Self-realization

And beyond all the work that I do in the world, I'm also a deep meditator.

and a lifelong student of Hindu and Buddhist teachings, particularly in the Self-Realization Fellowship tradition, which is a worldwide organization that was founded by my teacher, my guru, Paramahansa Yogananda, in the US in 1920.

So yeah, that's what brings me here today to talk to you about all the exciting things of size and all that.

Amazing.

It does feel like maybe we come here to do some refining, some soul refining.

That's right.

And so I think in our traditions, right, in Self-Realization, the reason why Yogananda named this Global Organization Self-Realization Fellowship is because Self-Realization really describes the goal of what life is, which is to realize oneself.

realize that we're one with everything and everyone, that we're, there's, you know, Thich Nhat Hanh popularized this phrase of interdependence or interbeing.

And therefore you must still be aware even if you chose option two...

And then finally If you happen to select option three.... and you weren't sure You were aware Of this idea of Or belief that You were not Sure And so again Awareness Was still there It's a very simple little exercise The point of it is to demonstrate That irrespective of what you think Thus what you believe Awareness Is aware Of all of it And so awareness Must always Be here Must Always Be Here! ...

That is profoundly Important Profoundly important Because it--awareness As I've got right at the topof the slide there Is the essence Of meditation .That's all Meditation is [bird sounds] It's not visualization It's not guidance It's awareness Awareness is the Essence of meditation ....It's also Sorry we've got some birds going around on the flat part of the roof here If you-if you're picking up Some noise that's What it is It's Also the essence of Self Realization.....it is that Simple It is that simple There's nothing complicated There really is Nothing Complicated About self realization It may appear as A mystery Confusing Distant Maybe Perceived as only for the special few or whatever All of these things are just ideas of the mind and um other the awareness is simply aware of it all and this awareness never goes anywhere Never Goes Anywhere itsalways alwayshere AlwaysHereand it's the experiential recognitionrealisationOfthat awareness in an unequivocal way that iswhatself realisationis about andI alsotermthis awareness infinitesilence twodifferent terms sameessence differenttermssameessencesowe'renotafterorlookingfor somethinguhsomebodywants somebodyputitinareviewthatIsawyesterdaywhatthebookdemonstratedtothemwasthatt hisisnotsomeexoticthing... thatyouhavetobesatinacaveintheHimalayasorwhateverto realizeit'sright hererightnow...... it's righthere Right nowAnd and it'sallaboutRealizing that inanunequivocalWayAnd it's sosimplethat themindcannotgraspit itgo itwillgolike it cannotbeCannot bethissimpleBut it is It'sbeyondtheconceptofsimple...

Andwhat Imeanbythatforsimplewe havetohavedifficultandthisisbeforeandbeyondsuch suchideas NowThisAwareness ThisAwareness abigummmistakethateverybodymakesatsomepointisthatwellThere'stwokindsofpartstothatoneit'sit'sforgottenlikethephrase thatWehaveinEnglish"Youcan'tseethewoodforthetrees"...

ItssoblindinglyObviousyousmissit AndthesecondPartThereisthatpeopletrytopersonalizeitandwhat I'mtalkingAboutOrWhat'sbeingpointedoutshould IsayISInfiniteAwareness UniversalAwareness NonPersonalAwareness andForSureyouCanRecognizewhat'sgoingoninyour BodymindExperiencerIGHTNOW But if you take away the thoughts and beliefs about that, all those phenomena eventually drop away, fall away.

Yeah, me too.

Well, before we break part one and move into part two, I'd like you, you mentioned your newest book, Individuation and Beyond, Worldviews, God Images, and Self-Realization.

And I would like you to just talk about, just for this part, What prompted you to release this book? What do you hope it accomplishes in the world? And then why you chose the five worldviews that you include in that book? And I'll let you just touch on the five that you include.

Okay.

Mm-hmm.

Um, it's, it's made under the video with Swami Satapiananda, "Is There a World After Self-Realization?" The comment is made by Tasso777.

"Seeing the one as many and the many as one is the same.

Most don't ever come to see the one in all." And I thought you certainly have to say something about that.