Author: John Richards

Why does everyone want enlightenment yet it’s not even clear what life is like after enlightened beings die and go to Vaikuntha or wherever? What is the advantage of life there vs earth?

Enlightenment is the total dissolution of the wrong belief ‘I am a body’ which caused this skewed perception from which the illusion of experience was born.

Direct experience of removing the body pressure, body knowledge, body relations through true understanding in the same way that you would discard a shirt.

Through meditation the realization that this body from is indeed a tight shirt, which on investigation is seen to grow tighter through wrong concepts and identification. ‘I am a body’.

When this knowledge dawns directly through itself and releases the tension of body pressure through identification with thoughts your formless nature will reflect in being.

You are not body. You are formless. The body and all of the accompanying concepts and experiences are untrue.

Including this ridiculous idea of birth and death.

There is no advantage as this entire experience is completely proved false. Yet while holding the body you are able to be rid of all the concepts which cause fear, distress, worry etc.

You are not body. You are formless. There is nothing except formless You. Be Happy, Happy, Happy. You were not born, you cannot die, you cannot be cut, you cannot be burned, you cannot be destroyed. You are formless.

The body you are using to read these words is your instrument, and the thoughts that are flowing through mind at this moment, when identified with is the only bondage. Even that bondage is illusory.

Jai Sadguru!

How did you become spiritually enlightened? Can everyone do this?

You are formless Presence with belief in being a body form that creates the illusion of experience. You are not body. You are formless. Through identification with the body, which you are not, a world appears with a you in it. The world is in you, you are not in it.

As long as there is identification with being a body with a name and form, their will be confusion. This confusion creates the concept of a spiritual awakening or spiritual journey towards enlightenment.

Enlightenment is the dissolution of this false identification with a body form which has caused the illusion of separation and someone having experiences.

You are not body. You are the formless holder of the body. You are not just holding the body with the name and form which you believe to be you, you are indeed the background supporting or holding the entire manifestation.

You are formless Presence with belief in being a body, creating the illusion of experience, through the concept of duality. The instrument with name and form you are using to read these words is not you.

What is the spiritual idea that the world is one and there is one life?

This is exactly the point at which one must discover for oneself. There are still a great many assumptions in the question that was posed. You are assuming that consciousness is an individual, and although it may appear that way, investigation will reveal that this is not the case.

Again without applying logic the example of dream can be used. Your ‘body’ is laying down, unmoving, the dream is projected when the consciousness touches the sense of existence. A dream world is projected, with many objects and everything within that dream appears to be solid and real whilst you are dreaming. Who is watching this entire dream? When waking up you say I had a good dream or bad dream. Was the body dreaming? It was consciousness, without form. There is only consciousness which projects both the dream and waking world with the perspective of a you in it. Consciousness is formless.

Consciousness has appeared to you. That is why it is rightly said that the concept of birth is the feeling of existence or ‘I am’, and the concept of death is the disappearance of the sense of existence or ‘I am’. The one to whom both of these appear and disappear is prior to the sense of existence as they both have appeared to you.

Nothing you have ever known, seen or done is true as it has appeared within consciousness, which has appeared to you.

You are not body. You are formless. There is nothing except formless you. All body based experiences are illusion, all body based relations are illusion, all body based knowledge and concepts are illusion. You are not body. You are formless.

You must sit quietly and discover this truth for yourself, using the instrument of body and the concept of duality, to discover your non-dual reality.

How did you know when you met your guru, he was the one for you?

I met my Guru first as a sense of Presence, which guided me to itself in the form of Sri Ramakant Maharaj, whose Guru was Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. This Presence in the from of Sri Ramakant Maharaj stated clearly, ‘You are not body, you are formless Presence. The Presence which is speaking in this body, and the Presence which is listening in that body, are one and the same. “ Presence removed both bodies and remained.

If a person touches the state of enlightenment, how will he lead the rest of his life?

Once you realize that you are formless, body-less, birth-less, deathless, eternal outside of the concept of time. Live fearlessly in this form based illusion with the knowledge that you are not body, you were not body and you are not going to remain the body. There is nothing except formless you.

