"The soul's Journey to its Destiny"- Chapter 4 - Summary

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--- ramvchandran wrote on 4th Dec:

> I strongly recommend that you go ahead and post your

summaries of chapter one per week.

 

The third posting was on 20th Dec. This is the fourth

posting on 27th Dec.

The structure of posting "A-B-C-D" is as follows:

Part A: Synopsis So far - for recap

Part B: Chapter 4 Summary

Part C: What comes after this posting - in brief

Part D: My own Queries- if any.

 

Summary of Swami Ashokaananda (RK Mutt Order)Book on

 

"The Soul's Journey to its destiny"

published by Advaita Ashrama, Himalayas

 

OM Namo Narayana!

Intro: Swami Ashokananda was in charge of Vedanta

Society of North California from 1932 till his Samadhi

in 1969. The book is an edited version of his

lectures in 1953 at San Francisco.

 

Part A: Synopsis so far.

Swamiji tells us in the first chapter that what

started (and remains) as "Nirguna Brahman" (the

infinite and absolute consciousness) became "as it

were" (not really) into several layers of degradation

and one of these layers is this human form of you and

me. The second chapter deals with Mind, an instrument

with which we can get back to our divine self. It is

the source of ignorance and also our only means of

clearing the ignorance. The third chapter dealt with

"Why we are what we are" by anlaysis of Karma and

reincarnation, which are self -operating systems which

God in his wisdom has put in place. We now come to a

very crucial 4th chapter where the journey of the soul

is traced to its final destiny. (In earlier chapters

we saw how the humans originated from God- homogenous

mass of consciousness, then we saw how all this is

percieved by our mind and then why we are- what we

are.)

 

Part B: Chapter 4 Summary: The Soul's Journey to its

Destiny

 

Even if one lives the full span of life (eighty plus)

the period of fruitful experience is short. Before our

body and mind become developed enough to have a

desirable experience of reality, we wear ourself out

to die with a sense of unfullfillment.

 

Nothing new is acheived as experience in the after

death existence at "Bhoga-Bhumi" - the world of

enjoyment and suffering - where the soul is believed

by Hindus to go after death. the the soul feels a

desire to come back to " Karma-Bhumi", the world of

action for further attainments and achivements.

 

The desire for experience comes through a sense of

lack or inadequacy , because we have forgotten

ourselves. If we could find remember what we are

(atman) we would find ourself, complete and perfect.

You cannot ad to the soul because it is OK to start

with.

 

It is possible for the soul to regain its own

knowledge and suddenly to come out of this

self-forgetfullness. This can happen in 2 ways (as in

sleep). When the soul has experienced enough, its

period of forgetfullness subsidesand it awakens from

its illusions. Alternatively the shock of an

exceedingly uncomfortable experience can suddenly wake

the soul out of its ignorance. When it becomes aware

of its own majesty the process of transmigration

(samasara) stops.

 

Those who have studied this existence can see that by

bringing about changes in certain conditions on which

it depends , the existence itself will be dispersed.

 

We can divide the journey of the soul into 3 different

stages. The first stage is instinctive, second

deliberative and third intutive. This may also be

called as subconscious, conscious and super conscious

respectively.

 

The instinctive stage of the soul is like animals,

guided by instinct only. They do not have the ability

of coping up with untoward circumstances. If the

circumstances are favorable, they thrive, if not they

suffer and eventually die.

 

On the otherhand most men are deliberative. If the

outward conditions are unfavorable, a human being pits

himself against them and tries to conquer them, thus

showing that he has a purpose of his own in this

creation. This purposiveness is the first glimmering

of one's true self. The light of the soul is not yet

manifested but it starts showing.

 

It is however a struggle for a man to attain truth

about anything. What we thought to be true is not true

at all. This is waht happens when we depend upon our

conscious deliberation, our own reason.

 

Although many believe that idea of state beyond

limitation is like a "poor man's dream of wealth" - no

reality behind it, there is a thing as "intution".

There is a power in man by which he knows the truth

immediately and certainly. Just as the light is the

precondition of vision, the precondition of any

knowledge is projection of intution, the very essence

of our being.

