The Magic Snake

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah

 

Once i wrote about the Magic Ladder (post # 28630) and now it is time

to write about the Magic Snake (post # see above). In this Leela of

Snakes and Ladders, the snake that brought us down is also said to be

a Secret magic ladder by which we can go up.

 

 

THE MAGIC SNAKE

 

Everybody knows that Advaita is about learning how to climb out of

the body. It is not an easy task to do because it is made difficult

by some winding action that has already taken place. An idea of the

winding action that has already taken place may be grasped by

investigating the matter in the following light. The problem has to

be first formulated as a problem of climbing out of the body by going

from inside to outside. Then it can be seen that the task of climbing

outside from inside is a difficult one because it is difficult to

climb out to someplace where you already are from some place where

you are not actually confined to. So you see, something has been

wound up. It is actually wound up even more complicatedly than it

seems because one has to also climb out of the time that one is in

the body to the time that one is out of the body, which again has the

difficulty of climbing to the Time that one always Is from the time

in the body that one is not actually confined to. And besides these

kinds of climbing out that have to be done, there are also other

complicated kinds of climbing out to be done for totally climbing out

of the body. There are totally six kinds of climbing out to be done

before climbing out fully happens. Considering these many twisted

complications that are involved in it, it is logical to conclude that

without doing some hard unwinding it will continue to be difficult to

climb out of the body.

 

Advaita Vedanta says that we should take flight into the Infinite

like a bird that leaves no footprint behind it, but taking flight in

this manner will be an easy thing to do for only those beings who are

already standing on their owned heads instead of being wound up to be

inside the body. Those that are wound up to be inside the body are

likely to get obstructed by the complicated structures of the body

that would come in between their efforts and the result that they

desire. Therefore, for those who are wound up to be inside the body

the unwinding has to be first learnt. There are schools in this world

where it can be learnt and unlearnt how to do this unwinding. A

little bit about snakes will have to be learnt and then one can go

round and round with great velocity until one is unwound. It is a

Magic Snake activity that may be practised for undoing the winding

for wound-up-beings to become free of the circle of the chakravyuha

that they have entered into.

 

 

Scholium

 

The science of the Magic Snake is also about de-automation because it

is about snakes unwinding which is what de-automation is about.

Snakes make automation happen by their winding action that has

already happened due to which beings have become automated-beings

that are automatically making more and more automation happen for the

purpose of making their automated-beings be comfortable for enjoying

the world. But automated-beings have been automated like automatons

and as a result of this they cannot stop the activity of their

automated-beings automatically doing activities that come in the way

of their enjoying of the world. Once when i was in Bangalore, which

very soon may be called Bengaluru (etymology: bendha = baked, kalu =

nuts, ooru = place), i went to a celebrated institute called the

Indian Institute of Science which is located at this place and saw

that there was within the arrangements of the many celebrated halls

of learning that it had arranged, one celebrated hall of learning

called the School of Automation which was instituted for teaching how

to make automation happen. It is quite an amazing thing it was trying

to teach because the school (which was by itself an amazing

achievement of automation) was trying to automate automated-beings

for making automation happen. But as we all may or may not be aware,

automated-beings cannot be comfortable with automation because of a

bug in the software that is imbedded into the body of the automated-

beings due to which the winding action has already taken place

resulting in automated-beings being too much wound up for them to be

comfortable. Therefore the software has to be de-bugged for unwinding

to be facilitated. The science of the Magic Snake is about learning

how to do this debugging and it is also about de-automation as by now

it must be clear to everybody. It has to do with snakes unwinding due

to which beings get released from being automated-beings. Then they

are de-automated because they have climbed out of the body which is

the mechanism that is automated. Then there is Freedom to Be the Song

that is singing in Ecstasy.

 

 

Warm regards,

Chittaranjan

[Guest guest]

Namaste Chittaranjan-ji!

 

I am amazed by the power of your words, so much so that i have not been able

to reply as of yet, and this still doesn't counts much as a reply, i still

have to reflect seriously on your last 2 great posts (this one and "Vikshepa

Shakti"). Also, i must add that i am deeply honored by your appreciation of

my presence on this list, even though it should be quite the opposite, i am

the one to be thankfull for your sharing the grace of your knowledge, i bow

to thee.

