some thoughts on the mind - 3

[Guest guest]

namaste.

 

[i do hope the members excuse me for presenting this text in an oral

style. As I mentioned before, the text was prepared for oral presentation

to an audience in a lecture hall. I tried to put in various references

for the written version, but still the text mainly retains an oral style.]

 

Before I continue on the manas, a brief digression here on to advaitic

literature and explanation of observations and creation as per advaita.

The first systematic work in advaita is MAndUkya-kArikA by GauDapAda,

which is an exposition of the MAnDUkya upanishad. GauDapAda historically

is referred as Shri Shankara's teacher's teacher and MAnDUkya-kArikA was

referred profusely by the later advaitic writers including Shri Shankara.

 

I like to touch on briefly the essence of MAnDukya-kArikA, which is the

essence of advaita. The central theme is that ultimately there is nothing

other than the Atman that is real. Atman is Brahman. All the experience

of "otherness" is because of wrong and illusory knowledge. With this as

basis, the central theme of MAnDUkya-kArikA is that every aspect of

experience is illusory.

 

Ishwara is Brahman, the Absolute or ultimate reality, seen through the

veil of mAyA. Ishwara is regarded as the creator of the world of duality.

If jeeva alone is real and if everything else is illusory, the question

can be asked who created this dualistic world. Answer to this is actually

there is no world created. The whole world of things and ideas is only

the imagination of the manas (cittaspandana eva ManDUkya-kArikA MK 4.72).

If at all there is creation, it can be explained this way. During pralaya,

all things and ideas are destroyed. They remain in dormant form in the

mind of Ishwara and during creation, they again take form and shape. The

individual jeeva is also created then; he/she is a product of imagination

and competent to effect further imagination (MK 3.2). We can compare this

creation to the standard rope-snake illusion. Only here, the difference

is, Ishwara knows which is the rope and which is the snake whereas the

individual jeeva is capable of knowing only the snake and imagines that

to be the truth.

 

In order to understand the functioning of the manas (to gain knowledge),

we need to be aware of another thing also. The individual jeeva is encased

in many coverings called koshAs (br^hadAraNyaka upanishad III.2). They are

 

annamaya kosha, made of food and matter

prANamaya kosha, vital breath, subtler than the physical

manomaya, the mental sheath, subtler than the breath

vijnAnamaya, the intellectual sheath responsible for all empirical

knowledge,

and Anandamaya, made of bliss

 

These are only sheaths and not the real Self. These five koshAs can be

regrouped into three.

 

annamaya, an entity by itself, the gross body

prANa, manas, and vijnAna: can be grouped to refer to the psychical

principles

and Ananadamaya, bliss or happiness

 

This grouping shows that the psychical states are subtler than the

physical states, but still the manas is material only and is an

aspect of the perishable body.

 

Explaining the scheme of creation, Shri Shankara says that first the

subtle elements are created of which ether is the first and then all

other elements in their subtle form come into existence (Katha upanishad

bhAshhya 1.3.34). All these originate from Brahman and go back into Brahman.

Also, there is scriptural evidence (e.g. ChAndogya upanishad, chapter 6)

that food when eaten becomes three-fold: its grossest portion becomes faeces,

its middle portion flesh, and its subtlest portion the mind. That is,

according to vedanta, mind is subtle matter.

 

 

sasheshham (to be continued)

 

 

Regards

Gummuluru Murthy

------

[Guest guest]

Gummuluru Murthy wrote:

> [...] .......

> The central theme is that ultimately there is nothing

> other than the Atman that is real. Atman is Brahman.

> All the experience of "otherness" is because of wrong

> and illusory knowledge. With this as basis, the central

> theme of MAnDUkya-kArikA is that every aspect of

> experience is illusory.

 

obviously this says it all...

 

i would like to embellish via the following:

 

(BTW, and if i may say, excellent lecture, oral or not.)

 

****

 

the entire problem and foundation upon which

is built the paradox inflicting the human in

time, may be summarized thus:

 

the relative Mind believes it has the capacity

to realize and behold the wholistic Absolute.

can this be, therefore, a reasonable expectation?

can the cup contain the ocean?

 

Self-realization is beyond the sensation of

direct perception theorized to exist in and

through the analytical mind. rather it involves

an impossible-to-describe recognition within the

buddhi or intuitive faculty. this entails a

complete transcending of the habit involving the

glorification of isolated ideas or philosophic

conceptions [invariably] rooted in Relativity.

 

as we know, it is accomplished by repeatedly

applying "neti, neti, etc" ("not this, not this,

etc") to virtually every upadhi (attribute in the

phenomenal world).

 

what we are left with is what [even now!] resides

in the Heart--however, as a result of [this new]

understanding devoid of the obsessive judgmental

Mind: resolving atmasakshatkara (Self-realization).

 

****

 

namaskaaram