Before Thought, Beyond Birth

Upon hearing such nectar-like speech, the intellect—even that of a mere mortal—is uplifted to realize the Absolute Reality (Brahman). [...] *Shri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram...* Glory be to the Lord, the Embodiment of Truth, Consciousness, and Bliss (Satchidananda)! Among the many methods of spiritual practice (Sadhana) within Sanatan Dharma, there is one known as *Laya Chintan*—the contemplation of dissolution. It entails reversing an object back to its primordial state. For instance, consider a house built of bricks; if you were to remove the bricks, the house would cease to exist, and only the bricks would remain. (I am explaining this now to illustrate how *Laya Chintan* works.) Then, if you were to dissolve the bricks themselves... In this manner, as we trace our steps backward, the ultimate Truth—that which was never born—alone remains. For anything that has come into existence is bound to perish eventually, even if you do not actively seek to destroy it; this is the immutable law of creation: whatever is born eventually dissolves back into its source. Therefore, rather than waiting for Nature to bring about this destruction, we should, through spiritual practice, attain this state of dissolution ourselves beforehand. Consider your current experience: you emerge into the waking state of the world; then you transition into the realm of dreams; and finally, you sink into the depths of deep, dreamless sleep. Even now, you oscillate between states of vivid perception and states where all perception vanishes. However, this mechanical, cyclical process merely leads you back to the *causal* state; it does not carry you *beyond* the causal realm. It is akin to a tree emerging from a seed, only for that tree to eventually give birth to another seed. Many plants perish only after having produced seeds numerous times; others produce seeds just once before the tree itself withers away. Thus, the regression of the tree back to the seed, and the subsequent re-emergence of the tree from that seed, constitutes a cycle—a continuous motion that forms a closed loop: from seed to tree, and from tree back to seed. Yet, neither the seed nor the tree ever truly returns to the *soil*—the ultimate source. The seed acts as a barrier, preventing a complete return to the soil; instead, it propels the cycle forward once again, thrusting existence back into the realm of creation. A new seed is born, and the cycle of creation begins anew—signifying that when we die or fall asleep, we eventually return once more to this very world. "For one who is born, death is certain; and for one who has died, birth is certain." A deceased person is bound to be reborn; a person who has been born is bound to die. A tree may perish, but the seed will inevitably bring forth a tree once again—this is a fundamental law. Hence the refrain: "Again birth, again death, again lying in the mother's womb." Someone might say, "We do not accept this." A person might argue that a seed will not necessarily give rise to a tree again. "We do not believe it. We do not believe that a human being will be reborn." Many people do not believe in reincarnation. Therefore, I ask: then how did *this* birth occur? Suppose a grain of rice were to declare, "I will not be born again." We would then ask that grain of rice: "Why, then, were you born *this* time?" Why has a tree or a plant come into existence *this* time? If you have been born even once, why were you born at all? Leave aside the question of future births; set aside the past. Just tell us: why were you born? Can a tree ever come into existence without a seed? And where did that seed come from? If you have been born, what is the cause of this birth? And if this birth has indeed taken place, has its underlying cause suddenly vanished? A rice plant originates from a seed; it does not spring directly from the soil. Bear this in mind.