Siva Sutra - S1.2

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S1.2 Knowledge is bondage.

"jñânam bandhah"

knowledge bondage

 

Intellectual knowledge, jñâna, actually hinders us from moving to the more

rarefied states of consciousness. This knowledge binds us to the things of

knowledge that are being entertained. Such a binding influence is well

covered in Yoga Sutras Y1.41 and Y1.42:

 

Y1.41 Samâpatti, identification of consciousness with its objective, is born

of dwindling mental fluctuations among the knower, the process of knowing,

and the known, and like the transparency of a jewel, that which abides in

consciousness is that which anoints consciousness.

"ksîna vrtter abhijâtasya iva maner grahîtr grahana grâhyesu tat stha tad

añjanatâ samâpattih"

dwindling mental-fluctuations born-of like of-jewel knower knowing

among-known that abides that anoints samâpattih

 

Y1.42 When there is a mixture of sound, meaning, knowledge, and imagination,

this is savitarka samâpatti, cogitative identification.

"tatra sabda artha jñâna vikalpaih samkîrnâ savitarkâ samâpattih"

there sound meaning knowledge because-of-imagination mixture savitarka

samâpattih

 

The more that mind identifies with intellectual knowledge and worldly

pursuit, the less chance there is catching a glimpse of transcendental

consciousness. Jesus said something to this effect, that a camel can get

through the eye of a needle more easily than can a rich man experience the

Kingdom of Heaven. There is nothing wrong with riches and we must have some

minimum amount needed, but the time and energy spent securing, maintaining,

and then protecting the wealth leaves no time, energy, and especially

habituation patterns left for moving closer to the kingdom of god.

Identification remains steadfast with the wealth and chances are thereby

highly diminished in moving toward god. This is the idea of this sutra. It

surely is NOT asserting that practical forms of knowledge to sustain daily

life is 'binding' or 'bad', quite the contrary.

 

Now, the reason that such 'binding' identification takes hold so quickly and

automatically is because of the confusion ensuing due to the lack of

discrimination between a hodgepodge of the simultaneous occurring values of

sound, objective meaning, knowledge, and imagination, each of which are

separate and unique phenomenon. The Siva Sutra continues to address this

vitally important concern.

 

jai guru dev,

 

Edmond

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 7/8/2002 9:34:13 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

capanellius writes:

 

> Relative to distorted cognition (viparyaya), the clear light of

> intellectual knowledge (jnana) or yogic insight (prajna) is

> "freedom" at lower levels of perception, and also a

> "support" for higher levels of interiorization.

> . . .

> At each level of awareness, knowledge can be considered as a form of

> illumination, although not full illumination, that is, until an upper

> limit is reached.

>

>

 

Yes, yes, the many states of consciousness, like the many mansions of Jesus.

And among such varying states of subtlety one might question or wonder just

how easily the much subtler prajna states might arise to awareness unless the

'ultimate' status of validity given to jnana is at least questioned. Or

better, restated with the more natural reversal of cause and effect, one

indeed does find that after having sufficiently intense prajna experiences,

that jnana states are found relatively quite incomplete, limiting, and

binding, precisely as confirmed by Siva Sutra S1.2.

 

jai guru dev,

 

Edmond

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

advaitin, edmeasure@a... wrote:

>> Intellectual knowledge, jñâna, actually hinders us from moving

to the more rarefied states of consciousness<<

 

Relative to distorted cognition (viparyaya), the clear light of

intellectual knowledge (jnana) or yogic insight (prajna) is

"freedom" at lower levels of perception, and also a

"support" for higher levels of interiorization.

 

But agree that jnana would have to be considered bondage, no matter

how perfected the state, if the aspirant did not have have as his

goal ultimate realization.

 

At each level of awareness, knowledge can be considered as a form of

illumination, although not full illumination, that is, until an upper

limit is reached.