Enjoy, relax, no struggle, no worry, no strife, being fully alive in each moment, then letting that moment go without regret until the body you are using to enter into the form illusion is no longer capable of sustaining your formless Presence.

Some spiritual traditions say that everyone is already enlightened and nothing needs to be done. If this is true, then why are the behaviors of ordinary people or society so vastly different and inconsistent with the qualities of a realized sage?

Formless Presence That you are discards the false belief of being a body and realizes the unreality of the concept of separation. Formless Presence That You Are is always, was always and will always be, formless. The concept of being a form in a world is just an illusion due to the formless Presence identifying with being a body, which you are not, were not, and never could be.

It is due to this belief in being a body in a world that the concepts of enlightenment, birth, death, life appear to you. Once true understanding is directly experienced these false beliefs will be discarded.

According to Advaita Vedanta, is there a real and everlasting you?

You are not body. You are formless. Formless you does not have a beginning or an end, as there is no concept of time. Time came along with the body which you are not. You are prior to every experience, even the experience of existence or ‘I am’. This feeling of ‘I am’ or ‘I exist’ has appeared to That which was there prior to knowing this feeling of existence or ‘I am’. This ‘I am’ has appeared to you. This is called the birth of time. Within this span of time their is the appearance of things, you are not a thing. Things appear due to this knowledge of ‘I exist’ or “I am’, which has appeared to you.

You are not body. You are formless. As this appearance of ‘I am’ or ‘I exist’ is fleeting, everything that is known that has come along with it is illusory in nature. Every thing that is known, everything that is seen, every experience that has ever been registered is absolutely illusion.

When your Presence attached with a body form the consciousness took a snapshot from the perspective of being an object in time and space and from this wrong perspective began interpreting the ‘world’. You are not in the world, the world is within you.

A similar experience occurs within the dream state, a dream world is projected with a you in it. In reality the dream is within you, not you in it. Due to the false impression of being a body form the consciousness which creates the dream world, creates the so-called waking world. Their is only one consciousness which appeared spontaneously with the feeling ‘I exist’ or ‘I am’. As this feeling ‘I am’ is illusory, everything that appeared along with it is illusory.

The one to whom the feeling ‘I exist’ and the spontaneous projections of consciousnesses appeared is the Reality, That You Are.

Where can a person get a meditation mantra for free?

Soham. Breathe in So. Exhale Ham. This is a powerful Mantra. This Mantra is now given to you by Your most Supreme highest Self in one form, to your most Supreme Highest Self in another form, to remind you of your true formless nature. Take this as Absolute Truth. Do not allow the mind to come in and distract you with thoughts of who is this? Is this real? This Mantra is not working. Etc. I the Supreme Self am conveying this Mantra to you the Supreme Self. Know yourself in a real sense. You are not body. You are formless. This Soham Mantra will remind you of your true formless nature, then there can be no separation.

Lately, I’ve been feeling like I’m not the mind or the body. I know this is spiritual development, but I’m 20 years old and no one around me feels like their body is a vessel. Is this normal and where do I go next spiritually?

This ‘I’ which knows it is not the body or the mind, with what does it identify? To whom does the label ‘I’ belong? Who knows this feeling of the body being a vessel? You are the formless holder of the body, from what position is this known?

When this formless holder of the body is identified perfectly there will be no place from which to form questions, as there will be nothing to be known. The formless knowledge which knows the appearance of the seeming form based ‘reality’ spontaneous understanding That You Are.

There is no next, there is no time. Time, next, others, body, world, experience came along with the body, which are not, were not and never could be.

How do I kill my ego for once and for all?

You are not body. You are formless. Ego came along with the body, which you are not. The belief in being a body created the false appearance of separation which allowed the impression that there was an ego. You are not body. You are formless. There is nothing except formless you.

Does one find the truth, or does the truth find the one?

You are the Truth. You need only remove the false. Their are many different paths to this same end, and in the end there is no path as there was only the illusion of the false appearing true.

I am that which watches this, yet I am interested and attached to this. Why is that?

Because the concept of separation has not yet been proved in your own experience as illusion. You are not body. You are formless. There is no experience. The illusion of experience is impressed through the belief in being a body form. This one that watches with interest is watching from the wrong perspective of being a body form in a world. All of the thoughts that are based on body experience and body knowledge are believed to be ‘my thoughts’.