 

I can deeply relate to the "automaton" concept, as elaborated in your post,

and as i read it all i felt a chill going up and down my spine, as i even

instantly remembered having psychological problems in my earlier youth after

picking up this scent in the air. I believe we should by all means be

focused on our inner selves, but as of now i must point to a social crossing

point between our inner and outer selves. As i said previously, i am unable

at this point to assess my own degree of automation, and how deep inside may

i be wound, but a troubling social reflection jumps instantly to my mind's

foreground.

 

When we cross the concepts presented, within the possibilities of one

undertaking a majority of adharmic choices, lost in the sea of

("un-pure")concepts and locked "behind the steel door of the corrupted

intelect", and the inter-connections between one automaton and those around,

it could very well be perceived that in no time we could all be roaming

around an automated, generally corrupted society. The concept of collective

consciousness comes in handy, as society could be regarded as a conscious

organism in itself, being a macrocosm of the individual universe. Should it

be understood that at the transactional level social forces actually

advertise and promote an adharmic code of conduct and correspondent choices

to its participants? In admitting such, (this is what i am not certain)

could intellect (i believe buddhi is not fitting here) act as a tool

contrary to liberation, it being amongst other functions, a tool to promote

interaction and "guide" the apparent individual within social confines,

reaching a point where cognitive functions act as a binding force, other

than liberating?

 

Finally, so that i can proper understand the layout presented, and relate it

all back to inner self (as of the apparent individual), would manas precede

buddhi in the act of informational input? If so, after the ripples have been

drawn on the surface of the lake, should buddhi be responsible to

intermediate and re-direct (as the agent of liberation, in the particular

system being assessed) mind to a proper state, subduing manas? If not so, is

there a proper way to "position" buddhi as the primary receiver and

transactor of information between inner and outer self, so that manas is

bypassed at the source?

 

My warmest regards, words fail to describe the greatness of your last

posts...

 

PS: Could you please elaborate on "anirvachanya"? My last two articles,

mainly the last one, relate to where i am at now, so that is only as far as

i am able to perceive, i believe i may need some help in ascertaining the

nex step...

 

 

 

 

 

 

_____

doce lar. Faça do sua homepage.

http://br./homepageset.html

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Felipe,

 

Refer your post 29824

 

advaitin, "Felipe" <fcrema> wrote:

> Also, i must add that i am deeply honored by your

> appreciation of my presence on this list, even though

> it should be quite the opposite,

 

Your presence is a lamp and not its opposite. :-)

 

> I can deeply relate to the "automaton" concept, as elaborated

> in your post, and as i read it all i felt a chill going up

> and down my spine, as i even instantly remembered having

> psychological problems in my earlier youth after picking up

> this scent in the air.

 

I sincerely believe that going through psychological problems is a

way for many of us to come to the path of Truth.

 

On a slightly different note, I would say that all of us in samsara

are psychological patients suffering from either neurosis or

psychosis. Those of us that suffer from neurosis are on the spiritual

path. (Otherwise we wouldn't be searching for our own Self.) Those of

us that suffer from psychosis think that we are so completely the

automatons that we don't even know we have to search. :-)

 

On the automation, I would say that there is a certain nexus of

purusha and prakriti by which the automated-being happens. It may

best be articulated by re-wording Lord Krishna's words in the

Bhagavad Gita as follows: "The gunas of prakriti act according to

their own nature or dharma (the automaton), and it is by avidya that

the self appears to be bound up in their activity. In the fire of

knowledge, all actions drop away from the Self."

 

Prakriti is the automation, and purusha somehow gets into the

automated mechanism of prakriti. In the obscuring process of getting

bound up with prakriti, the winding action is an experiential

actuality. It is the twisted knot of entanglement by which

consciousness sees itself as being placed in the body. It could never

have happened unless Consciousness actually has this mysterious

power. It is called Kundalini Shakti. It is the Fire of Consciousness

by which Magic happens. It is the Magic Snake by which Shiva comes

down to reside as the pashu (beast) in the body. The coil of the

Kundalini (the coil of the serpent) is the obscuration by which one

comes to be in the body. The straightening of the Kundalini happens

by awakening. To awaken is to see. When seen, the obscuration

disappears (because obscuration is 'not seeing'). Kundalini is then

straightened. This happens through the Consciousness of a whirling

action (unwinding) that can be awesome and earth-shattering. Once the

Kundalini is awakened, man (pashu – beast) is on his way to Shiva.

