Self- Realization (Lecture Excerpt)

Man is alienated from himself. He has become that which he is not and that creates confusion. This confusion is the biggest hurdle to his spiritual growth.

Before he begins his struggle to realize God, he must first realize himself.

When man realizes his own self, he will automatically find a way to realize the paramtattva – Supreme Reality. That experience will drive him to realize paramānand – Divine Bliss. But you have to prepare yourself for Divine Bliss.

The problem is that man leads two lives – an external life and an internal life. Compared to what he does in his external life, he does three times more activity in his inner life. As such, his real life is his inner life. Every moment, you have to choose, make a decision. Generally, this decision is taken by your mind. Until you realize the difference between the mind and the self, there will be continual conflict between the two. This is why self-realization is so important.