Guest guest Posted December 12, 2003 Report Share Posted December 12, 2003 all these answers are very interesting, i am grateful to you Krishnaji and to all the friends who answered, i read them carefully; love, eric advaitin, "Krishna Prasad" <rkrishp99> wrote: > Hari OM! > > Ericji, > > See what one who knows the principles have to say below is said by > Swami Sivanandaji, of Divine life Soceity. > > Intelligence is not to be predicated of Brahman as its attributes > but it constitutes its substance. It is its Svarupa or essence. > Brahman is not a thinking being, but thought itself. He is not all- > knowing but knowledge itself (self-knowledge). He is not all- > powerful but power itself. He is not all-beautiful but beauty > itself. He is Bliss itself. Do you see the difference now? That is > termed Svarupa or essence of everything. He is absolutely destitute > of qualities; whatever qualities or attributes are conceivable, can > only be denied of it. But if nothing exists but one absolutely > simple Being, whence the appearance of the world by which we > ourselves are surrounded and in which we ourselves exist as > individual beings? Brahman is associated with certain power called > Maya or Avidya to which the appearance of this world is due. > > Oh how deep, unfathomable and marvellous is this Maya, the > inscrutable (Anirvachaniya) power of Brahman! Every human being, > though in essence he is really Brahman, does not—though instructedE > grasp the truth "I am Brahman" but feels convinced, without any > instruction, that he is such a person's son mistaking for the Atman > and is only perceived like a stone or pot. Indeed, these worldly- > minded persons wander in this miserable Samsara repeatedly deluded > by the Maya of Brahman alone. > > The idea of Brahman, when judged from the viewpoint of intellect, is > an abstraction, but it is concretely real for those who have the > direct vision to see it (Aparoksha Anubhuti or Sakshatkara). > Therefore, the consciousness of the reality of Brahman has boldly > been described to be as real as the consciousness of an Amalaka > fruit held in one's palm. > > Even intellect can grasp only a little of the Truth. Brahman has > positive attributes such as Sat-Chit-Ananda, purity, perfection, > Satyam, Jnanam, Anantam, etc., They are not really attributes. They > are all synonymous terms for Truth or Brahman. Sat-Chit-Ananda also > is a mental Kalpana (imagination). These are the highest > qualifications of Brahman which the human intellect can grasp. > Generally Brahman is described by negation of qualities such as > Nirakara (formless), Nirguna, Nirvikalpa (without modification of > mind), etc. Are we not driven to take the same course ourselves when > a blind man asks for a description of light? Have we not to say in > such a case that light has neither sound, nor taste, nor form, nor > weight, nor resistance, nor can it be known through the process of > analysis? Of course it can be seen but what is the use of saying > this to one who has no eyes? He may take the statement on trust > without understanding in the least what it means, or may altogether > disbelieve it, even suspecting in us some abnormality. Does the > truth of the fact that a blind man has missed the perfect > development of what should be normal about his eye-sight depend for > its proof upon the fact that a large number of men are not blind? > The very first creature which suddenly groped into the possession of > its eye-sight had the right to assert that the light was reality. In > the human world there may be very few who have their spiritual eyes > open, but in spite of the numerical preponderance of those who > cannot see, their want of vision must not be cited as an evidence of > the negation of the light. In the Upanishads we find the note of > certainty about the spiritual meaning of existence. In the very > paradoxical nature of the assertion that we can never know BrahmanE > but can realise Him—there lies the strength of conviction that comes > from personal experience (Anubhava). > > The variety of experience is not real, nay even experience itself is > nowhere from the point of view of the Absolute. To lead the life > wherein the variety of experience does not affect, either our weal > or woe, is the highest practical rule of conduct in accordance with > the proper aim of existence. The variety of experience creates > distinction and sets up false limits where there exists none. Pain > and pleasure, good and evil, virtue and vice, merit and sin, are all > conventions based on this