Liberation is within easy reach by boldly treading the path of the enlightened without indulging in despondency.
When sensual inclination, defilement etc. become too strong, a thinking person grieves highly to notice his loss of vigour and repeatedly hates himself.
Looking at it with abhorrence again and again, he resorts to the words and character of the saintly people and generates vigour within.
By forcefully exerting that vigour he overcomes the sensual inclination etc. and does not sit at rest till then.
The self-seekers have resorted to that very mode and have succeeded in the end.
Every liberation seeker needs to keep this in mind and set it firmly at heart."(819)
Letter written by Shrimad Rajchandraji to Mahatma Gandhi
Mumbai Fagan Vad 5, Saturday, 1951
To Shri Mohanlal, Durban.
Have received your letter.
As worldly entanglements are renounced, tranquility manifests. As worldly entanglements are assumed, the inner bliss is disturbed. Upon reflection, this fact can be experienced clearly.
Even a slight analysis about the objects of the world cannot but lead to dispassion towards them, because it is only lack of analysis that causes attachment towards them.
'The 'Soul exists',
'the Soul is eternal',
'the Soul is the doer of karma',
'the Soul is the enjoyer of karma',
'the Soul can attain liberation from it', and
'there are means to attain liberation':
when these six fundamental truths are realised after deliberation, that should be considered as the attainment of the power of discrimination or samayakdarshan (right belief) according to the Jina.
This exposition should be studied in depth by spiritual aspirants.
The contemplation of these six fundamental truths arises through the deep impressions of the past or because of the influence of satsang.
Due to a sense of attachment towards impermanent things, the existence, permanence, and uninhibited bliss of the Soul cannot be comprehended.
Since time immemorial the soul is so engrossed in its attachment that through gradual discrimination, eventually the bewildered soul has to return. And before the knot of delusion could be severed, often in the past, this discrimination has been given up. Because without intense effort, that which has been practised since time immemorial cannot be given up in short span.
Therefore, repeatedly through satsang, scriptures and by cultivating deep contemplation; intense efforts should be made towards this.
The result of which is the dawn of the permanent, eternal, blissful Self-realisation.
The rising doubts are calmed through patience and contemplation. By impatience or through weird imagination the soul loses the opportunity of its own upliftment and because of attachment to impermanent things, it is again and again subjected to cycles of birth and death.
Knowing that you harbour a desire for self-enquiry gives me great pleasure. In this pleasure, there is no selfishness.
Your wish to embark on the path of inner bliss will bring you the opportunity to get liberated from the agonies of the world.
Seeing such possibility, I naturally feel joyous. That alone is my recommendation.
Salutations to the Divinity in you.
(patrank - 570)
"What does it mean to have done satsang?
What should the state of a person be as a result of satsang?
Please consider that.
Five years of satsang certainly should bear fruit and one should act accordingly.
These actions should be solely for one's own benefit, and not to impress others.
One's actions must be such that people are convinced that the One he has met is an Enlightened Being.
And since this is the outcome of meeting and doing satsang with this Enlightened Being, there is no doubt that it is satsang..." (updeshchhaya -3)
Factors that come in the way of recognizing the enlightened:-
"There are three major faults in preventing the people from recognizing the enlightened being;
one is the ego in the form of 'I know, I understand it' that prevails within.
The second is the greater attachment for the possessions than that towards the enlightened.
The third is turning the face against the enlightened or not to revere them properly because of the fear of popular belief, disgrace or condemnation.
These three factors keep one away from the enlightened.
He considers them like himself; he weighs the thinking of the enlightened and the scriptural precepts on his own scale.
On getting even a slight knowledge from books, he tends to display it in various ways.
All such drawbacks are covered within the above-mentioned three faults and wrong contact is the instrumental cause thereof... (416)
"In this interminable and meaningless world, obtaining a virtuous human birth is not only difficult but indeed very rare.
Oh atman! Now that you have acquired this human life by mere coincidence, you should work towards the accomplishment of your rightful duty.
It is not possible to ascertain your true identity in any other life besides this human life, hence this recommendation.
Shri jina enjoins that right faith, knowledge and right conduct are the causes of liberation.
So one who aspires to be free,considers right faith, right knowledge and right conduct as the only instruments for moksh (liberation).
Implicit in these instruments is meditation.
That is why, to expound on the significance of meditation, it is said, 'oh atman, to destroy the miseries of the world, drink the nectar of true knowledge and to sail across the ocean of the world, embark on the ship of meditation..."
(patrank - 102)