You are not body you are formless. Thoughts dance across the screen of mind and with your wrong identification of being a body form you buy those thoughts. Then the concept of how to get rid of all these thoughts becomes a source of struggle and distraction. Because you believe you are a body form, you desire other forms for the form you take yourself to be. This is attachment.

Attachment will dissolve the moment you realize your true formless nature. You will no longer be carried away, distracted or interested in any thing particular, as you will firmly know you are not a thing.

Even the concept of the observer will dissolve as their will be nothing ‘other’ that requires active observing. The entire form based illusory appearances are completely false and based solely on ignorance of oneself.

Identify yourself perfectly, using body while it is available. You are the formless holder of the body. All body based experience and knowledge is illusion as it appears and disappears within That You Are.

Do “you” lose all fears once you get enlightened?

You are not body. You are formless. Dissolution of the concept of separation due to belief in being a body is labeled ‘enlightenment’. As you have realized your true formless nature, their is no place for fear to rest. Their is no mind created projections that draw attention unnecessarily from passing phenomena. The objects that appear and disappear no longer seem disturbing, as it is fully realized that you are formless. Their is nothing except formless you. With the belief in separation dissolved and proved untrue, there is nothing except You. Who is to fear? What is there to fear? What can possibly effect the formlessness That You Are. Of course if you are not living the ‘enlightenment’ and it is still just an intellectual understanding than fear is certain, and will be justified by all sorts of conceptual nonsense that will need defending.

How did you find your spiritual teacher?

A sense of Presence came through the concept of seeking. A desire to surrender arose from the sense of Presence. The sense of Presence seemed to grow as more attention was paid to That than to anything else. This sense of Presence led this body to another body in which it said “You are not body.” Presence recognizing Presence using objects appearing within Presence.

Why do we say, “I have a body” and not, “I am a body”?

For the same reason you say ‘I have a car’ and not ‘I am my car’. The body is an instrument available for your use, for a limited time, it is not you. You are their prior to taking this body form, and you will be there after the body form can no longer sustain your sense of existence. You are prior to every experience, even the experience ‘I exist’.

What is a spiritual ego? Is it a by-product of more spiritual knowledge?

Ego is ‘I’ as something, rather than everything is ‘I’. The belief in being a body creates the concept of separation. The concept of separation creates the illusion of experiencing. The illusion of experiencing creates the concept of experiences. The concepts of both being a body and I am having experiences creates what we could label as ‘body knowledge’.

This ‘body knowledge’ which appeared to be gathered by the experiencer or ‘I am getting knowledge from this experience’ creates the concept of a ‘spiritual ego’.

No worries, you are not, were not and never could be a body. You are not body. You are formless. Everything that came along with the body which you are not is illusion, as you are not a body. Formless you in which forms appear and disappear has no experience as their is nothing other.

How do I control my wandering mind during meditation? I either fall asleep or my mind deviates to other unnecessary things during meditation.

It is a common misconception that a ‘wandering mind’ somehow disturbs meditation. On the contrary a wandering mind makes meditation that much easier, as you are able to discover your true position effortlessly. You are the witness to whom the wandering mind appears. You are the observer of thoughts across the screen of mind. Therefore it is known that you are outside the process of thinking.

You Are not body. You are formless. Formless you does nothing, as their is nothing that can be done. Enlightenment is the dissolution of the false concept of separation brought about by the belief in being a body form. Once this false layer is removed from the reality, That You Are, there will be only oneness. Their can be no separation in the formless.

Space would be the best comparison if we had to descend into the body based illusion to explain reality. Space cannot be separated. The walls of a building may appear to separate the space in one room, from that of the next. However, this is of course untrue, as in reality the space can not be separate, it pervades everything. You too are the formless reality in which all form appears, plays and then disappears. There is nothing except formless you.

Taking the ownership of actions done by the body that you are not creates the appearance of an egoistic doer of something with the expectation of a resulting outcome. You are not body. You are formless. All body based concepts and body based knowledge came along with the body, which you are not.