Kundalini is the Shakti of limitation and unlimitation, of ascent and

descent. There are said to be six centres of twisted knots on the

path of ascension before Shakti and Shiva merge in the Sahasrara

Chakra, the thousand-petalled lotus that blossoms out into the Union

of ineffable Ecstasy.

 

The path of Kundalini is not the path of Advaita. It is the path of

yoga whereas Advaita is the path of jnana, though I believe that it

depends merely on the perspective as seen from the situatedness of

the aspirant. The sincere seeker is automatically led to the path

that is appropriate for him or her. The sincerity of the aspirant is

the guarantee of his or her salvation. Sincerity is the authenticity

by which the aspirant simply finds where he or she is actually

situated as well as the path that leads from thereon to Light.

 

> Finally, so that i can proper understand the layout presented,

> and relate it all back to inner self (as of the apparent

> individual), would manas precede buddhi in the act of

> informational input? If so, after the ripples have been

> drawn on the surface of the lake, should buddhi be responsible

> to intermediate and re-direct (as the agent of liberation,

> in the particular system being assessed) mind to a proper

> state, subduing manas? If not so, is there a proper way

> to "position" buddhi as the primary receiver and

> transactor of information between inner and outer self, so

> that manas is bypassed at the source?

 

In Advaita, the body is seen as five sheaths that are like layers one

over the other. The innermost sheath is called anandamayakosha. It is

the sheath of bliss. Over it is the vijnanamayakisha, the sheath of

buddhi or the intellect. It shines in Consciousness and therefore it

reflects the truth in the Self. The Self is Self-aware. When it is

aware through (the activity of) the sheath of vijnana (or buddhi), it

is called logic, the capacity of determining the truth as reflected

purely in Consciousness. Whenever we employ logic, we are reflecting

this truth from the vijnanamayakosha, the pure intellect. Over this

sheath is the sheath of manomayakosha, the sheath of mind. It

prevaricates, jumps from one thing to another without fixity. It is

the natural tendency of the mind. It is more outer than buddhi. In a

sense, we may say that (for a sadhaka) the mind and the buddhi are at

war with each other. One carries him away to the fantasy land of

doubts, and the other brings him back to the fixity of truth. The

intellect is the instrument for attaining knowledge, and knowledge

has the power of fixity (stithi); therefore its power is called

Jyestha, fixedness. It is essentially the fixedness of Self because

the Self is naturally and effortlessly fixed in Self-Awareness. Above

the sheath of mind, is the pranamayakosha, the sheath of breath (or

more truly, the sheath of life-metabolism). Over the sheath of

breath, is the annamayakosha, the gross body that we are all familiar

with.

 

A few words need to be said on the pranamayakosha because it is a two-

in-one, having two distinct connotations, one as breath and the other

as the life-giving principle. It is called the life-giving principle

because when it leaves the body, the life is said to have gone out of

the body. It is perceived as the breath as having left the body.

Actually, the four inner sheaths from the anandamayakosha to

pranamayakosha form the subtle body which stays with the self as it

wanders about from life to life, entering one gross body after

another, endlessly transmigrating in samsara until it finds the

Elixer of Eternity. But prana is not merely breath. It is the life-

current, the living metabolism of the body. It is the force of life,

and it is the reason why people in the medieval ages used to speak

about the vital-force holding the body together - before modern

physiology came in to reduce the body to the pure mechanical engine

that modern medical science thinks it is. What is prana? If I don't

see my hand, if I don't even feel the touch of anything on my hand,

something still appears to my consciousness as the hand and as the

connection that I have with my hand. That connectedness is the

consciousness of life in the hand. That is prana.

 

To answer your question, manas can't be bypassed. I would say,

sincerity is the key that will lead the buddhi to operate purely even

if one doesn't bother too much with the philosophical distinctions of

buddhi and mind.

