us, not a projection of our vasanas. All names and forms are projection of vasana.

[00:04:14]But the what we the the light of clarity and love that we see shining through Bhagavan, that is our own reality.

[00:04:25]Yeah, that is not our vasanas.

[00:04:27]>> So, if I turn this to the question that Laser Lloyd asked and from from his perspective, he he he he dreamed from his vasanas, he sees you, uh but the light and clarity that shines through you is nothing than that one reality?

[00:04:46]>> Well, there there's also a big ego here, so >> [laughter] >> What is sorry, that's >> There's also a big ego here.

[00:04:54]So, we we can't In the case of Bhagavan, it's a completely clear mirror. There's no There's nothing there, nothing intervening.

[00:05:03]In the case of any of us, sometimes that clarity may shine through us, through our words or whatever, but we shouldn't delude ourselves, but we That is we have to be honest.

[00:05:19]It That is What is ego? Ego is chit jada granthi.

[00:05:28]So, there um the the the reality of ego is chit, the pure awareness. That is Bhagavan.

[00:05:39]That reality is obscured by the superimposition of the conflation of the adjuncts. The the the jiva upadhi, the the the this body and mind that we take ourselves to be.

[00:05:59]So, the light of the light of Bhagavan's any clarity, any love we see in any person, we can say that is Bhagavan shining through that person.

[00:06:18]But the the the clarity and love we see in each other is is it's far far less than the clarity and love we see in Bhagavan. Just have to look at Bhagavan's face. It's something completely different to any of us.

[00:06:38]>> Yeah.

[00:06:38]>> I mean, it's a face. It's like any other face, but there's something that is different about Bhagavan.

[00:06:44]And it's not the features or anything.

[00:06:46]It is It is that the the What once someone said that something they said to Bhagavan about some picture of of Bhagavan, they said they felt that picture was alive.

[00:07:01]I I can't remember exactly what they said, but I remember Bhagavan's answer was, "What makes you think it's just a picture?"

[00:07:08]We even through the the pictures of black and white photos of Bhagavan, we can see that that light shining.

[00:07:21]If If we see it, we will Yeah, I mean, those who see it will know what I'm talking about. Those who don't see it will think I'm talking gibberish.

[00:07:30]But I think the fact that we're here talking about this subject me and my interest in this subject means we have all to a greater or lesser extent recognized that in Bhagavan.

[00:07:44]>> Well, I sometimes think but I mean, if there's only truth, I mean, you can't have I sometimes think you can't have it both way. There's either only truth Well, there is only truth.

[00:07:57]Well, that is a chatter so and then it stops.

[00:08:00]>> only truth but we are not we are not seeing that truth as it is because it is all this. This truth is one.

[00:08:08]Reality is one but we see it as all this multiplicity.

[00:08:13]>> Yeah, that that is that is unfortunately true.

[00:08:19]>> Yes.

[00:08:20]>> Yeah, sometimes it feel even if you emphasize it it's kind of like well, I kind of getting more and more aware of just to shut up and be quiet.

[00:08:29]>> Exactly. That's it.

[00:08:32]>> by actually already stating that it feels like you're going against the truth. So, I'm rather not hang too much pay too much attention to it. I mean, I'm aware of it but more as a feedback.

[00:08:46]>> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:08:46]>> So, and I rather want to talk less and less about it and just hold on to truth.

[00:08:53]>> Exactly. Exactly.

[00:08:54]>> Yeah.

[00:08:56]>> Sometimes when we try to put these things into thoughts or words, we lose hold of them.

[00:09:01]>> Yeah. Well, they they do have their place when you're when you're still in the process of understanding.

[00:09:07]>> Yeah.

[00:09:08]>> [clears throat] >> And at moments, it might be when confusion arises, it might be helpful again to >> Oh, yeah, you see.

[00:09:15]>> remind yourself but >> Definitely.

[00:09:18]>> Yeah.

[00:09:19]Okay.

[00:09:21]Well, I hope Laser Lloyd is satisfied by your answer.