Living Every Moment: Pointers for Self-Realization

“We are all looking for peace, but it eludes us because we believe that it comes from an external source. In reality, the peace is within us. It is the birthright of every living being to recognize the Self. Once is enough, and then It can never be forgotten. You must observe the mind’s agitation, and expose the ego that makes you suffer; it is the main obstacle on your path. Set aside the burden of the “me” that you are carrying around, and see what happens. Start living in the present moment with total awareness. No matter where you are, who you are or the kind of situation you are in, you can feel the presence of the Supreme Being in you, for It is everywhere.”

In his early childhood, Swami ShashwatJi used to sit in meditation and repeat the name of Lord Rama. At the age of fourteen, he left his home to travel all over India, living for many years in forests and on the banks of holy rivers. Since 2013, he welcomes spiritual seekers from all over the world in a small cottage in Rishikesh, where meditation and satsang take place every evening.

In his first book, Swamiji addresses the reader as if the latter is sitting by his side, his “dear one”. Every paragraph, each sentence, hammers the tiny “me” that believes it knows everything. Swamiji's direct teachings of non-duality (Advaita Vedanta) remind us of grand masters like RamanaMaharshi or NisargadattaMaharaj. As opposed to most spiritual books, often influenced by the author’s acquired intellectual knowledge, Swamiji's words are of unique freshness. He delivers a truly authentic and firsthand testimony, without referring to anything but the present moment, in which everything is already available. After reading his words, all we have to do is keep quiet, listen to the sacred Silence, and recognize that eternal Bliss which we are, in which everything happens, spontaneously and effortlessly.