Ramesh Balsekar - The One in the Mirror

THE ONE IN THE MIRROR

First published in India in 2004 by

Yogi Impressions Books Pvt. Ltd.

1711, Centre 1, World Trade Centre,

Cuffe Parade, Mumbai 400 005, India.

Website:

First Edition, September 2004

Fifth reprint, January 2013

Copyright 2004 by Ramesh Balsekar

Cover concept and design by Shivdutt Sharma

All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, or transmitted in any form, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other, without written permission from the publisher.

Contents

Foreword

I remember that evening vividly. It was during the seminar in December 2003, that we were relaxing on the terrace of the Rockholm Hotel overlooking Kovalam beach. The sun was low on the horizon, behind Ramesh, its rays scattering jewels on the sea.

Ramesh told me that for some time now, he had been writing small passages which came to him spontaneously. These had accumulated and could now be compiled into a book. I loved the idea of such a book. One you could pick up any time, turn to any page at random to read a couple of passages, and then put it down to let their meaning sink in. In this age of information overload, it was a brilliant way of conveying the teaching.

You will find no chapters in this book, as we have endeavored to retain the spontaneity of the writings as they happened in an unbroken wholeness, as it were. These reflections are from a man who has had an illustrious yet simple life as a family man, bank president, a leading Advaita sage loved by people across the world, and a prolific author of over 20 books. At 87 years of age, I could think of no one better qualified to present these gems of understanding to guide us on our lifes journey.

The basic concept of Rameshs teaching that there is only One Source pervades the entire book. No one is a doer but, rather, all actions are happenings ordained by this One Source. As Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda wrote: When did smoke learn to fly?

Rameshs guru, Nisargadatta Maharaj, said, The same mirror that shows you the world as it is, will also show you your own face. May this book serve as a polishing cloth.

Gautam Sachdeva

August, 2004

Preface

The mirror as an object of divine intervention is timeless. Its efficacy is delightfully recounted in the ancient myth of Shinto Japan:

Terrified by the violent acts of her brother, the beautiful sun-goddess, Amaterasu, recoiled into a heavenly rock dwelling. As darkness descended, the universe was threatened by an inevitable end. Faced with calamity, the counsel of gods advised that a mirror be placed opposite the entrance of the cave. A simple but ingenious plan.

The forlorn Amaterasu, amazed and enticed by a fleeting glimpse of her own magnificence, gently stepped forth. When light was restored to the world, the gods rejoiced and stretched behind the sun-goddess a rope of straw, called a shimenawa. And though Amaterasu may retreat each night into a restful sleep, the shimenawa ensures that she does not disappear forever

What, one might ask, is the relevance of this story to a book of reflections?

A reflection is none other than a mirror, a plane of wisdom in which we can at last truly see ourselves. Imbued with pure, spontaneous insight, this book sparkles with a luminosity that beckons us out of our dark and solitary confinement into renewed vistas of eternal light. A light that is peace, a light that is harmony

Protected within the bounds of an invisible shimenawa, amidst fields of meditative contemplation, we are free to meander with the innocence and careless abandon of youth. Knowing that we shall never be lost again. Guided by the silence of sunshine. Reflections mirrored in the flow of life.

Anjali

August, 2004

Purpose Of Life

The purpose of life is to watch life happening. I can watch life happening only if I am anchored in peace and harmony from moment to moment. I can be anchored in peace only when I am not uncomfortable either with myself or with others. I am not uncomfortable only when I do not hate anyone, either myself or the other. I do not hate anyone only when I am able to accept totally that events happen, deeds are done, but there never has been an individual doer of any deed.

Transformation

Any deep understanding, any transformation, can happen only in a still mind, only in that alert and yet passive mind in which there is no blaming, no condemning, no conflict, no resistance. In such a state of mind, one is simply confronted with what-is, which is precisely what is supposed to be according to the Cosmic Law.

Harmony

In the end, all happiness can be reduced to three words: me, the other, and the relationship between the two. If the relationship is harmonious, there is happiness. If the relationship is unharmonious, happiness is absent.

The One Source

The Source can only be One the Unmanifest Unicity transforming into the multiple manifestation. It is this impersonal energy, functioning through the human psychosomatic apparatus, which generates the original thought leading to individual action. This is considered by the separate entity as his action. Thus, the whole process of the individual entity with volition, considering himself the doer, is in fact the activity of this impersonal primal energy.

As the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam puts it:

With the Earths first Clay They did the

Last Mans knead,

And then of the Last Harvest sowd the Seed:

Yea, the first morning of Creation wrote

What the Last Dawn of reckoning shall read.

This Impersonal Energy is the one source of all the opposites in the manifestation, beginning with male and female. From the human perspective, the cosmic drama appears as a play between the inter-dependent polaric opposites of every conceivable kind.

As the Tao Te Ching says:

Under heaven,

all can see beauty as beauty

only because there is ugliness.

All can know good as good

only because there is evil.

I Am

The Source does not need to be aware of Itself. Awareness happens I Am as the Impersonal Awareness in manifestation. When the I Am identifies itself with an object, the personal awareness arises as an individual object.

Conf lict No More

Living ones life involves a series of happenings in which an awareness of the me as a separate entity really does not exist. The me becomes conscious of itself only when there is conflict. Until then, so long as everything is moving smoothly without any frustration, without any contradiction, there is no consciousness of oneself in action. I am aware of myself and my problem only when I am blocked by something that the other has done which has affected me adversely.