Today, we embark on a collective journey through the book “What Is As It Is,” a unique work within Prabhuji’s literary corpus. Unlike his other writings, this book emerges not from Prabhuji’s solitary contemplations but as a mosaic of wisdom shared across numerous public dialogues or satsangs.
This compilation transforms oral discourses into the written word, offering us a diverse tapestry of conversations where Prabhuji delves into myriad subjects. I believe this book serves as a portal to the core of Prabhuji’s philosophical explorations.
In our session today, I aim to present an outline of “What Is As It Is,” introducing you to Prabhuji and what I perceive as the quintessence of his spiritual teachings. This book stands as a testament to the breadth and depth of Prabhuji’s insights, reflecting his profound engagement with the existential questions that touch upon the very fabric of our being.
Join me as we explore the realms of thought and spirituality through Prabhuji’s guidance, discovering the essence of what is, unfettered by the confines of conventional perception. Through this exploration, we aim to gain a deeper understanding of the world around us and our place within it, as illuminated by Prabhuji’s teachings.
I will start by reading from the book cover:
What is, as it is” offers a rare opportunity to come in contact with the words of an enlightened master,
who does not declaim recycled knowledge but describes what he sees.”
Engaging with an enlightened master offers a uniquely profound experience, an opportunity as rare as it is transformative. Such encounters extend beyond the master’s physical presence, allowing us to connect with their wisdom and essence through various mediums—be it gazing upon their paintings, delving into their poetry, immersing in their music or lectures, or through the written word. The essence of this connection lies not merely in the acquisition of knowledge but in the fresh and vivacious perspectives the master provides on any subject matter, as though seen for the first time. This novelty imbues each encounter with life, prompting realizations that feel both revelatory and deeply familiar, as if echoing our own unarticulated experiences with astonishing precision and simplicity.
Prabhuji once elucidated four realms of engagement:
The known knowns: things we are aware that we understand.
The known unknowns: aspects we recognize as beyond our grasp.
The unknown unknowns: concepts we don’t realize are missing from our understanding.
The unknown knowns: truths within us that we’ve yet to recognize.
It’s not that the master reveals entirely unfamiliar insights or augments our knowledge base with new information; rather, he reacquaints us with forgotten wisdom, steering our introspection toward self-discovery. This interaction is essentially a mirror reflecting our internal dialogue, fostering a deeper understanding of oneself and life from a broader perspective. The teachings, thus, resonate not only with spiritual seekers but with anyone drawn to ponder the essence of existence beyond mundane routines and desires.
By integrating these teachings into our lives, we’re invited to evolve, elevating our consciousness. For example, gaining clarity on personal motivations can lead to a harmonious alignment of thoughts, feelings, and actions, eventually transcending habitual responses. This process transcends psychological analysis, awakening a deeper self-awareness.
Within the text, Prabhuji ventures into profound discussions on various subjects, from the importance of posture in Hatha Yoga to the intricate relationship between mind and body, the nature of action versus reaction in Karma Yoga, the construction of the ego, and the pursuit of truth and reality. His discourse spans across spiritual practices and philosophical domains, affirming that his ultimate fascination lies with the Truth—unchanging yet manifesting diversely across paths and practices. This wisdom, born of direct realization, introduces us to unfamiliar concepts intended to broaden our understanding.
The book and accompanying discussions aim to demystify Prabhuji’s teachings, supplemented with insights from his writings, lectures, and informal interactions with his monastic followers. This endeavor is not prescriptive but an invitation to personal exploration and discovery, emphasizing that there is no singularly correct interpretation of his teachings. The true measure of engagement lies in the personal transformation that occurs through this connection.
Prabhuji guides us in the practice of “seeing” or “observing,” offering an opportunity to transcend our preconceptions and biases. This journey requires us to shed layers of desires, attachments, and self-images that obscure our view, allowing us to perceive reality as it is. The title of the book itself, “what is as it is,” speaks to this practice of observation as a form of meditation, leading to the recognition of our true nature.
The essence of “is,” a concept so integral to Prabhuji’s teachings, eludes simple definition, residing beyond the confines of memory or prior knowledge. In discussing the essence of “is,” Prabhuji provides a tangible experience, likening it to the indescribable quality of a painting that transcends its physical attributes. This quality represents the constant, unchanging presence in all things, inviting us to question and discover our own “isness.”
By exploring these themes, the book invites readers into a contemplative journey towards understanding and experiencing the fundamental nature of existence, emphasizing the intrinsic value of direct perception over conceptual knowledge.
Prabhuji is writing;
“….Meditation is an observation of what is, as it is, without the influence and interference of the mind. The mind ceases to be the meditator and becomes the meditated, the observed. This is, a serious challenge for many spiritual seekers: how do I cease identifying with the ego, in order to discover what I really am? How do I get liberated from the ego?
