The Light That Enlightens

By Rudra Shivananda

rudrashivanandainlilleoru

Rudra Shivananda

Spiritual practitioners sometimes wonder what it is that is happening when they pursue their sadhana since their true nature is unchangeable and is beyond all actions. What is the effect of their hard work on that which cannot be affected? Why is there a need to persevere in the spiritual practice in order to realize one’s true identity when we are already That and only need to remember?

Verse 15 of the Ishavasya Upanishad gives a precise answer:

Reality is covered by a golden lid 

The practitioner of Truth beholds That;

When unconditioned light removes it.

This verse describes the penultimate state before final realization, liberation and union with the absolute. It is the summit of our spiritual practice. As we strive to realize our true nature, we practice spiritual meditations to remove the karmic conditionings of our
minds so that we can attain the higher consciousnesses which are beyond the normal sensory mental equipment.

However, even in higher consciousness, we are operating in the realm of phenomena, that is, conditioned existence due to the causal chain of duality. The light of the supermind is still a reflected light that is trapped in the object-subject duality of the manifested universe. There is a barrier that is characterized as a cloud of golden light that envelopes the manifested universe and separates it from the unconditioned and un-manifest absolute reality – paramatma.

Even when we are merged with the manifest light, we are not able to penetrate this barrier. Only when we have removed the most subtle of traces of karma and its potential arising that the unconditioned Light within us is revealed. This is the Light that enlightens for It dissolved the golden barrier that hides our true nature.

Om Tat Sat!