poonjaji (papaji) (photo from wikipedia by aki)
poonjaji (13 oct 1910 โ 6 sep 1997) also lovingly called as “papaji” was born in india.ย poonja ji was a disciple of ramana maharshiย and nephew of swami rama tirtha. he was a popular spiritual teacher during nineties. in his teachings he gave emphasis to devotion andย self inquiry meditation technique taught by ramana maharshi.
although poonjaji denied being part of any formal tradition, he is considered by many to be a teacher of the advaita vedanta and bhakti tradition. after osho left his body, many of his disciple went to lucknow to be with poonjaji. many of poonjaji disciples later became teacher and starting conducting satsang and meditation session. few of his well known students are mooji, ganga mira, andrew cohen and david godman.ย david godman has written many books on poonjaji life and teachings.
papa ji or poonja ji quotes and sayings:
1. stillness of mind comes from giving up all attachments except that attachment to self.
2. self is what gives breath to life. you need not search for It, it is Here. you are that through which you would search. you are what you are looking for! and that is all it is.
3. you have to be very careful, to be vigilant, to see what is coming from the mind, and to see the happiness that is coming from the self.
4.ย you are the unchangeable awareness in which all activity takes place.
5. that ocean of eternal peace is you. what is the difficulty that we suffer from? it is that we seek peace elsewhere and do not experience that we are peace incarnate itself.
6. your purpose is to find out who you are. find this out. know who you are.
7. thoughts are impediments to seeing your own face. donโt give rise to any thought, and discover who you are.
8. now is the time to have a direct introduction to this moment. this moment is free of time, of mind, of any notions… introduce yourself to this moment.
9. who is journeying for freedom? the one who is already free. just get rid of the concept, “i am the body, separate from the source.” you return to what you always were.
10.ย see everything with eyes full of love.
11. look within, there is no difference between yourself, self and guru.
you are always free.
there is no teacher, there is no student, there is no teaching.
when the mind is quiet, all is self.
12. there is a never-ending cycle of birth and death. what is birth and what is death? they are desire. this never-ending cycle is fuelled by desire, the desire to enjoy sense objects in a body. when desire ceases, this cycle also ceases. this apparently endless cycle of birth and death ends with the cessation of desire. it is not only birth and death that end. when desire ceases, the universe itself ceases. it is as if it never existed. that’s how it is.
13. don’t go to the past. the past is a problem, the past is mind. when you go to the past all will be problems so don’t go to the past. the mind is the past and the past is a graveyard. don’t go the graveyard.
14. what is purification of the mind? no thought. this thought-less mind, sattvic mind, no mind, can be called consciousness itself. self itself.
15. you have to decide right now to be free once and for all. everyone who has found freedom in this lifetime has had to make this decision.
16. your first priority is the question “who am I?” once you haveย discovered that, you will know the real nature of all the other things and people that you see. first start with this question “who am i?”
17. to abandon this one ‘I” thought is liberation; to cling to it is bondage. one is easy, other one is difficult. this is your choice and you have to make your choice this instant.
18. you have to simply become aware of the movement of the mind, which begins this endless trouble.
19. abide as the self and do your duties in the world without being attached to them in any way.
20. let there be peace and love among all beings of the universe.
21. mind can be the enemy and mind can also be the friend. it is the mind that binds and it is the mind that liberates. when the mind is attached to objects, which are transitory and impermanent, this is the mind that binds. this is the mind that is an enemy. but a mind that does not abide anywhere, on any object, is a mind that is your friend. this is the mind that liberates. it all depends on you, on what kind of company you keep in your mind.
22. mind can destroy you, but mind can also be of great help. there is a tremendous power in the mind, a power that you can make use of. when the mind is at rest, it gives us peace. but when it is restless, it creates all this samsara, this suffering, this hell. a peaceful mind brings heaven down to earth. it brings peace everywhere. in that state, wherever you walk, that place will be heaven. this is the mind.
23. the self will only accept, consume and totally destroy a mind that is completely free of vasanas (desires).
24. you may be doing many things in the world, but if there is no attachment to the outcome, to the objects of action, you remain free.
25.ย when the doer is not there, one is not responsible for one’s actions. no karma is formed in this state. this is no mind. you can work very well without this mind.
26. reality is that which always exists and never changes.
27. mind is nothing but thought. you can’t separate thought itself from the mind.
28. when mind moves the world arises, so be still, throw away everything, and be free.
29.ย the guru, the master helps everywhere.
30. when one abides as the self, some divine power takes charge of one’s life. all actions then take place spontaneously, and are performed very efficiently, without any mental effort or activity.
31. self is what you are. you are that fathomlessness in which experience and concepts appear. self is the moment that has no coming or going. it is the heart, atman, emptiness. it shines to itself, by itself, in Itself.
32. the self alone can give you happiness. all happiness is from the self. all trouble, sorrow and suffering is from the mind.
33. when a desire arises in the mind, there arises with it an intention to enjoy sense objects. when this happens you are involved in their enjoyment. the mind works through the senses; the senses move out to objects that they can enjoy. all these things manifest once desire and intention arise. your intention makes the mind the agent for the various enjoyments it indulges in. in the middle of all this is the ego, the enjoyer of all the objects that are being pursued and enjoyed. if the ego remains still, mind itself does not arise. it does not cause any trouble. It will not abide anywhere, and with no place to abide, it will return to its source, to the place of no-mind. in that place there will be no mind.
34. discover your true identity and you will see that you were never separate. you have always been consciousness itself.
35. what is the existence of a bubble in the ocean?
36. make sure that no desire arises and you will be so immaculately beautiful – so perfectly pure and spotless – that everything will be instantaneously unfolded before you. then this beauty will hug beauty itself.
37. when we use the word “I”, there is ego. then there is the mind, then there is a body, then there are senses, then there are sense objects, and then all manifestation arises.
38. simply sit down, keep quiet. keep quiet for one moment. this is the moment you need, this is the moment of rest. keep quiet for a moment without going to the past and you will find relaxation.
39. there is no difference between thought and mind. thought arises from mindย and mind is merely a bundle of thoughts. without thoughts there is no mind.ย what is mind? ‘I’ is mind. mind is past, it is clinging to past, present and future.ย it is clinging to time, clinging to objects. this is called mind. now, where doesย the mind arise from? when the ‘I’ rises, mind rises, senses rise, the world rises.ย now, find out where the ‘I’ rises from and then tell me if you are not quiet.
40. to know the truth and the truth alone, to know consciousness and consciousness alone; this is satsang.