Consciousness Speaks

by Ramesh S. Balsekar

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Is spiritual understanding something apart from daily living? Not according to Ramesh S Balsekar's teaching. He says, ‘Spiritual understanding brings with it a wonderful sense of harmony, a lack of tension and a sense of freedom in daily living.’

All there is, is Consciousness. If that is understood completely, deeply, intuitively, then you need read no further. Put the book down and go on joyously with the rest of your life. ... Embodied herein is not the Truth, the Truth cannot be held between the covers of a book. What we have here are pointers, sign posts, guides; each in a slightly different language describing, perhaps, slightly different routes, but all meant to indicate the same destination ... Right Here, Right Now."" These words introduce transcriptions of conversations with Ramesh Balsekar. For those who seek.

Passage from the book:

That is correct. Karma means action. Karma means causality. It has nothing to do with the individual doer, the individual entity because there is no individual entity as the doer.

Q: Are you saying that the whole theory that people who do good works come back to a good rebirth and those who do bad things come back to a lower birth is false?

What you are saying is karma is based on people who do good deeds. What I am saying is good deeds can only happen, just as bad deeds also happen. Whose? Good deeds happen through particular body mind mechanisms and bad deeds happen through certain body-mind organisms. Both good deeds and bad deeds together form the functioning of Totality at that moment. It is only the human being who says, “good deeds, bad deeds.” All are deeds performed, in this life and living by Consciousness, through body-mind organisms according to their natural characteristics.

A psychopath has not chosen to be a psychopath. Who has created the psychopath? He is part of the creation of the Totality of manifestation. There is a lovely poem by Omar Khayam. He speaks of an imperfect pot saying, “People reject me because I am odd shaped. Did the hand of the potter shake when he made me?” Did the psychopath choose to be a psychopath? Did the saint choose to be a saint?

About the Author:

Ramesh S. Balsekar is a disciple of the late Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, a renowned Advaita master. From early childhood, Balsekar was drawn to Advaita, a nondual teaching, particularly the teachings of Ramana Maharshi and Wei Wu Wei. Ramesh has written over 20 books, and discusses the Indian philosophy of Advaita daily in Bombay, with visitors from around the world. The basic concept is that "all there is, is Consciousness"; all actions are happenings, the functioning of the Primal Energy, and not the doing by anyone. Ramesh frames the concepts in the context of daily living, speaking from his experience as a bank president and a family man.

Review:

"Ramesh has written more than a dozen books. Each one is worth reading. In talking to fans of Ramesh, I have found that very often a single book resonates most strongly for a given individual. For some it has been Sin and Guilt, for others A Duet of one, and for other individuals it has been one of the other titles. For me, it was Consciousness Speaks that somehow opened my mind and heart to the full appreciation of this wonderful teacher. The brief introduction by Wayne Liquorman sets the tone for the book. In fact, I believe that reading the eight-page introduction is worth the entire price of the book, and in this seed is contained the wholeness of the teaching. Although Ramesh is a brilliant and skillful writer, I believe he is at his best when teaching and responding to questions from seekers. This book uses the question and answer format and that is why I believe it is his most effective book, and certainly it has been his most popular book at our bookstore. When my sons became interested in Ramesh, it was this book that I provided for them to read first.

The book is very comprehensive, covering all subjects, including mind, intellect, emotions, biology, creation, etc. All the answers are straightforward and simple. Ramesh pulls no punches and allows the knowledge to flow through him, as the title of the book suggests. This is a book to be cherished and read over and over again." - Len Oppenheim