variety of experience. But in the Absolute > (Brahman) no such distinctions are possible and the Highest Bliss, > which cannot be described in words other than those employing > negation of everything positive known to us, consists in forgetting > this source of separateness and realising that unity which is the > very being and the nature of the cosmos. When the sense of > separateness is killed out by intense and incessant spiritual > Sadhana, you will become one with Brahman. > > There are seven links in the chain of bondage. Misery is the final > link in the chain of cause and effect. Every link depends for its > existence upon the previous link. The seven links are:E1) Misery, > (2) Embodiment, (3) Karma, (4) Raga (attachment), (5) Dvesha > (repulsion), (6) Aviveka (non-discrimination), and (7) Ajnana. > > If the root cause Ajnana (ignorance of the Self) is removed by Atma- > jnana or knowledge of the Self, the other links will be broken by > themselves. From ignorance, non-discrimination is born; from non- > discrimination, Abhimana (egoism); from Abhimana, Raga-Dvesha; from > Raga-Dvesha, Karma; from Karma, this physical body; from the > physical body, misery. If you want to annihilate misery, you must > get rid of embodiment. If you want to get rid of embodiment, you > must not perform actions. If you wish to cease to act, you must > abandon Raga-Dvesha. If you want to free yourself from Abhimana, you > must destroy Aviveka and develop Viveka (discrimination) or > discrimination between the Self and non-self. If you want to get rid > of Aviveka, you must annihilate Ajnana. If you want to get rid of > Ajnana, you must get knowledge of the Self. There is no other way of > escaping this chain. > > Brahman is otherwise known as `Svarupa'. "Then by what should he see > whom?" (Bri. Up: 11-4-13). This passage intimates that there is > neither an agent nor an object of action, nor an instrument. There > is neither enjoyment, nor enjoyer, nor enjoyable, (Bhoga, Bhokta, > Bhogya) in Brahman. There is neither seer, sight, seen (Drashta, > Drik and Drishya) also in Brahman. There is neither knower, > knowledge or knowable, (Jnata, Jnana, Jneya). Brahman is free from > Triputi or these triads which pertain to sense-universe and sense- > knowledge only. Svarupa is all pure consciousness, all knowledge, > all-bliss itself. Brahman is self-existent (Svayambhu), self- > contained (Paripurna), self-luminous (Svayam Jyoti), self-knowledge > (Chit Svarupa), self-delight and independent. That is Svarupa. There > are neither Indriyas nor instruments in Svarupa. Sat-Chit-Ananda is > not the quality of Brahman. That is its essence or embodiment. > > An infinite Vastu (article)—Brahma Sarva Vastu—must be Nirakara > (formless) and Vyapaka (all-pervading). It must be beyond time, > space and causation also. It must be unchanging and beginningless. > It must be causeless also. A thing that is beyond time, space and > causation must be immortal. This infinite Vastu having no sound, > etc., does not decay or suffer diminution. Therefore it is eternal, > for what decays is ephemeral, but this Vastu does not decay. Being > eternal, it is beginningless; that being an effect is not eternal > and is absorbed into its cause as earth, etc. But this being the > cause of all is not an effect and not being an effect it is eternal. > It has no cause into which it could be absorbed. It is endless; > therefore it is eternal. > > Moksha or release from Samsara is not something to be achieved. If > it is a thing to be achieved by Karma it cannot be eternal. It is > already there. Every thing is one with the Absolute and in fact the > Absolute itself. What is to be achieved is destruction of the sense > of separateness, which being accomplished, Moksha is easily > attained. All Sadhanas (spiritual practices) aim at Avidya Nivritti > (removal of ignorance) and the idea of separateness. When the veil > is removed Brahman shines in His own glory (Niralamba state). > > The acquisition of Truth (Brahma Jnana) is independent of caste or > any other distinction. The highest knowledge (Para Vidya) cannot be > imparted by the Vedas (Apara Vidya). But a knowledge of the Vedas is > necessary to prepare the mind for the highest knowledge. > > Just as oil is hidden in seeds, butter in curd, mind in the brain, > pith in munja grass, fire in smoke, sun behind clouds, water > underneath the moss in a stagnant pool of water, fire in fuel, music > in gramophone record, scent in buds, gold in quartz, this Atman or > Brahman or Supreme Self is hidden in this body. Just