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Main Index
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HAVING RENOUNCED THE BODY AND THE UNIVERSE, NOW THRU THE SKILL OF YOUR TEACHING I SEE ONLY GOD.
"JUST AS WAVES, FOAM, AND BUBBLES ARE NOT OTHER THAN WATER, SO IS THIS UNIVERSE EMANATING FROM THE ATMA NOT OTHER THAN ATMA.
"JUST AS CLOTH WHEN ANALYZED IS NOTHING BUT THREAD, THIS WORLD WHEN ANALYZED IS NOTHING BUT ATMA.
"JUST AS SUGAR PRODUCED FROM SUGARCANE JUICE IS WHOLLY PERVADED BY IT, THE UNIVERSE PRODUCED FROM ME IS PERMEATED BY ME THROUGH AND THROUGH.
"FROM IGNORANCE OF THE ATMA THE WORLD APPEARS, FROM KNOWING ATMA IT DOES NOT APPEAR. FROM IGNORANCE OF THE ROPE A SNAKE APPEARS, FROM KNOWING THE ROPE IT DOES NOT APPEAR."
In darkness like a sudden flash of light, or like a blind man suddenly seeing -- this is what happened to Janak. He saw what he had never seen before. He heard what he had never heard before. His heart was filled with a new rhythm, a new zest. His spirit had a new vision. Certainly Janak was ready and available.
When it rains on mountains, mountains remain empty, because they are already full. When it rains on lakes, the empty lakes fill up.
One who is empty is available, the filled are unavailable.
Ego makes one stone like. Egolessness gives one spaciousness, emptiness.
Janak must have been an empty vessel. Wonder, awe immediately arose. He heard the call and was awakened. The call was hardly given when he heard. The shadow of the whip was enough: there was no need to crack it, and no question at all of whipping.
Ashtavakra is very fortunate in having such a worthy listener as Janak.
There is no other master in all of human history that has been as fortunate as Ashtavakra. It is very rare to find a disciple like Janak -- who awakens with just the slightest hint, as if he was just waiting, as if a small puff of wind was enough to break his sleep. The sleep was not deep, not loaded with many dreams, just about to break. The pre-dawn had arrived, dawn was fast approaching.
There is a story in the Buddhist Jataka Tales that when Buddha was enlightened he remained silent for seven days. Buddha thought, "Those who will understand me, will understand me without my speaking
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