How do I distinguish what is me and what is my ego?

Everything that is perceived is not you. You are the perceiver. When everything is left off, discarded, you are there. You are prior to every experience. You are prior to the concept of ego. Nothing that is perceived can be you.

Why is there no “I” after being enlightened? How should I understand that?

There is no ‘I’ as an individual. The ‘I’ appears as many and assumes the position of an individual based on attachment and association with a body. You did not know you existed. A sense of existence was perceived. Wrong identification with a body caused a snapshot to be taken and the wrong point of perceiving began. Yes, you exist, of course. You are prior to every experience, even the experience ‘I exist’. Prior to knowing of your existence, you knew nothing, not even yourself. After knowing this feeling ‘I exist’ you started to know so many things. Identification with a body creates the illusion of experience. You are not body. You are formless. There is nothing except formless you.

How do enlightened people see people and the world? Do they see everything and anything as “one” with them?

You are prior to every experience. You experience this concept of ‘you’. You are not body. You are formless. Due to belief in being a body the illusion of experience is impressed. You are not body. Prior to belief in body you knew nothing, and there was no experience or experiencer. After belief in body you started to know so many things. You are prior to every experience, even the experience of your own existence. Prior to this feeling of existence or ‘I exist’ you were there, as this feeling of existence appeared to you. After this feeling ‘I exist’ came upon you spontaneously a world was projected and you claimed and attached to a body form. This body form allowed you to express this knowing of existence and you said ‘I’. This wrong identification with body form created the subject/object dualistic perceiving point from which a world was perceived, with a ‘you’ in it. You are not body. You are formless. This world of name and form has appeared, will remain for a time, and then disappear all within your true formless nature. There is nothing except formless you.

How do I find a spiritual guru? Is it necessary? Can I attain spirituality alone without a guru?

Guru takes the form of Presence through meditation and concentration. This Presence once felt in meditation, should be ‘worshiped’ with absolute attention, first in the meditation and then in the daily life. When you continue to give your attention more and more to Presence instead of the passing outside things and situations, there will be an expansion. Remain with this Presence. Without having to label it. Without trying to ‘figure it out’. Remain with the sense of Presence, brushing aside anything that tries to distract you from it. Eventually while doing your daily activities you will be immersed in this Presence and the activities will be seen as occurring within this Presence. Just as when you are sick, all of the activities are done in the ‘sick feeling’. Or when you are hungry all of the activities are done within the ‘hungry’ feeling. So to when you are immersed in Presence all of the activities will be done within that Presence. Presence is the Guru, remain at the Guru’s feet. If an external Guru is needed to clear away body related knowledge or concepts, one will manifest while you are immersed in Presence. This path is direct and will lead to Realization.

Many awakened beings note that life is just a game. Every game eventually gets you bored, especially if you are locked in the gaming room for eternity. How do they keep motivation to go on?

Life is a play, not to be taken seriously as it is completely illusion based on a wrong concept of being a body. Due to the concept of being a body the world seemingly appears and you are in it. You are not body. You are formless. The world appears in you, not you in it. Their is no boredom as boredom requires time or repetitive activities. You are not an object in time, you are formless. Every action is spontaneous as their is no actor being created after the fact to place a debit or credit on your account. Their are no days, no things to do, nothing of any sort. Scenes appear, actions are spontaneously done, then the scene disappears. Even this is done within the illusion, just as a dream. You are not body. You are formless. Just as in a dream an entire dream world is projected and populated, so it is with the waking world. Knowing this, how could anything be taken seriously? Enjoy playing in the formlessness That You Are by using the form body until it no longer can sustain the illusion. When the movie is done, leave the theater smiling.

How does one achieve enlightenment?

Stop believing you are a body. Investigate this false foundation from which your perceiving point has created an illusory world. Enlightenment is the recognition that you are not, were not, and never could be a body or any form. You are formless, timeless, spaceless, deathless, birthless. You only know yourself through the body. You are not body. You are formless. The body occurs or has appeared within you. The mind is the key that unlocks the illusory prison. The mind produces thoughts about form and the world of name and form. Once you know yourself in a real sense through the manifestation of Presence, no thought can be about you. Mind will stop the belief in being a body as you are no longer involved or paying attention to body based thoughts. You stop believing you are a body and accept the reality that you are formless. All form is illusion. The knower of this is reality.

