One of the tasks that my wife Ranjana and I feel guided to fullfill is to help those who want to Self-Realise. We have been given this gift from God to share it with our brothers and sisters. Like the parable in the bible, Jesus tells the story of the rich man who gave his three servants his property to oversee, each according to his ability. When he came back and checked their accounts, he found that two of the servants had doubled what he gave them, but the third servant buried it. The rich man was disappointed with the third servant and took whatever he gave him, to the first servant who had increased his wealth. The parable is about improving on whatever abilities we have been given. It is said that, “To whom much is given, much is expected”.
“For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required,” Luke 12:48 in the King James Version.
Human Birth on Planet Earth
The planet Earth is the ‘Garden of Eden’, where we can realise the Truth.
Below are some excerpts from “Conversations with Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba” by Dr John S Hislop.
There is life throughout the Universe. To God, the universe is one. Rebirth can never be in other regions of the universe. Always, rebirth is on Earth…
The expression of life on Earth is upward through the human to the divine. By virtue of human birth, the next step is the full realisation of the Divine. Human life is sacred and must be appreciated as having the highest value…
Only on Earth may this take place. In no other planet or region throughout the indescribable vastness of the universe does this opportunity exist. It is unique and limited to this Earth…
All life may aspire to human birth, but only through human birth may God be realised.
From the above information, it is understood that human birth is God’s grace.
Purpose of Life
The purpose of life is to Realise the SELF. So, what does Self-Realisation mean? It simply means to know who we truly are.
Brahman is the Absolute Truth, from THAT came Love. From that Love arose creation, the entire Universe. We are all part of this Universe that exists in all three levels. The physical, the subtle and the causal level. We are all part of that one creation, and therefore we are all ‘embodiments of Love’. Most of us have forgotten the Truth, that we are love. We see differences in race, religion and gender. Instead of loving one another, we have descended into conflict with each other.
When you realise the Truth that you are love, would you hurt one another? Will your left arm hurt your right arm? You won’t because they are both part of you. The question is, how do you go about finding the Truth.
Pathways to God
There are many ways of doing this. However, there are four main paths of yoga (union to God), namely:
The Path of Wisdom (Jnana Yoga)
This path is the path of self-enquiry. The sage Ramana Maharshi advocated this path. Here you would enquire of your reality. Who am I? Am I this body? You decide what is true, or false. This is a difficult path. You are questioning everything, your awareness, yourself, and your mind.
For others, it may be through Music and Devotion (Bakthi Yoga)
You can sing Christian hymns that appeal to you. Your focus could be the love for Jesus that deepens as you continue with this discipline. You can also sing songs that you associate with love, not worldly love, but unconditional love and feel the love grow within yourself.
You could also sing bhajans, or kirtans with the name, or form of God of your choice. This has the same effect of deepening your love for that name, or form. Remember that the chosen name, or form of God is the carrier energy, which will take you to God.
For still others, it may be through Service to Humanity (Karma Yoga)
Some people find that in helping others, they get a lot of joy. They have no agenda, just the joy of serving others. In the process they start having experiences of oneness.
The Path of Meditation (Raja Yoga)
The Truth is within you, so go within. One way, would be to focus your attention on your heart chakra (the subtle force of energy in the sternum area of your chest), also known as the spiritual heart. The best time is between 3 30 am to 5 30 am. Start of by sitting on your bed, or on a chair. If you are able to sit with your legs folded, do that. You can use a name and form of your choice (Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Rama etc.) and visualise that in your heart chakra and hold this image for as long as you can. You can also just focus on your breath, breathing in and breathing out. Make sure that you are meditating around the same time and the same place. This is to allow the energy to build up and create a place of peace for you. Initially, you will be challenged by your mind. You will have all kinds of excuses to stop your meditation. You will start having pains, or aches in various parts of your body. You will also feel your face, or body beginning to itch. Witness it, and it will slowly go away. Start with 5 or 10 minutes and slowly increase it to 30 to 60 minutes over the weeks and months, if you can. Everything will slowly settle down. You may notice fear rising. There is nothing to be afraid of. The space within your heart chakra is also the residence of God, Guide, or Guru. Always ask within if you have any questions and wait. Be patient. You might start having certain experiences. Ask within if you don’t understand it. The force within will support your spiritual journey. You have to be disciplined, persevere and don’t give up.
Another way is to follow the path of detachment. You can find out more about this path at https://liberatingtouch.com/detachment/
For most people, it might be a combination of all four paths, which is the way, my wife Ranjana and I have been guided to go.
In the early 80’s, I experienced being taken to the Anandamaya Kosha and experienced the presence of God, who was my guide, supporting me through the whole experience. I was taken to a place of consciousness which was brighter then a billion suns. There are no words to describe the experience. I experienced that, I am in the light, the light is within me and I am the light.
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Eddie Appoo is a spiritual teacher and author dedicated to guiding others on their journey of Self-Realisation. He embarked on a journey of spiritual exploration from a young age and had his first glimpse of Self-Realisation in the early 1980s. In 1992, Eddie experienced himself as Atma (One with God) guided by his spiritual master Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Alongside his wife, he co-created LiberatingTouch®, a spiritual development system. Eddie’s teachings and writings, including “Detachment: The Secret to Infinite Peace,” reflect his dedication to sharing joy and facilitating spiritual progression.