Avadhuta Gita

[Guest guest]

Scripture of Advaita Vedanta (Non-dualism)

Song of the ever-free - Avadhuta Gita.

 

Chapter 5 Verse 17

 

Truly, Brahman is identical with the individual soul.

It pervades equally all living beings and all immovable things.

Being the Selfsame Brahman,

O, mind why do you weep?

 

Commentary:

We come to the crux of Vedantic teachings.

The divinity we are searching for outside is

very close. In fact it is so close that we

have failed to recognise it.

Our own Self...

[Guest guest]

advaitin , "Vivekananda Centre" <vivekananda@b...>

wrote:

> Scripture of Advaita Vedanta (Non-dualism)

> Song of the ever-free - Avadhuta Gita.

>

> Chapter 5 Verse 17

>

> Truly, Brahman is identical with the individual soul.

> It pervades equally all living beings and all immovable things.

> Being the Selfsame Brahman,

> O, mind why do you weep?

>

> Commentary:

> We come to the crux of Vedantic teachings.

> The divinity we are searching for outside is

> very close. In fact it is so close that we

> have failed to recognise it.

> Our own Self...

 

The Self is closer to us than our own breath, and when we see it

for the first time we are astounded at the simplicity of it all,

and perplexed as to why we didn't see it in the first place.

It's like we've been living with our hand on our face for so long

we've forgotten all about our hand.

 

We come into the world as the Self, but human developmental

conditioning serves to cover this up with an idea of "me,"

aka the ego. It's like being born with rose glasses. Because

we've worn these glasses from birth, we can't see even that we

have these glasses on. Realization is the event whereby Shakti

shows "us" the glasses, and then we see that our world has been

tinted all along.

 

Brahmajnana is a very subtle thing. It's no peak experience by

any means. It's just a quiet understanding of the subtle reality

that lies in the secret chamber of the heart. This understanding

is experiential, not intellectual. However, brahmajnana does not

bring about the dissolution of the personality. It brings about

the permanent dissolution of the *attachment* of identity to the

personality. All the great yogis have personalities. It's just

that they know they are *not* those personalities. Still, as

long as the body/mind is around, the personality--which is a

component of mind--remains. That's why there are so many grumpy

knowers of Brahman. Even though they are in full and complete

knowledge of themselves as the Self, their personality still

expresses through their lives. If one was a grump before their

moksha, one will probably be a grump afterward.

 

--jody.

[Guest guest]

>That's why there are so many grumpy knowers of Brahman.

 

Do you have anyone on this list in mind? :-)

[Guest guest]

advaitin , "Warren E. Donley" <WEDONLEY@N...> wrote:

> >That's why there are so many grumpy knowers of Brahman.

>

> Do you have anyone on this list in mind? :-)

 

Actually, no. Everyone on this list seems quite happy.

 

I was thinking of Sri Sri Sri Shiva Bali Yogi. He was quite

contentious while giving satsang. He would rant and rail

very frequently, giving the impression of a grumpy old man.

 

Swami Brahmanananda was another grumpy old coot. He was

quite famous for the dressing downs he gave his attendants.

 

Again, the point I'm making is that with moksha comes the

experiential knowledge that one is the Self. However, this

does not entail the dissolution of the personality. It keeps

right on going, transformed, but nonetheless very much as it

was before moksha.

 

--jody.