A TEACHING BY SWAMI PRABHAVANANDA

“What is the true nature of man?  Sat-chit-ananda-Brahman.  Pure consciousness.  Life eternal.  Abiding love.  And infinite joy.  That is your true nature, your Atman, which is one with Brahman.

“Now in this connection, let me point out that there are two kinds of truth.  One kind of truth is that which we realize by the five senses, perceive by the five senses, my sense of hearing, my sense of touch, my sense of vision, and so forth; I see this universe of name and form.  Then again from what I sense and perceive, I get certain data out of them and from such data I can come to an inference, a conclusion, which also would be the truth, if my logic is correct.  Now, this is known as scientific or empirical knowledge.

“There’s another kind of truth which is known as transcendental vision, and which is called also yogic knowledge, yogic realization, yogic experience.  And he who attains this knowledge--and what does that mean?--when he can abide in his true nature, when he realizes his true nature is sat-chit-ananda-brahman, then it is that he has attained the purpose, the fulfilment of human birth and human life.

“Now again, the Atman/Brahman that is within each one of us is never affected by anything, by our actions, by our thoughts, by our deeds.  In other words, you are always, forever, your Brahman, nothing else. 
 
“As my master (Swami Brahmananda) said, he sees Brahman in so many masks, the mask of a thief, the mask of a lustful man, the mask of a saint, but it is all Brahman, one reality.  And that is why a great seer who has attained that knowledge never hates anybody.  He has love for everybody, because he loves the reality of God within himself, and he sees that same God everywhere.”--From “Eight Limbs of Yoga” by Swami Prabhavananda, recorded in 1971.