In His Grace
Sri H.W.L. Poonjaji
"You are the Life which precedes the concept of Life."
Sri H.W.L Poonjaji, a disciple of Sri Ramana Maharshi, fully committed his life to the recognition of freedom and peace that is who you are, here and now. A true "Papa" in the hearts of many, he was lovingly called Papaji. On September 6, 1997, Papaji died in Lucknow, India at the age of 86.
In Hindu tradition, Papaji's body was carried in a ceremonial procession by hundreds of devotees to a burning ghatt on the Gompti river in Lucknow. His ashes were then taken to Haridwar and cast into his beloved holy river Ganga.
Like his life, the irrevocable leaving of Papaji's form points to what cannot die, what is eternally alive. Life Itself. The Living Truth of omnipresent Being. In his final moments, Papaji turned to those with him in his hospital room and delivered his last teaching. With remarkable strength he asked each of them directly, "Where is the Buddha?" until he was certain his message was directly understood.
His deathbed teaching is the root of his teaching throughout all of his time here with us. With absolute resolve, Papaji pointed to what was neither within nor without, but included both. He pointed to where the Buddha is, where truth is, where God is, where true fulfillment is. He pointed to the paramount simplicity of finally seeing the seer.
Although the depth of this gratitude cannot be measured, we at the Gangaji Foundation give thanks for this huge force of grace that goes by the name Papaji. It is in the wake of Papaji's realization that mysteriously all of us have met and in this meeting we have been given the extraordinary opportunity to freshly live a life in satsang. This is the possibility that Papaji's life and death reveal and this possibility is ever yours.
Let there be Peace. Let there be Peace.
Om Papaji. Hari Om.
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