If you are not able to get a Guru in your place, you can always begin the mantra by sitting before Her image of Shiva's image. Absence of a Guru should not be an impediment in seeking Her Grace.

Well, is there any mantra or anything of Lalita Tripura Sundari that one can chant without initiation from a Guru? I live in America, and have no access to any guru, unless I drop everything and move to India. I desperately want blessings from Divine Mother, but everything apparently needs a Guru's permission to do chant anything.

Krishna says that one should do his or her karma and failure to do this will cause karmic afflictions. One has to do his/her duty to the family and at the same time we have to continue our pursuit for knowing the Self. Both have to go together.

So all the sadhana we do is to get all accrued impression out of this budhi? In doing so don't we detach from our lives? If so having a family won't we accrue further impressions of not following the dharma of heading the family?

Story : - Ram is looking at himself on a mirror and analysing about himself.Point 1 : Ram is the observer, Ram seen in the mirror is the observed, Ram looking & analysing himself is the process of observation.Point 2 : Ram is Shiva, Ram seen in the mirror is Sakthi , Mirror is Maya. [ If the mirror is dirty then the Ram seen on the mirror , that is his reflection appears blurred & distorted. Depending upon the dirt on the mirror ( maya) , then the original Ram and the perceived Ram appears different and distorted. So Ram thinks that the "distorted Ram seen on the mirror" is his real shape & form. Depending upon the level of dirt on the mirror (maya) this varies. At 0 % dirt on the mirror (0 % maya) i.e clean mirror Ram himself and Ram seen in the mirror is one & the same.i.e Ram = Ram , Siva = Sakthi]Point 3 : What If Ram closes his eyes ? Then he sees nothing , total blackness & void but Ram know who is he, Ram know himself, he is aware of himself.Moral of the story : - Point 2 is Turiya , Point 3 is TuriyatitaIn Turiya we see our Self (or self sees Self as Light { self = Maya + Self} ), there exists a little amount of duality, so at Turiya we say mahavakyas i.e "Aham Brahmasmi " or " Shivoham". If there is no ego or separateness feeling then we dont have to say "Aham" - Brahmasmi ( " I am " Brahman) or Shiv"oham" ( "I am " Shiva). In Turiya , self sees Self in savikalpa samadhi and self merges into Self in nirvikalpa samadhi.In Turiyatita only our Self exists and remains, there exists absolutely no duality, only non dual existence. Here we dont say any mahavakyas, we dont do any affirmations, bcoz we know who we are. [Eg. Ram dont say " I am Ram " to himself , bcoz he know who is he. Ram say " I am Ram " only when there is anyone else and / or when only he wants to introduce himself to a second party] . In Turiyatita i.e when Turiya to Turiyatita transition happens, self is fully immersed into Self and remains and behaves as Self [When Ram closes his eyes, he sees nothing , total blackness & void, but Ram know himself, he is aware of himself. When Ram closes his eyes only Ram remains, there existsanything else]

Guruji Your Knowledge is great & blessed are those who getguidance from you.

Yes you are right. But this mind and buddhi have to be without any blemishes.

Thank you Guruji got it. It is just that we have to understand that mind, buddhi, body etc are not Brahman. But to experience the same we need buddhi and mind

We need buddhi and mind to exist. Even realization happens only with the help of these two. When do we realize Brahman? Only when the mind is purified, we realize Brahman. Negation here means that buddhi is not Brahman as it reflects the Self-illumination of Brahman. Buddhi is negated as not Brahman and contextually it has to be understood this way only. You see a light. Can you see the light without your mind? Similarly, we need mind to realize Brahman, but the mind has to be pure, without any impressions. There is no contradiction here. Mind and buddhi are not Brahman and we can realize Brahman with purest mind and buddhi.

What do you mean by buddhi is negated as Brahman?When buddhi is gone how can we realise self?Do you mean to say that mind and buddhi is required to experience Self But Self is without this two, doesn't this contradict each other as buddhi and mind has to be negated to experience Self?