In this video, Prasant highlights the fact that a shift or awakening that opens you into your own nature does not have to happen while you are doing something particular, like meditating, but could come at any moment. In every moment of the day, the opportunity and possibility is fully present.
It is also not that you need wait for the special time when a single shift may occur. It could be countless subtle shifts that happen in many different situations that allow you to settle finally in the Reality and be free of the mind or any concept about it.
So be ready for it at any time by just noticing your experience and being what you are. Have fun!
There is a common issue that many face on an almost daily basis today: boredom. I see this with people going to school and college, but it remains with adults as well. Let’s not forget boredom’s good buddies: frustration and irritation, among others.
All three of these are basically an expression of resistance to our arising experience. The arising experience is perfect in nature, however the mind content consisting of various thoughts that is overlaid upon it suggests otherwise. It could be sitting through a long class, holding a crying child on a flight or perhaps waiting in a long line at the post office or sitting in traffic. First we need to notice that the boredom, frustration or irritation etc. is in most cases coming from our thought content, or at least our concept of what should be happening right now.
In some cases, it could be a useful call to action. Maybe you need to do something different than what you are doing at the moment. But in most cases, you are probably doing something that you either can’t get out of or maybe have even signed up for yourself in some way. Take a moment to contemplate and remember some situations that have been like this in your own life.
Now, when you are in this situation or bring up a situation like this in your memory and experience that feeling, inquire: Is the part of me that enjoys experiences here with me now? Is the aspect of my awareness, a beautiful core attribute of my own awareness that is enjoyment itself…is that still here with me or has it gone? When I am enjoying anything at all, whether it is my favorite music, a delicious meal, shopping, maybe playing a favorite video game etc., that enjoyment is happening within me. I alone am enjoying it. The essence of that happiness and enjoyment is fundamentally in me alone. That is joy. Now that I am in a boring or irritating situation, has that awareness that was joyful and happy and the awareness that is experiencing boredom different or the same?
Simply by inquiring into this, something will happen. Something will shift. We know this because the feeling of boredom, frustation, etc. is only coming and going within our awareness and is mostly due to thoughts we are clinging to of either not wanting to experience something or wishing we were doing something else. When that compulsion is challenged via this specific inquiry, immediately the Source Awareness that is consisting of simple Presence, Peace, Joy and Freedom is available and is glad to reveal itself.
Wide open sky – ocean of Awareness
Try it and let me know how it goes. 🙂
P.S. If you haven’t caught up on my Youtube videos in a while, which have a several on Music and Realization, check them out here.
We are back in 2019 with new sharing on Music and Self Realization. In this video, Prasant touches upon what is coming up and reaffirms how Music is special as a path for Realization thanks to it’s natural enjoyment and ease. The process of realizing what we are and seeing the end of confusion in the mind is made relaxing and easy through the power of music and sound. Simply experience the sound, feel it fill your awareness and then notice that what is experiencing the fullness is itself the Silence, the unlimited Reality.
There is no need to go into the mind and pontificate and debate on things. This alone is enough and is the easiest way. The Self will automatically free up the mental content that was there before due to mental identification. Prasant ends the video with a little bit of sound and music from a toy recorder. 🙂
In this video, Prasant likens the effortless nature of being who you are, Truth/Silence/Beingness Itself, to the fact that it takes no effort to be the child of your parents on a fundamental level. Simply by being born and existing, you automatically are the child of whoever your parents happen to be. It takes no effort and there is no need to regain the status of being this as no matter what could happen you would always remain the child of your parents by your very existence. Even if they passed away, or you ran away from home, or whatever it may be… The DNA, and all the blueprints of your parents and ancestors, perhaps, exist in you and created the body. They permeate every inch of your body. On the basic physical level, this could not be removed, even if you tried.
Similarly, the Self, the Truth of what you are, is the basic foundation of our existence that cannot be lost or regained. Our very nature always has the Infinite as its Source and Reality as its nature. It is effortless to be the Self, because you are and have always been the Self. Like a runaway child, you may have denied your identity with This. Later, you recognize it is your nature, always. How easy, how joyful! You can celebrate, because nothing could ever take this away. Even being in the so called mind, cannot take you away. If you change your name and runaway, you would still be the child of your parents. If you think you are the mind and identify with your thoughts and run into many problems and frustrations, you still are the Self. You are the Self right now. This is absolutely true. This is your birthright and you simply recognizing this is returning Home and is freedom.
Absorbing this and understanding this within is contemplation and dissolving of confusion. Recognizing this truth as infallible and indestructible in your experience is awakening. Returning to your abode in Freedom and living freely with this imperturbable Knowingness is Unbroken Realization.
In this video, Prasant talks about Now Truth, a way of seeing our nature as an endless revelation of truth, freedom and discovery. This goes beyond “the now” being related to time or Truth as a crystallized ideal. This That Is continuously and endlessly unfolds AFTER suffering and confusion ends with unexpected revelations and realizations that continue on and on. That vast majority of teaching is focused on ending the ego or the I-thought and becoming established in the Self or Truth. Often, it can be misconstrued by seekers and even some who have awakened that this is “the end.” “Good bye world.”
