Judgment

The Genetics of Suffering

One of the great powers of your mind is to judge, to discern, and in the relative sense, use this powerful movement of your mind to make informed decisions based on your perspective about what you perceive to be right versus wrong. It is a natural power of your mind that enables you to navigate through the great illusion known as the world. Survival is simply not possible without this force of nature deeply engrained in your physical form. The mind is fundamentally wired for survival—it is genetic. The ego combined with the mind is the neurological and biological construct that enables you to survive. Ego is simply essential for survival. But is survival the nature of suffering? Does survival have anything to do with suffering? Is survival and the power of judgment a form of bondage?

Often the fear of applying the teaching of Ramana is based on the primal fear of death. Ramana’s teaching represents a counterintuitive movement into the core of your being that moves in direct opposition to the natural biological drive for survival or the movement outward toward the world. The teaching annihilates the deep feeling of the you that you think you are. The teaching of Ramana simply represents an annihilation of your ego—it is a permanent end to any idea you might have about who you are. Naturally this can evoke a sense of fear and foreboding. Annihilate me? How does this help me in anyway?

Simply—the teaching of does nothing to help you or the sense and deep feeling of ‘me’ that you feel intimately is your core identity. The teaching annihilates this me. It annihilates any sense or feeling of specialness associated with your ego or feeling ‘me’ in your body. Ramana’s teaching has nothing to do with human empowerment or thinking positively or even the mindfulness practice prevalent in Buddhism—it is the annihilation of the mind, doer, thinker, questioner, and meditator. It represents the ultimate humbling of the egoic mind. Ramana’s teaching simply is a ruthless unwavering annihilation of the ‘me’ that you deeply feel you are—this is the fundamental nature of liberation from the karmic wheel of suffering.

Basically, me is ego and ego is me. Liberation from the suffering nature of mind is the permanent annihilation of this deep sense and feeling of any identity associated with the biological form of your body. Ego cannot exist in the context of the turiya state or the forth state of consciousness—pure bliss. Ego does not exist in the turiyatita state or the state ‘beyond the forth,’ which is the state beyond the experience-er—literally there is no one to experience or do anything in this state. The stateless state of turiyatita is liberation from the karmic wheel, which is also known as nirvana or the pure omniscience of God. This annihilation is the dramatic and permanent end to eons of suffering, birth, and death.

Simply, no feeling or sense of ‘me’ can exist in either the turiya or turiyatita states of consciousness. It is the feeling of ‘me’ that judges everything and anything. This root identity is cause of any and all judgment. You can judge yourself, someone else, and your circumstances based on your own limited point of view, which is deeply rooted in the sense and feeling of ‘me’ in your body. Judgment in all of its forms is a powerful movement of mind to be right. It is the movement of mind to protect yourself, your point of view, and ultimately provides you with some sense of control.

The natural state of the ‘me’ or ego is judgment. The ego is constantly assessing and judging its situation in the context of living in what is perceived to be a physical world. It naturally does this to survive, but we all know that judgment in its many varied forms can be painful, can cause hurt feelings, and lead to accusations, fights, and even war.

Judgment is ego. It is the source of all ideas of right and wrong as well as the perception of ‘me’ and ‘you.’ The war with yourself and the war with other cannot exist without the ego. Liberation is the annihilation of this ‘me’ as well as the other—it is a sudden and dramatic shift in consciousness. It is the great remembrance that there is only one—no other. This is the essence of Advaita Vedanta.

So is judgment bondage? Is survival suffering? No. It is simply a biological aspect of the human body—but is this who you are? No. The body is simply not who you are.

The end of judgment is the annihilation of the judge—this is the nature of the pure bliss of being—no one to judge or to be judged.

This is the nature of liberation—the heart is the only reality beyond all ideas of heart and reality.

This is the bliss beyond all ideas of ‘me’ and other—even beyond all ideas of bliss.

This bliss is eternal; liberation beyond all ideas of liberation.

It is freedom beyond all ideas of freedom.

Tat Sat

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