Eye of the Needle
https://youtu.be/QFZzuqhfhVM?si=uLTO7F0-OP_UtF1y
( Ramana in Repose)
Eye of the Needle
We can only glimpse the spiritual truth about the nature of the universe by listening to those who have awakened from illusion - the Buddhas. In this tradition, any being who has recognized the unreality of phenomena is considered a Buddha. One such being was Jesus, who proclaimed that the kingdom of God lies within. His words point to the same realization: truth comes from within, not from external authorities. Worship of a dualistic god, dependence on preachers, or even reliance on science all remain external constructs. And because they are impermanent, they belong to the realm of illusion.
History, too, shows us that the Buddhas of liberation do not look outside themselves. The art requires cultivating natural conditions in the body that allow detachment to emerge. One such condition is a satvic way of eating, practiced without expectation. Yet, organized religion has often promoted tamsic foods such as meat - food heavy with the fear and attachment of the animal. In consuming it, the eater absorbs that attachment, reinforcing outward dependencies. This allows the preacher class to exploit devotion for profit and power. Ironically, it is this very greed for wealth and dominance that keeps them bound.
Jesus warned of this bondage when he declared that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for the wealthy to gain liberation from attachment. What can pass through the “needle’s eye,” however, is satva - the Buddha mind, pure and without attributes. In contrast, consider Ramana Maharshi, who lived with little more than a loincloth and a brass pot yet carried within him a power beyond comprehension. For Ramana, the universe itself was an appearance holding absolute emptiness. In his Buddha mind there is no universe – only silence.
A person entangled in wealth carries a heavy load, not just of material possessions, but of attachment to those many objects. This burden is further exacerbated by the unending need to fulfill increasing desires, which constantly generates more attachments and weighs the person down. The critical truth, therefore, is that it is not the material objects themselves that prevent passage through the metaphorical eye of the needle, but rather the attachment to these objects - the mental baggage that the person carries.
This can be contrasted with a Buddha, the awakened being, who will easily pass through the eye of the needle precisely because nothing clings to their Buddha mind. Material objects, as products of causation, can only exist in an impermanent, ever-changing world of cause and effect. Because of this inherent impermanence, objects are ultimately illusory - only that which possesses permanence is truly real (Brahman or TAO). The awakened mind (the Buddha mind) never changes; it has no beginning and no end, and is thus absolutely empty of conditioned existence, making it light and free.
Today, however, most of humanity consumes food that binds them to attachment. Elon Musk, for instance, has spoken of beginning his mornings with steak and eggs - foods that intensify attachment rather than dissolve it. And while he may dream of conquering space, he lacks even the power to heal his own attachment to the universe that weighs him down.
This problem was recognized long ago. More than two thousand years ago, Lord Krishna remarked that out of one million people, only one might have heard of satva; and of a million who have heard, only one will truly realize it. Such is the rarity of satvic realization, for few understand the sacred dimension of food and its role in dissolving bondage.
Ramana Maharshi emphasized this very point: food is sacred, and a satvic diet is among the highest practices for loosening attachment. Once this truth is grasped, no elaborate teaching is required. Techniques like breath control, meditation on deities, mantra repetition, extreme fasting, or complex rituals are at best temporary aids. They may quiet the mind for a while, but they cannot eliminate the mind’s root attachments. Only the steady cultivation of satva can.
Sri Nisargadatta spoke directly to this when he said that remembering what is essential is the secret of realization. Satvic awareness in the digestion is always there – no need for any effort as we all must eat. You come to it through earnestness. Just live your life as it comes, but alertly, watchfully, allowing everything to happen as it happens, doing the natural things the natural way, without expectation. Burdens come only from false identifications. In truth, nothing is wrong - attachment is the spoiler.
In context to the attachment to name and form, Harilal Poonja related the following Sufi parable.
In one of the great ancient courts everyone was waiting, according to rank, for the king to enter. In came a plain, shabby dressed man who took a seat above everybody else. The prime minister requested the newcomer to identify himself.
"Are you a minister?'
"No, more than that" was the man's reply
"Are you a king?"
"Greater than all kings, I am" said the man
"Are you God?"
"I am above that also" replied the man
The prime minister retorted "There is nothing above God"
Which brought the reply "That nothing is me"
You can read more in the book Sacred Holistic Health.
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