Guest guest Posted March 19, 1999 Report Share Posted March 19, 1999 Dear Kathi - Here are further quotes from Viveka-Chudamani, in a different section. "Sattwa is purity. Even when it is mixed with rajas and tamas, as water is mixed with water, it lights the way to liberation. Sattwa reveals the atman as the sun reveals the objective world." "Maya has been defined as a composition of the three gunas. It is the causal body of the Atman." "You must know that Maya and all its effects--from the cosmic intellect down to the gross body--are other than the Atman. All are unreal, like a mirage in the desert." So apparently, although Sattwa can light the way to liberation, it is not liberation Itself. Liberation is the knowledge that Maya is other than the Atman. Yet, I am not sure if I believe this. Many believe that Maya is the veil hiding the Atman, but it is not other than the Atman, for how can the veil be other than that which it hides? So my views differ from those of Sri Sankara here, unless something has been lost in the English translation of Viveka-Chudamani (which I suspect is what is going on). Maya may be as an ocean wave, but it is yet ocean. The only sense that it is unreal is when it is misidentified as "wave" rather than "ocean." Atman/Brahman is that very ocean. At 03:50 PM 3/19/99 +0800, you wrote: > Thanks Tim for the beautiful verse. In the first line of the above >verse, there is an indication that the ego has the three qualities (Sattvic, >Rajasic & Tamasic). In the third line, it instructs to cut off the three >qualities. If it is so, then to realize Brahman would be to destroy even >the Sattvic qualities of the ego. Then what would be the value of goodness, >if that too has to be removed? > > Om Shanti > Kathi ----- The CORE of Reality awaits you at: http://www.eskimo.com/~fewtch/ND/index.html - Poetry, Writings, Live Chat on spiritual topics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 19, 1999 Report Share Posted March 19, 1999 Namaste Tim Thanks for taking the effort to quote the verses. It sure answers why the great saints in all traditions preach purity. Like what Shankara wrote, it sure must reveal the atman or else why would they bother to teach it. Thanks and best regards. Om Shanti Kathi > > Tim Gerchmez [sMTP:fewtch] > Friday, March 19, 1999 4:29 PM > advaitin > Kathi - more comment on verses... > > Tim Gerchmez <fewtch > > > Dear Kathi - > > Here are further quotes from Viveka-Chudamani, in a different section. > > "Sattwa is purity. Even when it is mixed with rajas and tamas, as water > is > mixed with water, it lights the way to liberation. Sattwa reveals the > atman as the sun reveals the objective world." > > "Maya has been defined as a composition of the three gunas. It is the > causal body of the Atman." > > "You must know that Maya and all its effects--from the cosmic intellect > down to the gross body--are other than the Atman. All are unreal, like a > mirage in the desert." > > So apparently, although Sattwa can light the way to liberation, it is not > liberation Itself. Liberation is the knowledge that Maya is other than > the > Atman. Yet, I am not sure if I believe this. Many believe that Maya is > the veil hiding the Atman, but it is not other than the Atman, for how can > the veil be other than that which it hides? So my views differ from those > of Sri Sankara here, unless something has been lost in the English > translation of Viveka-Chudamani (which I suspect is what is going on). > > Maya may be as an ocean wave, but it is yet ocean. The only sense that it > is unreal is when it is misidentified as "wave" rather than "ocean." > Atman/Brahman is that very ocean. > > At 03:50 PM 3/19/99 +0800, you wrote: > > Thanks Tim for the beautiful verse. In the first line of the above > >verse, there is an indication that the ego has the three qualities > (Sattvic, > >Rajasic & Tamasic). In the third line, it instructs to cut off the three > >qualities. If it is so, then to realize Brahman would be to destroy even > >the Sattvic qualities of the ego. Then what would be the value of > goodness, > >if that too has to be removed? > > > > Om Shanti > > Kathi > > > > ----- > The CORE of Reality awaits you at: > http://www.eskimo.com/~fewtch/ND/index.html - > Poetry, Writings, Live Chat on spiritual topics. > > ------ > Ta Da! Come see our new web site! > > Onelist: A free email community service > ------ > Discussion of the True Meaning of Sankara's Advaita Vedanta Philosophy > focusing on non-duality between mind and matter. List Archives available > at: /viewarchive.cgi?listname=advaitin > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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