 

The difference between the 3 states, instinctive,

deliberative and intutive is a degree of projection of

light from within. As per Hinduism, it should be

natural for a man to know the truth. the illusion we

have separate existences ignores the fact that in and

through us and behind us, there is just one continous

reality.

 

There are in fact people who have attained this

intutive state, this super conscious state of

perfection. It is therefore not an imaginary concept,

although a difficult one.

 

Hindus believe that this physical world is only one of

many planes of the phenomenal universe and above it

are planes of existence peopled by beings superior to

humans. It is said that when a person who has attained

a higher degree of spiritual development dies, he goes

to one of those worlds and lives in the company of

similar beings.

 

A world perfect in every respect, God like inside and

outside is Brahamloka (world of divinity). Everything

is divine there.

 

Liberation is neither subconscious, conscious or not

even super conscious but absolute and therefore it

cannot be called a state.

 

The universe is infact me; yet in my present

perception it is not me. As long as this situation

lasts, I can't give up this outside world. That is why

a soul in this deliberative state is held down here.

 

As per Hindu concepts, every human being is born with

certain debts and that his whole life is a process of

repaying them. Three of these debts are: a) to pitrs

(ancestors) b) to rishis (Saints and teachers) and c)

devas (deities). By bringing out children, debt to

pitr is repaid so that the lineage is continued. To

the rishis by study of scriptures and to dities by

making offerings to them, the respective debts are

repaid.

 

If the minds of the parents are in a pure and hight

state when the mother conceives, then a good soul is

drawn to her womb. For a person to command the right

state of mind is by purifying himself/herself through

long years of training.

 

There is wisdom that is never asleep- atandritam- the

ever wakeful one. He is our inmost friend. He is our

father and mother. Why should not our prayers reach

him? So Hindu girls pray for a good husbund. There is

nothing primitive about it. It is a process of

purification.

 

That is where parents responsibility lies. If they

don't train themselves, if they don't develop the

power to attract good souls, they have failed in

paying their debt to their ancestors. So the payment

of this debt is not such a simple matter.

 

The meaning behind the whole concept of being born

with a certain debts is that we have duties to all our

fellow beings. Only when you take these duties in life

seriously and meet its demands with the highest sense

of duty and values, will this exitence let you go.

 

When the soul in the instinctive stage, no longer

reacts with enthusiasm, nature itself forces it into a

higher form. You will hasten the process when you take

this deliberative phase of reality with seriousness.

It will say "I do not want anything more out of him at

this stage". Nature will let you go.

 

When a man becomes a monk, he is allowed to give up

everything- society expects nothing more out of him,

but only if he has finsihed his duties in this pahse

of existence and has paid of his debts. Renouncing is

not escaping- you can't just escape. If he is bound

internally nature itelf, nature will make him work.

When you have treated everything at its best with your

best, then you become free of it.

 

The idea we are born with obligations (rather than

with rights)is good, but by making too much of it, you

can crush the soul. Like every idea it has to be

viewed in conjunction with associated ideas. In this

case, it is parents who should teach their chidlren,

even when they are still small, the art of gaining

happiness from within. To keep the spirit soaring even

when things get very dark outside is an art that can

be cultivated. The bounden duty of Hindus is to teach

their children this art of meditation.

 

In this lower phase of life, where knowledge depends

on the body and the senses, with the mind trafficking

only with what the senses give it and cannot produce

anything of its own- truth seems far off. But when we

are no longer so dependent on the senses and our

perception has become more internal, then the mind

becomes free from its bondage to the body.

 

Religion, when it is taken seriously, is for those who

have become aware that what they are seeking is not in

this sense world. The freedom comes when we

deliberately through religious practices, free

ourselves from the remnants of bondage to this sense

world.

 

A scattered mind and an objective mind is the

deliberative mind. It cannot give you the truth. when

it is no longer forced to be scattered, it at once

becomes intutive. Knowledge flashes.

 

Intution brings you the knowledge that you are not

this body, you are not this mind. When this knowledge

comes, it will not be just intellectual knowledge; it

will be actual perception. You will feel separate from

the body. You are approaching the life that has been

called Absolute, the life of freedom, the life of your

own true self, of your own true nature.

