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 ALWAYS, ALREADY SO!

Real spiritual teachings do not give us anything anew. They only make us aware of a fact

that we are not currently aware of—a fact of always, already so. Yatha ̄rtha avabho ̄dhane̒—to cognize as such, as is, in our own experience the essential reality, the truth of our

 being, our true nature. And this beingpresenceexperience is within the reach of every

human being. That !" exist# and that !" am aware that " exist# is a universal experience

that can never be negated or denied. This self, the perceiver$experiencer of everything is

the %rahman, the &ltimate Reality' Ayam a ̄tma ̄ brahma

sarva ̄nubhuhuh' Br  ḥadaranyaka Upani ad s  (.).*+.

 hat needs to be cognized  in our own experience, anubhava-

That'

*. The Reality is ne, without a second.

(. /ince Reality is ne, without a second, " am That Reality'Tat Tvam Asi 

This is the teaching.

This fact has to be realized in one#s own experience. This alone is the sa ̄dhana ̄, spiritual

practice. "t is not an intellectual or academic exercise.

0owever, this understanding cannot be gotten by reading a book—howsoever hard and

long one may try1 "t has to be pointed out by a teacher, facetoface, who

has cognized  this fact in his$her own experience and lives this truth. "t is with the

utmost 2ivine 3race that one comes across such a teacher.

Rumi has put it succinctly'

Whoever enters the way without a guide…

Will take a hundred years to travel a two-day journey.

This is true even of learning of practical matters in our daytoday life. ould you go to

a surgeon who learned surgery on its own by reading a book- 0ow much more so when

 we are dealing with sub4ectmatter that is subtlest of the subtlest' /elfknowledge.

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 hen through the operation of 2ivine 3race one comes face to face with such a teacher,

one needs genuine humility to surrender the false so that one learns the Truth at the feet

of the master. There is no other way1

 And when such a realized teacher points out the fact that we are already what we areseeking, we come to realize, for the first time, the wisdom behind /ri Ramana

5ahar  ṣhi6s words'

There is no greater mystery than the following: Ourselves being the

 Reality, we seek to gain Reality. We think there is something hiding our

 Reality, and that it must be destroyed before the Reality is gained. That is

ridiulous. ! day will dawn when you will yourself laugh at your "ast

efforts. That whih will be on the day you laugh is also #$R$ and %OW.

5ay the 2ivinity reveal itself within our own hearts1