Why is our own self-realization and enlightenment the greatest contribution to humanity?

You will cease the illusory struggle with imaginary ‘others’. Your ripple will be stillness. Their will be spontaneous Selfless action, because you will know there is nothing except your Self.

What is the longest you’ve meditated and how long did it take for you to get there?

The better question would be ‘What was it that broke your natural concentration on formless you in which all form appears and disappears? What was so interesting in the passing illusory scene that caused you to get involved and created a belief that you were doing something?’ ‘When did you stop believing the false idea that meditation was something that you do, rather than the background of all doing?’ Asking yourself these questions, will remove the questioner and the idea of meditation. The answer to your question could also be given, the longest that ‘I’ have meditated was only interrupted by the thought of a mediator who appeared and disappeared and was proven by that fact not to be true’.

If you obtain enlightenment, can you then create your reality with the power of your decisions or only get the truth?

Enlightenment is the dissolution of the false concept of separation impressed through the ‘I am a body’ idea. You are not body. You are formless. Formlessness can not effect form, formlessness can use form for a time. Time is created within the formlessness through identification with a body, which you are not. Reality is not created, only illusion is created. Illusion is created through the concept of being a body which impresses the wrong concept of separation. Separation is illusion. Reality can not be separated as it is without any form or attributes. Reality appears to be separated only due to the belief in being a body, which you are not.

Is there a relationship between Kundalini and enlightenment?

Both are concepts that came along with belief in being a body, which you are not. When you believe you are a body, so many concepts appear. You are not body. You are formless. What concept truly apply’s to formless you? Nothing.

What disturbs our inner silence in life?

Silence is the background, everything that appears and disappears does so against the silent stillness. Thoughts, images, ideas, beliefs, concepts are all appearing and disappearing on the background of silence. Deep in the ocean, their are no waves. A Tsunami can be on top, on the surface, the background of the ocean is still and calm. Waves, wind, storms, rain, appear and disappear on the oceans surface. In reality there is no disturbance. The silence is not disturbed, the ocean is not disturbed. Their is no disturbance until the thought comes ‘I am disturbed’.

Where do you go when you need a spiritual push leading to the ultimate awakening?

Presence. When you are inwardly remaining still without giving attention to outward passing things, you can sense this. This Presence is ever so subtle. Once Presence is ‘caught’ within attention it will pull you in. This may not be understood at first. Through meditation and concentration you will feel this subtle Presence. Worship this Presence as God, giving full attention. Even as you go about your daily activities, give effort to remain in contact with this Presence. When Presence is pleased and the feeling is that of expansion, Presence will reveal the Ultimate Awakening.

Who are the most unenlightened people in the world? How would you enlighten them, and with what tools?

You are not body. You are formless. There are no people, just formless you. There is no enlightenment or not enlightened, these are concepts which came along with the body, which you are not. All body based concepts are false. You are not body. you are formless. All body based knowledge is ultimately useless. You are not body. You are formless. The formless holder of the body That You Are is not affected at all by any of the body based experiences. Your belief in being a body causes everything to be seen through the lens of identification with a specific form in a world. All of this occurs within you, not you in it. Discover this truth by removing all of the illusory layers that keep you distracted from your true formless nature. Prior to being, body and world, you did not know yourself. After beingness or Presence has appeared, you started knowing so many things.

How does karma work for someone that is enlightened?

Enlightenment is the dissolution of the concept of separation brought about by the belief in being a body form. You are not body. You are formless. Knowing your true formless nature as it manifests as a sense of Presence on which all form has appeared you are naturally apart from any apparent happenings in the body form world. All form is occurring within That You Are, not you in it. The egoistic sense of being a doer was impressed through the belief in being a body form, which you are not. In your true formless nature you are prior to the mind that is trying to impress that you are a doer, doing good and bad things. You are the formless background, the reality on which the illusory layers appear, play and disappear. Their is no karma for you. Karma is a concept that came along with the body, a body based concept. You are not body. You are formless. Enlightenment is the dissolution of the concept of separation brought about by the belief in being a body form.

