Nithidhyasana

[Guest guest]

Dear Bob,

>From your question I get a feeling that you understand NithidhyAsana as some

sort of Meditation or contemplation. It is those things; but it is also much

more than that. To make myself clear I have to touch briefly on the other 2

steps of the 3-step process that Vedantic learning is:

 

1. Shravana - Here a student listens to the teaching with faith from a teacher

who is both well versed in the scriptures (because they alone are reliable

sources of such knowledge) as well as self-realised (how can a person who has

himself not been to a place show another the way to it). At this stage the

knowledge most probably will suffer from 2 defects - that of shamshaya (doubt)

and of viparyaya (habit). The other 2 steps are for ridding the knowledge of

these 2 defects.

 

2. Mananna - Here the student approaches the teacher with all his questions to

clear his doubts. The questioning again is done with faith i.e. with a view to

clearing his own doubts on the subject rather than for testing the knowledge of

the teacher.

 

3. Nithidhyasana - After the doubts are cleared, the student's own force of

habit accumulated over his entire lifetime stands as an obstacle to owning up of

this knowledge. The student has always been viewing the world from the

perspective of the limited 'I' that he cannot accept that there is total

non-difference between him and the rest of creation. For this one has to

literally soak oneself in this knowledge by constantly exposing oneself to this

knowledge. This can be done through meditation and contemplation but also

through participating in list discussions such as this, attending satsangs,

reading books, chanting scriptures like Gita (if not the original one can read

aloud repeatedly a good translation of which ther are many) and generally living

an ethical and moral life. This again needs a lot of faith and a lot of patience

as the process may last a few lifetimes.

>From my own experience I can tell you that the very act of living in a

competetive world may act counter to the above process of owning up this

knowledge. This requires some toning down of ones ambition. Maintaining high

levels of excellence (because the Gita says he who does not contribute to the

society as much as he receives from it is a thief) with a toned down the

ambition is the trick that I am at present trying to master.

 

I would also recommend that you listen to Swami Paramathananda's Gita lectures

on www.yogamalika.org. What I have stated above is to a large extent what I have

learnt from the Swamiji. Every Monday a new lecture is posted. The Swamiji will

soon be starting Chapter 6 of the Gita which should among other things deal with

the subject of doing meditation/ contemplation as a part of the process of

nithydhyasana. I must warn you - the Swami's pronunciation is heavily accented.

It will be worth your while not to be put off by it.

 

Regards,

Venkat

 

 

advaitin, Bob Freedman <rlfreed@p...> wrote:

 

> Namaste Professor-ji,

> I have a feeling that I want to do it, but I don't know what a

> "nididhyAsana" is. I looked it up in one of my books on Hinduism,

and

> it defines the word as "contemplation," but I have a feeling that

it's a

> specific method of contemplation.

>

> Thanks for whatever you can tell me,

>

> Bob

 

 

 

 

Messenger NEW - crystal clear PC to PCcalling worldwide with voicemail

 

 

[Guest guest]

Shree Venkatji - you have explained the process beautifully. It is

refreshing after so many mails that discounted sadhana on the part of

the seeker. Yes I have heard Shree swami Paramaarthanandaji talks and B.

Suutra notes are based on his talks.

 

As swami Dheeranandaji of CMWRC used to say - HABIT-s are hard to die.

Even if one removes H - A BIT remains and even after removing A BIT

still remains and after removing B - It still remains. Until the I - the

ego is removed, then only the truth T reveals itself.

 

How long one needs to do Nidhidyaasana? - until the question of How long

itself dissolves.

 

Hari OM!

Sadananda

 

--- S Venkatraman <svenkat52 wrote:

 

> 3. Nithidhyasana - After the doubts are cleared, the student's own

> force of habit accumulated over his entire lifetime stands as an

> obstacle to owning up of this knowledge. The student has always been

> viewing the world from the perspective of the limited 'I' that he

> cannot accept that there is total non-difference between him and the

> rest of creation. For this one has to literally soak oneself in this

> knowledge by constantly exposing oneself to this knowledge. This can

> be done through meditation and contemplation but also through

> participating in list discussions such as this, attending satsangs,

> reading books, chanting scriptures like Gita (if not the original one

> can read aloud repeatedly a good translation of which ther are many)

> and generally living an ethical and moral life. This again needs a lot

> of faith and a lot of patience as the process may last a few

> lifetimes.

[Guest guest]

Namste Vankat-Ji and Sadanada-JI for wonder explanation.

 

Here is what my Ph.D. Professor use to say. He was also helped me

understand some of the finer points from our Yoga philosophy as well:

 

His sUtra was:

 

Listen (shravaNa), Think (manana) AND Understand (nididhyaasana);

 

But this has to be followed by -

 

LISTEN, UNDERSTAND and THINK.

 

Our sages were scientists in their own right it is us we need to

keep on trying to understand what has been said.

 

Regards and best wishes for all saadhakaa's

 

Dr. Yadu

 

 

 

advaitin, kuntimaddi sadananda

<kuntimaddisada> wrote:

> Shree Venkatji - you have explained the process beautifully. It is

> refreshing after so many mails that discounted sadhana on the part

of

> the seeker. Yes I have heard Shree swami Paramaarthanandaji talks

and B.

> Suutra notes are based on his talks.

>

> As swami Dheeranandaji of CMWRC used to say - HABIT-s are hard to

die.

> Even if one removes H - A BIT remains and even after removing A

BIT

> still remains and after removing B - It still remains. Until the

I - the

> ego is removed, then only the truth T reveals itself.

>

> How long one needs to do Nidhidyaasana? - until the question of

How long

> itself dissolves.

>

> Hari OM!

> Sadananda

>

> --- S Venkatraman <svenkat52> wrote:

>

>

> > 3. Nithidhyasana - After the doubts are cleared, the student's

own

> > force of habit accumulated over his entire lifetime stands as an

> > obstacle to owning up of this knowledge. The student has always

been

> > viewing the world from the perspective of the limited 'I' that he

> > cannot accept that there is total non-difference between him and

the

> > rest of creation. For this one has to literally soak oneself in

this

> > knowledge by constantly exposing oneself to this knowledge. This

can

> > be done through meditation and contemplation but also through

> > participating in list discussions such as this, attending

satsangs,

> > reading books, chanting scriptures like Gita (if not the

original one

> > can read aloud repeatedly a good translation of which ther are

many)

> > and generally living an ethical and moral life. This again needs

a lot

> > of faith and a lot of patience as the process may last a few

> > lifetimes.

[Guest guest]

advaitin, S Venkatraman <svenkat52> wrote:

>

 

Namaste,

 

Being, or used to be, an avid reader and practice of sadhana, I'm sure

the penny wouldn't have dropped for me. Nidhidhyasana leads one to

sharpen ones vijnanamayakosa if not intitially cleanse it. That always

continues underneath. Before I started; my mind was everywhere, I

didn't understand even intellectually the concept of God,Advaita and

Nir Guna and Ajivada would have been a million lifetimes away in

understanding...............ONS...Tony.