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“If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mk 8:34).

 

“You can give up various possessions. If, instead, you give up, ‘I’ and ‘mine,’ you give them all up in one stroke and lose the very seed of possession.” Ramana Maharishi

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In stillness and silence, through the process of self-emptying, the Self not identifying itself with the body-mind structure, realizes itself as pure consciousness, pure being, and pure bliss. 

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As human beings we all seek to put an end to suffering and look for ways to find lasting happiness and peace. Religions, cultures, and various schools of psychology offer varied and manifold ways to find happiness and peace. But the question still remains as most of the avenues for peace and happiness is “caused.” Often times, happiness and peace appear and disappear depending on the changing circumstances. As Ramana Maharishi rightly pointed out, “What appears and disappears can never be real.” The same holds true with caused happiness and peace that appears and disappears. Constant change is a fundamental characteristic of the material reality, mind, and body. Is there an unchanging underlying reality which is constant and never changes? In my experience of impermanence I wonder if there is anything that is permanent. It is possible that we can become aware of and realize that source which is the foundation and source of uncaused happiness and peace; the source that is within us – in the cave of our hearts. 

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