behaving like a jeevanamukta

[MSR]

>
>   Now the question is: Should a non-jiivanmukta talk like a jiivanmukta
>   or not? I will try to answer this question and I request others to
>   say what they feel.
>


vaNakkam - namaami - My Respects to you,

        I don't think by imitating a jeevanamukta one cannot become
one in due  course. Also imitating will lead to hypocrisy
and mediocrity.

        In shrii Nisargadatta Maharaj's book "I am That" , he mentions
in a place that photograph of a candle will not emit light. When I
read "I am that" , I get gems like this. In fact to see the photograph
you need some other source of light.

        I feel you unbecome a jeevana mukta rather than become one. It
is a natural state which you realize by unbecoming. But acting like a
jeevanamukta is trying to become something, it may not work. But
imitating strategy may work within vyavaharika reality. For example: I
was visiting an ashram, where it takes a long time to become a
monk. When you enter they classify you as a brahmachari and it will
take atleast 10-20 years to become a monk ( officially initiated to
monkhood). One of the brahmacharis told me, "I trying to behave like
monk, so that I will become one soon."

I feel that shifting from one level of reality to another level, a
complete paradigm shift may not be possible by imitating.


 I remember a Zen story. I am writing it from my memory hence may not
be accurate. And the story may not be directly related, because
thinking it over and over, I have two three interpretations ( => it
didn't dislodge me).


        There was a Zen master who lifted his index finger as if
showing 1 whenever a question was posed to him. Looking at this one of
his disciple started imitating him. One fine day the master came to
know about this. He summoned the disciple and chopped his finger
off. While the disciple was walking out of the room, master called him
and lifted his finger, as if answering a question. Looking at it,
disciple attained realization.

\aside
        I hope that if the bhakti becomes intense, in that intensity
the difference bhakta-bhakti-bhagavan cannot simply sustain itself and
has to vanish. Bhakta and bhagawan simply disappear and bhakti alones
remains.


--
Ravi