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Ramesh
Balsekar
(1919-present, India )
Biography Excerpt:
Eighty-one years old, radiant and remarkably relaxed, Ramesh was no sadhu. A highly successful Indian businessman and avid golfer, he worked his way up from clerk to C.E.O. of the Bank of India. Married in1940, Ramesh is the father of three children, one of whom died a decade ago.... Upon his mandatory retirement in 1977 at the age of sixty, Ramesh happened upon a magazine article about a master named Nisargadatta Maharaj, a teacher of Advaita (non-dualism). Recognizing his guru immediately, Ramesh soon began translating for Nisargadatta, and continued to sit with his teacher for a number of years. Ramesh attained the experience described by Maharaj and, upon his guru’s death, found himself, somewhat reluctantly, in the role of the teacher.
Enlightenment Story Excerpt:
Perhaps you could tell us something about
your enlightenment and how it came to you.
Well, you see, enlightenment is an
extremely obtuse word. The word enlightenment somehow seems
to suggest a sort of occurrence where there
are lights blazing and bliss coming out of the ears, you see. But it isn't,
at least not in my case. I've heard that it can be a very mild but distinctive
occur-rence and particularly when I read a story about Lao Tzu and his
disciple, it struck me that that was so. Some of you perhaps know it, but
I don't suppose there is any harm in repeating it.
One of Lao Tzu's disciples went to him one morning with his eyes blazing
and his face glowing with
a sense of achievement, and he said,
"Master, I have arrived." And Lao Tzu with great compassion put his
hands on his shoulders and said, "Son, you have not arrived anywhere."
So the disciple went away. He came back after some time and then, with
great quiet composure, said, "Master, it has happened." So Lao Tzu looked
in his eyes, embraced him and said, "Now tell me what happened."