Dear Friend,

Find lasting joy and
the spark of life that
you felt as a child

If you want to know the secret Wisdom that catapulted Sages like Christ, Buddha, Lao Tsu, Moses and Sankara into a state of indescribable Freedom and Bliss, then read on, because this Wisdom was actually meant for you. It is easy to understand and to experience directly.

Because it was lost and then rediscovered again and again throughout history, this Wisdom has always seemed mysterious and hard for most of us to comprehend. Thankfully, we now have freedom of speech and religion. Now we can speak plainly without having to cloak our words in parables and other mysterious symbols.

This Wisdom is for you if you are curious; if you wish to know what these great sages experienced and most important if you want to have direct experience of their ultimate freedom and happiness yourself; if you want to look at life afresh and see your life change in ways that you never imagined possible. This great treasure can turn your life into freedom and happiness.

This Wisdom is for you if you want to see results that take you to the very core of your Being. We feel that, if this knowledge is valid, it has to be fun to live by and it has to bring more wisdom and happiness into your life. If you want to explore the far reaches of your mind so that you can discover a universal harmony that is vast and blissful, then this Knowledge is for you.

Finally, this wisdom is not religious. Rather, it is a knowledge taken from many different traditions, both eastern and western. It shows in a simple, sparkling and logical way, how your can discover the very fabric of life itself.

In order to give you a taste of this delicious Wisdom we will look into two famous quotes, so highly regarded that they often appear above the archways of universities and libraries. We are going to show how hidden in these quotes is a Wisdom that can change your life forever. Indeed we are going to provide a key that unlocks the very depth of these quotes.

OK, lets get started with our exploration.

Luke 17:21

Heaven is the place of happiness and peace, isn't it? It is a place that is so full that there is no room for boredom, anxiety or depression; so full that by joy all other desires seem at the most to be in a distant second place. Here is the place where you really want to be, where you can really RIP (rest in Peace).

But if you are not one to take this statement on faith, and I hope you are not, how can happiness be within? I can hear your doubt now: "I don't necessarily feel happy when I look inside. All I feel is a mind racing with all sorts of problems and worries, and a body that seems to age more every day. This doesn't seem like heaven to me."

If misery was your essential nature then you could relax, be at peace, and say, "Yes, now I am miserable - now I feel right at home". But, even if you feel that there is no way out of your sorrows, could you really say, "I'm so happy being miserable, I just love suffering"? The good news is that there is a way out.

How can you verify that this "Kingdom of Heaven" is indeed your very self

This is a tall order you might say. To find:

a place of joy and peace so full that you need nothing else

a place that makes the whole world sparkle in a way that you never imagined

a place where self esteem comes from deep inside

a place where you can finally be at ease whether alone or with people

How can you experience this place of Happiness anyway?

Our joyous answer is this. If you want this heaven within you, just look right to where you are. That's right. Did you know that there is a gold mine right at your feet. Without moving one inch you can find this place of Wisdom and Bliss. Don't try to manufacture this state. Just find out what is right here now and you will have more than enough light and wisdom to support your life.

We are so busy looking to things in the world to provide our happiness that few people ever look to the source of happiness, the place where they actually experience it.

For example, when you finally build the house of your dreams, and everything is cleaned up, at that point you look at your new house with a sense of great satisfaction. Where do you feel this happiness? Surely you don't feel it at the upstairs bathroom, in the master bedroom, or in the shiny new windows.

Similarly, when you get married, you don't feel the happiness in your spouse's face or in his or her hair. That place where you actually feel happiness, the sense of peace and fulfillment - that is the Source of happiness - The Kingdom of Heaven within you.

But what should I do with my thoughts

Let your thoughts be like a river - Just let the good ones and the bad ones flow on through. This state of bliss that comes from the inside is powerful and real enough so that you don't have to do anything with your thoughts.

You don't have to get rid of the bad thoughts or try to think the good ones. People who are constantly trying to manipulate or control their thoughts have never taken a direct unbiased look to see what the source of happiness is anyway. When you look right into your own heart, the source, you will know that your thoughts or lack of thoughts could never produce the happiness you wanted anyway. So stop struggling with your mind and drink directly from the well, the actual place where you experience happiness.

Another little secret, your thoughts can't take away your sense of happiness and peace either.

Before these thoughts ever came to your attention, this peace was there; when they arose, your peace was there; when they seemed to snatch away your happiness, your peace was there, and when they dissolved back into the place where they came from, this peace remained. If you gave your thoughts the power to take away your happiness, you should know that you can let your happiness return to its rightful place.

When things go wrong, can I still be happy

Once you get a sense of where happiness comes from, then explore this: when the house burns down or the spouse goes away, is there a place of peace inside that's so deep and so steady that it doesn't go away?

Now I know when your house gets destroyed you won't be jumping for joy. However, there is a place underneath the emotions like the depth of the ocean, which is still and at peace - no matter how big the storm above.

Living from this place of happiness is finding an alive center that cannot be shaken no matter what the ups and downs of life may bring.

Living from this place, the mind naturally tends to release back into its natural state - a state of peace and happiness.

