Digest Number 269

[Guest guest]

Regarding the Prophet and the lump of clay discussion,

 

 

The true Prophet or Sage will see Himself as of no greater value that the

black of the left eye of a dead ant, or a "lump of clay", contrariwise,

the following: The supreme Divine One can raise a thousand prophets from a

single speck of dust.

 

 

I was interested in Tim's remark that

 

Obviously if everyone stopped procreating,

>the human race would perish, so I can't believe the overall view of Advaita

>Vedanta is that sexuality is "non-spiritual."

 

I realize Tim, I'm taking your remark "out of context", but it stirred a

train of thought and ergo wanted to share it: There is a logic to this,

that if humans stopped procreating the race would perish... Lately, I doubt

the race is near extinction and we probably will more likely have a "die

off" from a new virus or as was once believed, a nuclear or astroid winter,

or simply due to lack of interest maybe in a scenario not so dramatic. The

great teachers who started monastic movements seem hardly concerned about

decreasing the world's population. Personally "the world" to me is like a

beautiful forest or mountain wilderness, it can be a "nice place" to visit

but I wouldn't want to "live" there.

 

I doubt Sankaracharya or other great sages were worried about this issue.

Sankara himself was I think one of those great Avataras that occasionally

incarnate. He himself was extremely young by the world's standards when he

left this physical plane and his contributions were indeed vast by any

measurement! Regarding desires he wrote the following:

 

"... the case with one whose desires are already fulfilled by his knowledge

of the supreme metaphysical reality is different. His Self has been

withdrawn from its lower form, of the nature of nescience, and restored to

its true form. In the case of such a one , whose Self has been 'restored',

all urges to good or bad action are already dissolved and destroyed even

while the body yet remains alive. Desires no longer arise in him, as their

cause, nescience, has been destroyed." - p. 124 Sankara on Discipleship,

trans. by A.J. Alston

 

To be honest with you I haven't achieved this state as yet. The desires are

still there. Maybe not as intensely as some years ago, but still there.

One thing I'm grateful for though is that while the desires remain they are

in a proper context and can be sometimes directed to transcendent,

beneficient ends. - Art Gregory

 

 

lgregory