Ascent to Spiritual Illumination by Swami Ashokananda

Ascent to Spiritual Illumination by Swami Ashokananda

 (7/2015)

This book is a collection of ten lectures given by Swami Ashokananda on Spiritual Practice.

The soul is without beginning and without end, that it has never been created – not by God or by anybody else. As long as the souls are overwhelmed by maya, or ignorance, they seem to be under the control of God. But the moment they become free of this ignorance, they are not under anyone; the soul becomes its own master. Its very nature is freedom; therefore neither the divine will nor any other will can have anything to do with its true status.

Always remember that Consciousness is not an abstraction, nor is it third person; consciousness is always the first person, always self-consciousness. And self-consciousness is the essence of personality.

The scattered mind is our so-called normal state of mind; ksipta it has been called in Sanskrit, which literally means scattered. Every moment it changes. Not for any two moments does the condition of the mind remain the same: it is now on this object, now on that; continually it is moving.

Now, look, sin in the mind is no sin at all. Sri Ramakrishna You see, all kinds of things rise in the mind, but when you don’t carry them into action, there is no sin.

If we have no desire to possess anything, then perception is just a matter of knowledge. That is called the state of a saskin – a witness, spectator: In that state you are safe.

Find fault with every sense object. Lord Buddha

When your mind has greatly withdrawn from the things of the senses, you will become aware of another mind – not this present mind which is a slave of the senses, but another mind which you might call the slave of God, the mind that is hungry for God.

Just as on a thread all the jewels are strung, all the things in this universe are strung on one divine Being. Bhagvad Gita, 7.7

Actually, there is no world; the world is a product or an accident of the scattered state of mind.

By dwelling upon sense objects a person becomes attached to them; when he becomes attached to a thing he conceives a desire for it. From desire arises anger, and from anger comes confusion of the mind. And from that comes the loss of memory, and from the loss of memory comes the destruction of intelligence, or judgement; and from the destruction of intelligence comes real destruction - destruction of the person. Bhagavad Gita, 2. 62-63.

Do whatever it is your duty to do, and then offer the whole thing to the Lord. Sri Krishna

Svayambhuh means the self-created One. He has so made the senses that they look outside; He made them outward-looking; therefore the senses perceive only external things and not the inner self. But there are some wise persons who saw this inmost Self. How? by having turned their eyes inward, seeking immortality, seeking something that is forever existent. Katha Upnishad

Avrttacaksuh is the important thing – turning your eyes in the opposite direction; your eyes looked out; now you are not allowing them to look out; you turn them back.

Concentration, as the very word implies, is holding the mind at one point. We don’t allow the mind to think of many things simultaneously or in quick succession.

Karma is that thing, good or bad, which ties you down to your relative self.

Vedanta = Veda (Knowledge) + anta (final) means “The final knowledge”. That state of wisdom there is no destruction. Once you gain it, the joy of it will never leave you; it will be forever yours.

Ecstasy is a condition where one transcends one’s normal self.

Morality is the very core of character and is absolutely necessary for spiritual growth.

Sri Krishna did not believe in too much self-discipline, that he would rather people grow naturally, and that he did not believe in formal renunciation. Swami Vivekananda