Swami Dyananda used to tell this story:

One day two acquaintances got on a train to take a long trip across the country. As a matter of fact, the trip was so long that it would take three days and three nights. So they decided to share a room. One of these men was a very rich man and the other was a thief. When the thief entered the room, the rich man was counting his money. The thief then went to wash up and when he got back the rich man was fast asleep.

The thief tore the room apart, but could not find the money. The next morning when the thief woke up, he saw the rich man again counting his money. On the second night the same thing happened. The thief was getting more exhausted as he searched harder and harder. By the time the third morning rolled around, the thief was so exhausted and so frustrated that he blurted out: "Where did you keep your money!" — The rich man answered,"Under your pillow".

In the same manner, we are so busy in our attempt to find lasting happiness in the world that we never look under our own pillows - to the very Source of our experience of happiness.

So look for happiness right where you experience it and you will find that it is uncaused. Being uncaused, nothing can snatch it away from you. When you find this happiness you will know for sure that the Kingdom of Heaven is within you. Are you getting a sense of what we are talking about?

Here's another well-known statement, found engraved on the face of many buildings:

But you should rightly ask: "This is a nice statement but how can it affect my life anyway?". We feel this is the most important question, because no matter how wonderful these great proclamations sound, if they can't be the insight that changes your life, they are worthless.

You are a curious person, right. You like to ask the obvious questions. How can Knowledge itself set you free? Generally if you want to accomplish something it takes more than just knowledge.

For instance, building a house. If you wish to build your own house you must first gain the knowledge and the skill necessary to construct it — then you must buy the land and the materials. Finally, you have to put in the labor to construct it.

Or if you want to go to San Francisco. First you have to learn the way - then you have to get a means of transportation. Finally, you have to make the trip. So it takes a lot more than knowledge to accomplish anything in life - right!

What if you were busy planning your house, clearing the land for the foundation and buying the materials. As you were sweating away chopping down trees and pouring concrete, someone came up to you and whispered in your ear, "Hey, this is just a dream. You are already in your house sleeping in your bed." At that point you woke up and there it was — your house was complete.

Or you drove into the gas station to ask for directions to San Francisco and the attendant said, "What, you already are in San Francisco!"

Then the knowledge alone would complete your house or your trip to San Francisco. What would be your distance from San Francisco - Just the ignorance of where you are. This ignorance is a very interesting creature. Once you discover this ignorance, how long does it take you to gain knowledge?

In an instant you learn that you are in San Francisco - in that instant you arrive in San Francisco. Similarly, if the Kingdom of Heaven is already inside you: if you are already free, if you just overlooked your true nature - then Knowledge alone will set you free.

As the sun shines by its own nature without any outside light - so, by your own nature, you shine in freedom. You do not need a second thing to find this freedom. Now using this statement, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free", as a pointer look to the source of your own freedom. We think you will be amazed at what you find when in Wisdom you gaze right into the source, and find your own innate freedom.

I remember asking my teacher a barrage of questions about our science lesson. Exasperated, my teacher said, "Michael your mind moves too fast". Naturally, I looked to see if my mind was moving too fast. To my amazement I couldn't find my mind - just a depth of peace and joy that I couldn't even fathom.

It took me about three decades of searching and studying to discover what I experienced at that moment.

Finally, I stopped all of my studies and took the advice of my teachers and the very scriptures that I read. If someone points to the moon don't look at their finger — look where the finger points, the moon; don't look at the words- look where they point; I went diving into my very core.

This is where the real value of my meditations started to shine. I had a chance to experience the life changing effects of this wisdom at my job in Santa Clara, California about fifteen years ago.

I worked in the pre-press department of a medium size print shop. This shop was very busy and I had lots of detailed work and I had very little time to do it. As usual I was panicked, rushing around making mistakes.

Then the Vedantic quote, "Our real nature is happiness", flashed through my mind. "Why", I thought: "if it's true that happiness is really inside, can't I be happy even now while I am working?".

This question struck a chord within me. My view of life expanded and I started to enjoy my work, not because the work changed, but because the place where I was doing it from changed. I no longer had to wait for quitting time or the weekend, to
be happy.

This was my first experience where my meditations had a direct effect on my life. From that point on, my life started to change on many fronts. My relationships with people changed. My ability to learn improved because I no longer believed the thought "I can't". Moreover, these changes were easy, not the result of a great struggle and years of effort.

I found that a little change in my view of life, and my view of myself, made a large difference in my experience of life. Changing in deep and surprising ways, I found Freedom inside that is unfathomable and makes life fresh and new.

Standing at the center, I feel that at their very core, others are the same as me, not my enemy. I can relax and in that relaxation I can enjoy what is really here.

I would like nothing more than to see you, like the Sages of old, find this freedom and happiness. I would love to see you get all of your questions answered, wake up, and join this wonderful party.

You and I are the same.
What I have done is surely possible for all.
You are the Self
now and can never be anything else.
Throw your worries to the wind,
turn within and find Peace.

Sri Ramana Maharshi
Thus Spake Ramana
by Swami Rajeswarananda
© Sri Ramanasramam

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