Note: Everything in this post is based on my own observations and experiences. I am not expert in any school of philosophy. Kindly forgive me if I mis-represent something unknowingly.
Advaita:
Once you go through some fair number of scriptures and advaitic interpretations of them. You will be familiar with following concepts:
- Brahman, Atman, Ultimate Bliss, Non-duality, True Self, No Fear, Equilibrium State, Sat-Chit-Ananda, Vairagya, No Desires, Self Illumination, No Doubts, Mind, Subsidence of Mind, Thoughts, Ignorance, Maya, Moksha, Turiya, Fourth One, Sleep, Deep Sleep, Waking State, Conciousness, Infinite Conciousness, Ego, I, I-ness, Right Attitude, Dispassion, Non-attachment, Action, Actionlessness ..... so on so forth
Reading scriptures will let you know that few things exist and we are extremely lucky even to know that they exist because this information directly comes from the experiences of great masters who have reached the states of perfection and equilibrium. As said by great saint Yogananda Paramahansa "Read less, Meditate more and Experience bliss all the time". He is indicating that, reading should be limited and secondary, whereas personal experience is the foremost in spiritual upliftment. We should find out ways to practically experience the concepts that are mentioned in our ancient scriptures. Before that it is extremely important to have faith in these scriptures. Without unconditional faith in something, there is no initiation. For example: baby trusts it's mother, feels safe in her hands and then mother gives it extreme care and makes it a successful being. Similarly the case with scriptures, scriptures are like mother, keep faith in her and she will nourish you spiritually. It is said and I personally have experience that, while you read these scriptures with extreme faith, reader can experience the concepts then and there. For example: when Advaitic scripture talks about non-duality by giving different analogies and talks about unlimited potential that you possess as a true self, it makes you experience the concept by programming your mind by giving different convincing analogies and examples. You can experience extreme bliss and peace for a limited time till mind again traps you in it's web of thoughts.
Question is how to retain this experience 24/7 ? My answer to this is to find ways in our life to practice by changing or following few little things that we do in our day to day life. Let me tell you few examples:
Concept: "Attachment causes sorrow, non-attachment frees you from material sorrows". -------- Attachment to material things results in sorrows, because this world is constantly changing and everything is ephemeral. The thing that you get attached to will not be forever with you, someday, sometime it will go away, then your mind starts punishing you by trapping you in a deadly web of poisonous thoughts disabling you completely with the feeling of losing something badly. Why should we experience this sorrow unnecessarily? We are of nature "ultimate bliss (sat-chit-ananda)", this sorrow doesn't belong to us. Did we ask for this sorrow? Why should we experience something that we don't ask for? Practicing non-attachment is the only way to free ourself from this sorrow.
Concept: "Personal self - ego = Supreme Self, that means losing your ego will lead to liberation and you will become ever aware of your supreme Self"
Question is how to retain this experience 24/7 ? My answer to this is to find ways in our life to practice by changing or following few little things that we do in our day to day life. Let me tell you few examples:
Concept: "Attachment causes sorrow, non-attachment frees you from material sorrows". -------- Attachment to material things results in sorrows, because this world is constantly changing and everything is ephemeral. The thing that you get attached to will not be forever with you, someday, sometime it will go away, then your mind starts punishing you by trapping you in a deadly web of poisonous thoughts disabling you completely with the feeling of losing something badly. Why should we experience this sorrow unnecessarily? We are of nature "ultimate bliss (sat-chit-ananda)", this sorrow doesn't belong to us. Did we ask for this sorrow? Why should we experience something that we don't ask for? Practicing non-attachment is the only way to free ourself from this sorrow.
- Practical Technique: "Whenever there is opportunity, give away one thing that you like the most currently, or fancy the most, and that which by giving away doesn't affect your life drastically". --- This practice will slowly train the mind to not getting attached to little material things and helps you to not unnecessarily getting troubled when it goes away. Eventually, you will develop an attitude where you will not be troubled even when you experience biggest loses in life. You will stay strong like a mountain that stands still even when there is rain, wind, lightning etc. Currently we lack this attitude and sad thing is that in a single day we go through so much of fluctuations in emotions and get disturbed every other minute with a feeling of "losing or lost" something. Do we deserve to get this punishment without any reason? Do not allow the mind to trouble you.
Concept: "Duality doesn't exists. Everything is one. Non-duality is the ultimate truth -- Advaita Vedanta"
- Practical Technique: "Whenever you come across great adversities, recollect the fact that everything is one. Non-duality is only real" --- Just by remembering this and reasoning about this, you will see immediate improvement in your mental condition and you will gain immense confidence. This confidence will give you new outlook and show you the way to handle your current situation. This works amazingly well like a lightening bolt. You just need to close your eyes and imagine yourself as one with this universe and experience that you are nothing but the supreme Self. There is nothing in this world that can affect you, all the adversities are for the mind and the body, not for you. You are the whole and infinite and pure consciousness. When you meditate on this, within seconds you will be freed from your sorrows and all the mental bondage that holds you. Let me tell you a small application where we can use this technique very often. Many-a-times we meet people and spend time with them, but when we go away from them, we sometimes feel bad and then we start to miss them very badly. That mental condition is horrible, doesn't let you do anything. Then we should meditate on the supreme Self, just tap in to your inner consciousness and then tap into infinite consciousness with the help of your own thoughts. When you expand your horizons from "me" and "mine" to "everything" and "everyone", you no longer feel lonely and you will not miss anyone, because the sense of completeness will make you realize that you are not different from the person you are missing badly. You are part of same consciousness.
Concept: "Personal self - ego = Supreme Self, that means losing your ego will lead to liberation and you will become ever aware of your supreme Self"
- Practical Technique: "Become a biggest critic of yourself" --- When you become biggest critic of yourself, there no way others can hurt your ego by insulting you. Your ego becomes very thin, but it will not disappear. Again here I am only talking about one dimension of ego. Saying "this is mine" is also an ego, and to avoid/minimize this ego we have discussed the first concept above.
