Q: In other words, is it because of my
immaturity that I am not able to feel peace in the presence of swamiji?
AS: Don't make this kind of judgement
about yourself. Don't think that you are not mature. If you hold onto this kind
of thought, this will be a hindrance to your realization, because the truth is
already within you.
Q: But Swamiji just said that if a person
were mature, he would be able to feel peace in the presence of a realized soul.
AS: Maturity and immaturity belong to the
mind. You are not the mind, you are already the Self.
Q: Are there differences in the degree of
realization of the Self? For example, Ramana was widely acclaimed as a Sadguru.
Is your understanding the same as Ramana's?
AS: You see a big lamp before you. Your
own lamp is unlit. So you bring your lamp to the lamp which is already burning.
And when you go away from that lamp, you have your own lamp, your own light.
Wherever you go, from that point on, the light is with you. The state of jnana
is the same for all. Anyone who realizes the Self is in the same state of
peace, which is beyond the mind.
Though the experience of the Self is the
same in all cases, it is true that some jnanis end up helping a lot of people,
whereas others, who are equally enlightened, may help fewer people. Some jnanis
do not teach at all. The live ordinary lives and are rarely, if ever, recognized
for what they really are.
Water can be in a well or it can be in a
lake. It is the same water, but one source can quench more thirsts than the other.
A small map can light up a room, whereas a big one can light up a whole street.
Bhagavan was one of those blazing lights that could light up a huge area. He
guided and brought light to many people.
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