The Wisdom Fire

The Wisdom Fire by Sri Swami Sivananda 
This tree of samsara has been destroyed,
To its very root by the wisdom fire.
I felt the hidden pulse of the vast unseen, I dived into the infinite sea of the unknown, I have cut the asunder the tangled web of life. I emerged from the snare of maya, mind and senses, I have developed the matchless jnana vision.
In the absolute there is neither ‘was’ nor ‘is’ nor ‘will be,’ But there is the throbbing of the one voice of eternity. I have banished all differentiation of ‘I’ ‘thou’ ‘he,’ It is all now a homogenous wisdom essence.
Under the guidance of Swami Sivananda we study Vedanta philosophy, propagated by Sri Adi Sankaracharya. What is Vedanta? It is literally translated as ‘highest knowledge.’ Veda = scriptures or knowledge and anta = highest. When we speak of the highest knowledge we are talking about gaining the knowledge that will make us completely content with ourselves. We are all coming and going, undergoing constant change, we are human beings, but what are we in truth? Truth is something that never undergoes any change; the essential nature of myself never comes and goes. I need to recognise the fact that ‘ I am that.’ The universe is but names and forms; apparent manifestations, if we think of the ocean and waves, if we remove the names of ocean and waves only water remains. So what is left when I remove my own name and form? Studying Vedanta can bring us to really understand the nature of the universe and ourselves. Not knowing about ourselves causes suffering, we are veiled by ignorance. We are essentially looking for happiness everywhere, we search because it is our nature but we are searching in all the wrong places, like the Musk Deer running here and there trying to find the musk it can smell when all along it is inside. It didn’t need to search anywhere. By studying Vedanta we can come to the conclusion that happiness lies not in external objects but lies within. We need to transcend our suffering by understanding the truth about ourselves and become free from our limitations. What we think we are we are not, our individuality is false. Within Vedanta there is no problem, the only obstacle is my own thinking about myself.
Looking forward to seeing you all on the mat soon
om om shanti om