 

In this process of becoming free from transmigratory

existence and reaching the absolute, there are many

stages. It is a long process, buta time comes when the

mind is free and stands still. Patanjali has called it

the state of Yoga.

 

This is achieved by abhyasa (practice) and vairagya

(dispassion). Abhyasa (Practice) means making the mind

continually come back to the contemplation of truth,

not allowing it to dwell on anything else.

 

(This part is repated from earlier posting on Climax)

What is truth? Truth is the spirit. Make your mind

feel that changeless, unmoving , subtle being, which

is the support of the whole universe and without which

in one moment it would go into nothingness. Think on

that "Being" which is the essence of everything that

is. By imagination remove all these variations and

make your mind dwell on this homogeneous Being, the

one essence of all these variegated forms. This is

spiritual practice.

 

Take your mind away from differentiation and make it

dwell upon the infinite, homogeneous Unity, the one

Being. At first it will be just some vague

abstraction. That also is good. Your mind has never

thought like this before. It has always thought of

little things,changing things. In fact it has never

really thought; it just danced the dance of a monkey,

that is all.

 

Feel yourself one with that Being. That is thinking.

Learn to do it more and more, more and more. That is

abhyasa. That expereince is the proof of the reality

of this one Being. This transcendental Being does not

appear before a person deluded by the idea of

acquisition.

 

Do you think a person who has found the truth wants to

parade himself before fools? No! Another kind of

vitality comes to you, the vitality of etenal life.

 

But Abhyasa does not become complete unless you are

established in viaragya or dispassion, which literally

means "discoloring". All these things in the world

look colorful; that is why they attract you.

 

A time comes when you are no longer caught by this

world; you are free from it. If a remnant still

remains, you just remind yourself that it is really

nothing. By this effort you kill the remnants of

illusion, and the whole mind becomes free. True

intution comes; the mind becomes unified and

exceedigly subtle. You become aware of the one divine

Being.

 

This most wonderful , beautiful Being is hidden by the

forms of this universe. It is He who is contributing

the substance, the color. His the Power, His the

value, His the Love, His the sweetness and the beauty.

He is the living one. And He is not a stranger to us.

we have not to be afraid of Him. He is not far off. He

is the nearest of the near. He is our very breath, He

is the life of our life, He is the ye of our eye. He

is the very soul of our Soul, our very own. It is not

a realtionship we have built up; there can be no fear

it will dissolve. It has been always there; it is

infact not a realtionship at all: He is one with us.

>From time to time, the mind would stand still. So from

time to time the mind quitens down and in that

quietude reality flashes and you see his beautiful

face. That is the answer to all your seeking. Once you

have fallen in love with him, you will never forget

him.

 

The a new stage comes. The soul will never rest until

it has been united with Him forever. It just cries out

for him. When that state comes to the soul, it will

never go back; it will just rush towards God. And he

rushes towards the soul. That is the culmination of

the soul's journey. That is its destiny. no soul wil

find peace until it has reached that stage.

 

Until we have done that there will be no rest for us:

continually we shall have to move from moment to

moment, from life to life, from stage to stage, until

the highest has been reached. That highest is

at-onement with God.

 

Part C: What follows after this - in brief

What is the role of ego or self identity, What are

unconscious and superconscious parts of the mind and

how it is linked to one cosmic mind in the universe,

Why we should focus on conscious mind as first step

towards purification and Finally an empiriacl and

practical "demo" of all these principles, in our own

body via "Kundalini" yoga.

 

Part D; Queries/Opinions: (not from the book)

I have one query this week:

 

The whole argument of the our self being the "only

Reality" hinges on a number of key assumptions, each

one of which is linked to one or more of the ones that

follow starting from the first assumption that the it

has all started with infinite consciousness

(Brahaman).

 

Has any one made a list of all the assumptions?- just

listing without commentaries. If no one has done it, I

would like to start with it at the end of this series

of postings (total 8 chapters)

If some one has done it already then there is no need

to reinvent the wheel. So I request members if they

have seen or have such a list.

 

Hari Om and Pranams to all.

P.B.V.Rajan

(Prathivadhi Bayankaram Varadha Rajan)

 

 

 

 

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