When 'Buddha' was asked why he left his vast kingdom, lovely wife and dear child, to lead an ascetic life, he replied like this. " If, birth, growth, disease, old age and death were not there; if the sad demise of kith and kin, near and dear were not there; if everything in the world was not impermanent, I would not have left my palace at all." Lord BUDDHA S statement is applicable for each and every one of us who aspire for 'Self-Realization', 'Peace-Inherent' (Sahaja Samadhi) and 'Liberation-in-Life'. 'BUDDHA' went in search of the cause of human suffering and finally got enlightenment. Self-Realization or Spiritual Enlightenment is the only remedy for all the ills of human suffering. 'EGO' creates the phenomenal world through the body, mind, intellect complex, the five sense organs (Eyes-Ears-Nose-Skin and Tongue), and the five primal elements (Ether-Air-Water-Fire and Earth). 'EGO' is the root cause of all human suffering. If one can cast away 'EGO'(Ahamkara) by 'Aathma -Vichaara' or 'Self-Inquiry', it will disappear altogether, being non-existent, along with the phenomenal world. Without ever leaving our family, friends, kith and kin, we can very easily attain 'Buddha hood' by simply paying attention to our own SELF' ('I'-CONSCIOUSNESS- 'AATHMA'-'BRAHMA'-or 'GOD') which is nothing but "Truth-Being-Existence-Consciousness and Bliss"). A true ascetic is not one who renounces his possessions, but one who renounces the possessor -the ego. Ego perpetuates the mind, the mind creates matter through sense organs and by renouncing ego, the material world become spontaneously nonexistent. Then what remains is that eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent and transcendental reality of "TRUTH-BEING-EXISTENCE-CONSCIOUSNESS and BLISS" (GOD). The elusive ego disappears when there is 'Self-Inquiry' in the form of 'Who am I? . That will result in self knowledge or Buddha hood. Hence 'Self-Realization' is the only means for transcending human suffering inflicted by the fleeting and transitory 'PHENOMENAL' world. Let us start our voyage, through the fathomless ocean of consciousness, boarding the boat of 'Self-Realization', towards the pathless land of 'Sahaja Samadhi' (Peace-Inherent)and 'Liberation-in-Life'.
Dr. Gopinathan Maranchery embarked upon his pilgrim voyage through the spiritual ocean of 'Adhyaathma Raamaayana', during his adolescent days. He was deeply inspired and moved by "Complete works of Swami Vivekananda" in his youth hood days. Mysteries of life, death and the miserable life in between were always puzzling him during these days. When graduated in 'Physics' he got a glimpse of the merging points of 'Physics', 'Metaphysics' and 'Spirituality'. During his medical school days, one of his friends gave him a copy of "Talks with Ramana Maharshi"- the spiritual encyclopaedia for the seekers of 'Self-Realization', 'Sahaja-Samadhi' (Peace-Inherent) and 'Liberation-in-Life'. Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi's own words like: 1. 'SELF' cannot be found in books; you have to find it for yourself in your 'SELF' (Truth-Being-Existence-Consciousness and Bliss); 2. 'There is nothing more to be learnt, discussed or concluded - Everybody knows 'I' AM; 3. 'Eventually all that one has learnt, will have to be forgotten'; 4. 'Self-Inquiry'-Who am I?- and 'Self-Surrender' are the only means for 'Self-Realization', 'Sahaja-Samadhi' and 'Liberation-in-Life'; 5. 'I am the 'I' in you; you and I have never been apart, nor ever can be; virtually sent shock waves of 'Realization', just like a thunderbolt through the dark recesses of the innermost core of his 'BEING'; resulting in the dawn of 'Spiritual Enlightenment'. Later in his middle forties when he got 'initiation' into 'SreeVidya'- the pinnacle of 'Brahma Vidya'- he was reaching the culmination of his spiritual journey.