You can’t fight against the belief you have about yourself, and reject the ego, or reject yourself, as an ego. You can’t push, kick, or beat yourself up. However, if you observe your reactions, your conclusions, the movement of thoughts and ideas, and your behavioral patterns, at a certain moment you will see a very interesting phenomenon: all that you manage to observe becomes subtle, loses solidity . Every idea, every concept, every conclusion, and every thought you observe, loses its substantiality: it evaporates, disappears. And simultaneously , the subtle gets fortified: the soul, the spirit, consciousness, and observation, are getting solidified -….. What will happen then will be the most marvelous revelation: you evaporate, you become subtle, you lose your solidity . The “I” evaporates, that which was most solid in your life: I want, I don’t want, I like, I don’t like, me, mine. The “I” is what we fear losing more than anything in the world, that which makes us feel threatened, if something, or someone, diminishes it in any way. And in the moment of its disappearance, consciousness is revealed in its full splendor….”
I will continue to read from the book cover:
“…. According to Prabhuji, yoga is “a path that begins and ends in you, from what you think you are to what you really are”
And in the preface of the book Prabhuji is writing:
“The story of my life is nothing more than a long journey, from what I believed myself to be to what I truly am”
I will relate first to this sentence:
“The story of my life is nothing more than a long journey”
Prabhuji’s odyssey commenced at the tender age of eight when he underwent a profound mystical encounter that ignited within him a relentless quest for Truth, sparking an insatiable curiosity about the nature of this transformative revelation. This momentous experience propelled him into a lifelong dedication to delve into its essence, harboring a fervent desire for its recurrence.
In his relentless pursuit, Prabhuji engaged with an array of spiritual traditions, journeyed across continents, and sought the wisdom of distinguished individuals. He interacted with yogis, gurus, monks, philosophers, and rabbis, all in a quest to unravel the essence of his initial mystical insight. Thirty years after what he describes as his “initiation by existence,” a pivotal moment of meditation marked a return to this profound state. Unlike the fleeting nature of his early experiences, this time, the state was enduring, a perpetual condition that Prabhuji identifies with enlightenment.
Prabhuji’s days became a continuous exploration of sacred texts, uncovering novel insights, and articulating his revelations through writings, paintings, poems, and lectures. His enlightenment unveiled the omnipresent essence—Consciousness, Divinity, God, The Self, Truth, Awareness, or Krishna—as the fundamental reality underlying all existence and intrinsic to every being.
Prabhuji’s preference for the term “journey” to describe his spiritual evolution reflects a profound understanding of life and the path of retrogressive inquiry. This perspective serves as a wellspring of inspiration, challenging the common tendency to resist life’s natural rhythm and experiences. Rather than seeking dominion over life to align it with personal desires and aversions, Prabhuji exemplifies an alternative stance: embracing life’s journey as an adventurous exploration, ripe with opportunities for discovery, learning, and personal growth.
This narrative is not merely about a physical voyage but symbolizes a journey of inner metamorphosis—a transition toward an altered state of consciousness. Through Prabhuji’s journey, we are invited to view life not as a series of obstacles to be controlled but as a journey of transformation, where every experience, whether perceived as positive or negative, is a step towards profound self-discovery and spiritual enlightenment.
a point of view because it is, as Prabhuji says:
“From what I believed myself to be to what I truly am”
The process Prabhuji guides us through is one of recognition and revelation, a journey of discovering oneself within oneself. It prompts us to consider the question: How does Prabhuji’s sharing of his insights and experiences benefit us? When Prabhuji is saying:
“yoga is “a path that begins and ends in you, from what you think you are to what you really are”
He indicates to us
and in the preface, He wrote:
from what I believed myself to be to what I truly am.
In sharing his journey, Prabhuji is reflecting on his own path in the past tense, illuminating a journey that is deeply personal yet universally resonant. The exploration of the “ego phenomenon” he presents is a common thread that connects us all. Our perceptions of self, shaped by deeply ingrained beliefs about who we are, begin to form from the moment of our birth. Accepting our names from our parents marks the initial step in this process. As we grow, we continue to assimilate opinions, ideas, and conclusions about ourselves from external influences, constructing the concept of the “ego.” This narrative is not just a recount of Prabhuji’s spiritual exploration but a mirror reflecting the shared human experience of ego formation and identity. From this self-testimony Prabhuji is sharing about Himself:
“from what I believed myself to be to what I truly am”
In this narrative, Prabhuji shares his journey, which is both deeply personal and universally applicable, highlighting the commonality of the “ego phenomenon” across all individuals. The conception of self, or what we perceive ourselves to be, is rooted in a profound belief system established from birth. This system begins to form when we accept our names from our parents and continues to evolve as we absorb opinions, ideas, and conclusions about ourselves from others, thereby constructing the notion of the “ego.”
Prabhuji’s odyssey involved a critical examination of his own beliefs about himself. Rather than altering his essence by adding or subtracting anything, he engaged in a profound inquiry into these beliefs until he unearthed the truth of his own nature. By sharing his journey, Prabhuji not only narrates his personal evolution but also extends an invitation for us to embark on a similar path of self-exploration. He demonstrates that the starting point of his inquiry is the same as ours, essentially conveying the message, “You too can achieve this; it can also happen to you.” This aspect of Prabhuji’s teachings is profoundly significant, serving as a call to question and critically assessing the deeply ingrained beliefs we hold about ourselves.
Jay Prabhuji!