The truth is the world itself is the Self. Being infinite as It is, It unfolds never-ending Truths about Itself and continuously expresses in endless ways. It pulsates and expands. The “good bye” and the “end” is only for the mind. When the mind dissolves or ends, the majestic, joyful, ordinary every day life story of the Self begins.
Be happy, there is plenty to look forward to! Strive for the Self, strive for Enlightenment as there is nothing to fear and nothing to lose! You will still be there at the end, just without the nonsense.
In this spontaneous video, Prasant relates the ever expanding growth and strength of our awareness as it become more aware of Itself to a battery that needs to be charged. Until the Self is fully Realized, there will be a sensation either regularly or on occasion, depending on how far along the aspirant is, of the spacious openness of Being not always being fully present…a feeling that it needs be recharged with spiritual practice or some kind of activity. This needs to be acknowledged and addressed.
The simplest and easiest way to continuously recharge is to rest as the awareness itself time and time again. Every time the mind arises, again and again bring it back to resting in Awareness, the Source. This is sometimes difficult. During these times, Prasant highly recommends music, either listening or practicing, combined with his technique of riding music back to its Source and resting as That. (Visit Prasant’s website below for many more articles and videos on Youtube detailing that process).
Prasant also goes into the issue of whether you may want to investigate your media consumption (ie: podcasts, social media, tv shows, news, etc.) to see whether it is really helping you in your quest for Truth or if it is distracting you or pulling you away from it by stimulating mind identification and separation. Of course, no phenomena by itself is a problem in light of the Self. It is only a problem when the mind still causing trouble.
When the Self is Realized there is longer a battery, charger or outlet needed. There is continuously refreshed, always open Truth alone. Like the ocean. Like the sky.
Those who are interested in or who are currently practicing Self Inquiry (aka Atma Vichara or simply Vichara) for the purpose of Self Realization may know that it can be quite challenging at times. This, perhaps, is due to its direct nature. It is going straight to the root of the mind and suffering. Anyone who has tried to practice it knows there are times where it is hard. Prasant suggests to try working with music during these times and then approach the inquiry again rather than getting “stuck” and frustrated or discouraged.
Music is known to relax the mind. A verse from Indian scriptures states that music makes even the fierce animals peaceful. Similarly, when the “wild animals” of our minds and habitual tendencies overwhelm us, they can be relaxed and made more receptive through the power of music. A fresh attempt at Self Inquiry can then be made if necessary. It is possible that simply the change of pace in itself will allow the awareness to present Itself strongly and clearly enough that only subsequent resting is all that is needed.
In this video, Prasant delves into the “what’s the point?” question that arises for many of us at some point in our lives. Or for some of us, it is a regular question. For example: What is the point of all of this? Why all this? After going through so many experiences, it all amounts to nothing, so what’s the point? Everything is happening automatically and nothing is “done” by us so what’s the point? So on and so forth. It comes up for those serious about enlightenment and realization and those who are not. Even those who have had awakening or enlightenment experiences can struggle with this.
By going into what “what’s the point” is actually looking for, we uncover the fact that it is the mind that asks such a question to both resist the arising experience and also grasp for some concept, idea, or phenomenon to explain what is happening or motivate itself to continue its own separate existence. The “point” is just that, a tiny point on a vast, open ocean of experience. In trying to find the point, it is easy to miss the Infinite. When the Infinite is realized, then any point is also That.
In the video, Prasant goes into a little more detail to understand this complaint of the mind and arms us with the insight to transcend it at any given time. The result is freedom.
In this video, Prasant goes into detail about not only how music is an instant meditation, but also what the nature of meditation really is. The fact is you are already meditating right now. Your nature itself is meditation. This, right now, is meditation.
Many of us may feel that they are brought into the unfolding ever present NOW while listening to music but the experience fades later on. Prasant shares here that the important insight to take away from every natural experience of music is that the space, freedom and joy you experience with music is always here with or without music. That stays with you when you are away from music. You were there before anything appeared and remain afterwards.
In fact, the experience of Life itself is much like a never ending great symphony of music. Enjoy it by just being yourself…whatever you already are without having to do or change anything to be IT.
In this video, Prasant invites us to consider and contemplate the Reality that every note of music arising is, in fact, divine in nature regardless of the way it seems to sound. Its nature is Truth, Presence, nothingness, divinity. Is this true for you?
Is the aversion to certain styles of music, artists or sound textures preventing you from fully enjoying this Reality? Prasant gives the example of Kenny G, a popular but highly criticized saxophonist. You could bring up any music type, person, place or thing that you have an aversion to and contemplate the same thing: Is not the inherent nature of this thing actually Divine Truth? The answer is yes, IT absolutely IS!
If this is not your experience, why not? It is due to the mind, which is just a bundle of thoughts, concepts and ideas about what you are experiencing and what you think your experience is. These thoughts, of course, cannot be the Reality.
This can be applied to any area or phenomena of Life. Music and its nuances are an easy entry point. By realizing the Truth in the Music sphere, automatically that Truth will permeate the rest of your experience as well and facilitate the necessary freeing up of mental content in ALL areas of your life. If every note of music is divine, is not every arising in your life also the same?
Contemplate this and return to your home in Peace, Silence, Freedom, Self Realization, Enlightenment. Whatever you want to call It…
Prasant Radhakrishnan 