What does fear mean spiritually?

Fear is caused by the belief in being a body which can die or deteriorate. You are not body. You are formless. Everything that has been seen is illusion, the seer is formless. The entire world is projected from the wrong perspective of being a body so ‘others’ are seen. Everything that is seen is illusion. The greatest fear comes when the question is asked from the perspective of the egoistic state. ‘Is it then true that nothing I did mattered? Is my life completely meaningless? Nothing of ‘me’ continues?’ These questions cause fear to arise and many to turn back from the ‘void’. Quickly Presence will show that ’This one you believed yourself to be and experienced all of these things and life and such, never was. You have lost nothing. Formless you is all there Is.’ You are not body. You are formless. Everything that you have ever known, experienced or seen has been in this bubble of illusion sustained by the belief in being a body. Which you are not.

Can a homosexual achieve enlightenment?

You are not body. Male and female are attributes of the body, which you are not. The one essence plays in various forms. That same essence is in an ant, dog and human being. That essence is formless, yet can take any shape or form. Enlightenment is the dissolution of the false concept of separation due to the body form being believed as ‘I’. You are the background in which all form appears and disappears, there is no deed, no doer, nothing. Body based concepts and knowledge are completely untrue, as you are not a body, you are formless.

Why do I feel 2 souls in one body?

The answer is within the question. Why do ‘I’ who naturally would be a soul that is identifying two other souls within the same body that this ‘I’ is using. The soul is formless and occupies a body. In the formless state their can be no separation. You can not separate the space in a room. Their can be the appearance of separation (walls/body) but in reality there is no such thing. So this feeling of multiple souls is the feeling of formless Presence that somehow an ‘I’ is feeling. ‘I’ is formless Presence, there is no separate soul. When you say ‘I’ it is Presence taking the position of ‘I’ yet in reality it is not separated. Presence appears to be separate because of the appearance of body. Just like the walls that separate the space in the room. They only appear to separate. In reality there is no separation.

What is the advaitic (non-dualist) response to “if a tree falls in a (remote) forest, does it make a sound?”

You are there prior to every experience. Without your Presence nothing is. You must be there prior to every experience.

What is awareness? What is consciousness? What’s the difference between them?

Awareness can be without consciousness, consciousness cannot be without awareness. Who or What would there be to be aware of consciousness, if there was nothing to which consciousness appeared? Awareness requires consciousness as a vehicle of something other with which to be aware of. Aware of appearances in consciousness, aware of consciousness or the feeling ‘I exist’. Through this awareness ‘I exist’ spontaneously consciousness projects a world, either dream or so called waking, within consciousness that you are aware of.

What is the number one obstacle to enlightenment?

Belief in being a body. Not allowing the dissolution of this false concept, trying to ‘get’ Enlightened and keep the illusory identity with being a body in a world.

Why is it almost impossible for a woman to get enlightened?

Please remove this silly concept. You are not body. You are formless. Gender is for the body which you are not. You are not man or woman, you are formless. You have no color, no shape, no form of any kind, absolutely zero attributes, nothing. You are not body. You are formless. Even this concept of formlessness came along with the body, which you are not. Prior to holding a body form you did not know anything about formlessness as there was nothing except formless you. All concepts came along with the body, which you are not, were not and never could be. Prior to belief in body, you are formless. After leaving the body, you are formless. And in this very moment you are the formless holding a body form, which is not true, as you are formless all of this so called form is appearing within you. Man, woman, enlightenment, all these concepts came along with the body, that you are not.

What is meant by the Taoist quote, “Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know?”

You are not body. You are formless. Once you deeply know your true formless nature you will understand that no one speaks or does anything. Speaking and doing are done by the forms that appear and disappear within the formlessness That You Are. If you believe you are speaking, you are identified with the body, which you are not. The formlessness must use a body form to speak, but you are not body. Taking the touch of being a speaker, rather than knowing speaking is occurring, is ignorance. Ignorance can be removed through proper understanding, ‘I am formless, this body is not me.’

What is learned from the spirituality of everyday life?

Everything comes and goes, except you who are prior to every experience. Nothing remains.