as you take the > butter by churning process, so also you will have to realise the > Truth by the process of meditation. > > When you are established in the Svarupa, where are Ishvara, Jiva and > Jagat? Where is body? Where are the Prarabdha, Sanchita and Agami? > Where are the Muladhara and Kundalini? Where are the heaven and the > hell? Where are virtue and vice? Where are the Dvandva, good and > bad, pleasure and pain, heat and cold, gain and loss, victory and > defeat? Where is Shakti? Where are Maya and Avidya? Where are Guru > and disciple? Where are Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi? Where are the > Vedas, the Upanishads and the Brahma Sutras? Where are Sravana, > Manana and Nididhyasana? Where are the three Gunas and five Koshas? > Where are the Mahavakyas `Aham Brahma Asmi' and `Tat Tvam Asi'? > Where is Pranava? Where are Dharmas and Adharmas? Where are East and > West, day and night, light and darkness? > > Some close and open the nostrils 820 times daily to attain this > state. Some stand upon the head for six hours. Some try to open the > Gudachakra by Asvini Mudra by opening and shutting the anus. Some > remain in water upto the neck for 12 hours in winter. Some expose > themselves to the hot sun in summer amidst five fires (Panchagni > Tapas). Some live on offal and Neem leaves. Some roam about from > Badri to Cape Comorin on foot. Some roll the beads standing on one > leg. Some take one meal every third day (Kricchra Vrata). These are > egoistic practices of dull persons. These are the means to purify > the mind and control the Indriyas. They are not the end itself. The > end is the attainment of Brahma Jnana or they knowledge of the Self. > > Jnana or knowledge of Brahman is purely a mental state. It is > subjective. It is a state of spiritual illumination which dawns when > the mind is absolutely calm, when it is free from all desires, > passions, Vasanas and all sorts of thoughts. The Akhanda Brahmakara > Vritti arises from the pure mind when it is perfectly Sattvic, when > all the Sankalpas stop. Jnana is the fruit of pure Sattvic Vichara. > > `Chit' is absolute consciousness. This is the substratum for the > intellect. Intellect borrows its light and power from this pure > Chit. In reality you are `Chit Svarupa'—an embodiment of > intelligence. This has to be realised through constant meditation. > This demands self-denial, self-renunciation, self-abnegation and > self-forgetfulness. This little illusory `I' must be thoroughly > annihilated beyond resurrection. This is the teaching of Vedanta. > > One should live in the spirit of Vedanta by destroying `I'- > ness, `mine'-ness, selfishness and attachment. Then alone he can be > really happy even while discharging the duties of his life by > remaining in the world. Then the petty life of hurry, worry, > excitement and competition will seem to you as nothing when compared > to the everlasting life of eternal sunshine and bliss in the Atman > within. > > It is a great pity that almost all people have totally ignored the > simpler happy inner life of introspection and have caught hold of > false toys of Maya such as money, women, power, fame, name, > position, etc. Sooner or later the experiences of the world, the > knocks and blows of the mundane existence will force them to turn > their minds inwards to realise the true everlasting happiness. Even > if you live in the true spirit of a single Mantra of the Upanishads, > you will attain the summum bonum of existence, viz., Immortality and > Eternal Bliss of the Self! > > May you all enjoy the Bliss of the Eternal by realising the Supreme > Tattva!! May you lead the life of a practical Vedantin in the daily > battle of life!!! > > ---------Swami Sivanandaji > > With Love & OM! > > Krishna Prasad > > > > advaitin, "eric paroissien" > <vertvetiver> wrote: > > Hari OM Krishnaji, > > let the one who understands the basic principles of advaita come > > forth and tell us why anyone ever wanted to separate sat, chit and > > ananda in three concepts. > > love, eric > > > > advaitin, "Krishna Prasad" <rkrishp99> > > wrote: > > > Hari OM! > > > > > > Blessed Eric, > > > > > > Maya means, Like we are emailing and talking like this, without > > > understanding the basic principle of Advaita, that is MAYA! > > > > > > Maya never started, but there is an end to it. > > > > > > Yes, Without Brahman there is no Maya also. > > > > > > > > > With Love & OM! > > > > > > Krishna Prasad > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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