The Tavern of the Mystic

“Come to the mystic, then, and sit with him when you are tired of all these other remedies that you have employed in vain; come take a glass of wine with him. The mystic wine is the inner absorption, which removes all the worries, troubles and cares of the physical and mental planes. All these are now done away with forever. It is the mystic who is truly at rest. It is he who experiences that perfect happiness which others do not experience. It is he who teaches the way to attain that infinite peace and joy which are the original heritage of man's soul.” Hazrat Inayat Khan

 

In the tavern of the mystic, a magical wine is served: I took but one sip and experienced the ecstasy of heaven. Now I am a shameless drunkard of the Heart, lost forever in surrender as a river is lost in the sea.

Poor addict that I am, I crave only that wine of total inner absorption: nothing else can ever satisfy me. People may scorn and mock me for always being drunk  – I care not! Lost in the Heart, how can anything of this world affect me ? In my father’s tavern, my intoxication is my protection, my joy knows no bounds.

“Abandon the drama of the world and seek the Self within. Stay within and I will protect you, ensuring that no harm befalls you. Seek my grace within the Heart. I will drive away the darkness and show you the light. This is my responsibility. Like the children of an emperor, my devotees are heirs to abundant rejoicing.!” Sri Ramana Maharishi,Padmalai, 

Now the days of my life flow gently and joyfully: whatever needs to happen  happens, whatever needs to be done gets done. Glad gratitude fills my heart to overflowing; drunk with love, all suffering disappears.

In the tavern of the mystic, I sit and I drink and I sing:

“Thou art my All in All, O Lord!-the Life of my life, the Essence of essence;
In the three worlds I have none else but Thee to call my own.
Thou art my peace, my joy, my hope; Thou my support, my wealth, my glory;
Thou my wisdom and my strength.
Thou art my home, my place of rest; my dearest friend, my next of kin;
My present and my future, Thou; my heaven and my salvation.
Thou art my scriptures, my commandments; Thou art my ever gracious Guru;
Thou the Spring of my boundless bliss.
Thou art the Way, and Thou the Goal; Thou the Adorable One, O Lord!
Thou art the Mother tender-hearted; Thou the chastising Father;
Thou the Creator and Protector; Thou the Helmsman who dost steer
My craft across the sea of life.” 
Favorite hymn of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

Shatter the Pot

 “Dissolve the self in the supreme Self as the pot-space is dissolved in infinite space; then, as the infinite, be silent for ever, oh sage!” – Adhyatma Upanishad

The space contained in an empty clay pot is never separate from the space outside it, which is  the vast space that contains the whole universe.

In the same way, the core of every living creature is never separate from the Self, the divine perfection that underlies and pervades all that exists.

The delusion of separation is the only problem – this is the primordial ignorance that traps one in the great illusion of samsara that is the realm of suffering.

Shatter the pot! This is all it takes to be free.

“To the seer, all things have verily become the Self: what delusion, what sorrow, can there be for him who beholds that oneness? “– Isa Upanishad

Once you have shattered the illusion that is the ego, the Self is revealed in all its glory; you disappear - inside and outside there is only the One, transcendent, divine, blissful. 

This is enlightenment, to discover your true nature and union with the Self. All suffering ends when the illusion ends.

You are no longer a small, separate and limited individual – you are universal and divine. Being one with all that exists, you can truly love and cherish everything. 

Established firmly in existence-consciousness-bliss, nothing more is needed: there is perfect, joyous peace. 

“The Self that is subtler than the subtle and greater than the great is seated in the heart of every creature. One who is free from desire sees the glory of the self through the tranquillity of the mind and senses and becomes absolved from grief.” – Katha Upanishad

Dazzled by your identification with the body, you let the mind and senses run outwards in the world, as dictated by desire or fear.

Be still and break free from this false identity; return to the formless state. Without form, there is no desire or aversion. Thus one returns to the tranquility of original being which is your true nature.

Just turn all your attention inwards and seek your source. Hold fast to this source.This is enough. 

Become Love

 “Only when Self, the truth of love, is known, will the knot of all the  problems in life be severed. Only when the pinnacle of love (the supreme love or para-bhakti) is attained can even liberation be said to be attained. Love is verily the heart of all religions” Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi.

How much love is in your heart?

Let it be as vast and pure as the sky and as deep and full as the sea.

Love with every fibre of your being in total surrender to the Beloved.

Like a drop  falling into the ocean, lose yourself in that joy!

Love is the greatest of all treasures – nothing else can compare.

Love is the real, the true, the absolute value that is the ground of all things.

Love is the eternal, deathless, divine perfection at the heart of all that exists.

Love is your source and your very being, the secret in you that makes you precious.

In the cave of the heart, a lotus bud awaits the spring of your awakening.

Love totally, unconditionally, hold nothing back!

Crack yourself open like a walnut: let that feeling explode

And fill the boundless expanse of  bliss that you truly are!

How can words describe what it is to drink deep of this love?

Only the true lover understands its infinite power and grace.

Once you taste such celestial nectar, nothing else will ever satisfy you.

Become this love and you will discover its radiance everywhere.

Mother Anandamayi Ma