 

> When we cross the concepts presented, within the possibilities

> of one undertaking a majority of adharmic choices, lost in

> the sea of ("un-pure")concepts and locked "behind the steel

> door of the corrupted intelect", and the inter-connections

> between one automaton and those around, it could very well

> be perceived that in no time we could all be roaming around

> an automated, generally corrupted society. The concept of

> collective consciousness comes in handy, as society could

> be regarded as a conscious organism in itself, being a

> macrocosm of the individual universe. Should it be understood

> that at the transactional level social forces actually

> advertise and promote an adharmic code of conduct and

> correspondent choices to its participants? In admitting such,

> (this is what i am not certain) could intellect (i believe

> buddhi is not fitting here) act as a tool contrary to

> liberation, it being amongst other functions, a tool to

> promote interaction and "guide" the apparent individual

> within social confines, reaching a point where cognitive

> functions act as a binding force, other than liberating?

 

You have defined the way of Kali Yuga quite accurately. The

term 'corrupted intellect' actually means that the intellect (buddhi)

is made less operational and is overwhelmed by the other stronger

tendencies of the manas. The intellect by itself is used for

determining the truth of objects as well as for seeking the more

profound truth of the Transcendental Reality. The pure intellect by

itself can never go astray. It is the 'corrupted intellect' that

misleads. When the prevarications of the mind is stronger and leads

to erroneous determinations, the intellect is said to be corrupted.

But we have so far not spoken about an additional factor that

interferes in this intellectual-mental activity. It is called desire.

It lies in the innermost sheath, the anandamayakosha. Desire is the

seed that is behind creation, the deep deep desire for erotic

enjoyment. The universe is born out of the heat of ecstasy. The

anandamayakosha is a sheath in the matrix of duality, and this sheath

prevents it from seeing the infinite bliss of the Self. It is the

primal limitation of the inner joy of Self, but this limited joy of

anandamayakosha is still intense, and out of the intense joy of self

seeking even more joy in the gardens of delight as it were, creation

proceeds forth as its enigmatic child. This desire is innate in all

beings, and it springs forth through the outer sheaths and prevents

the intellect from being operative. The mind then offers

justification for what desire wants. Much of what we call logic and

intellectual activity is the mind providing its apology for the wants

of the desire that is in the soul. I think much of the great

political literature of the world would fall under the category of

great apologies. But the Republic of Plato is a wonderful book on the

topic of how corruption happens both at the individual level as well

as at the societal level. His solution though is a bit radical.

 

> PS: Could you please elaborate on "anirvachanya"? My last

> two articles, mainly the last one, relate to where i am at

> now, so that is only as far as i am able to perceive, i

> believe i may need some help in ascertaining the nex step...

 

I shall try to do so in a separate post after a day or two. At the

moment I am a bit overwhelmed by the clamour of the world which the

automaton of my winded being is unable to avoid. :-)

 

Warm regards,

Chittaranjan

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "Chittaranjan Naik"

<chittaranjan_naik> wrote:

>

> Dear Sri Felipe,

>

> Refer your post 29824

>

What is prana? If I don't

> see my hand, if I don't even feel the touch of anything on my hand,

> something still appears to my consciousness as the hand and as the

> connection that I have with my hand. That connectedness is the

> consciousness of life in the hand. That is prana.

 

Dear Chittaranjanji,

 

Namaste,

 

Can you kindly elaborate the point in a little more detailed manner.

 

Swami Vivekananda says about this topic in the Raja Yoga which is as

under:

 

The word used is Prana. Prana is not exactly breath. It is the name

for the energy that is in the universe. Whatever you see in the

universe, whatever moves or works, or has life, is a manifestation of

this Prana. The sum - total of the energy displayed in the universe

is called Prana. This Prana, before a cycle begins, remains in an

almost motionless state; and when the cycle begins, this Prana begins

to manifest itself. It is this Prana that is manifested as motion --

as the nervous motion in human beings or animals; and the same Prana

is manifesting as thought, and so on. The whole universe is a

combination of Prana and Akasha; so is the human body. Out of Akasha

you get the different materials that you feel and see, and out of

Prana all the various forces. Now this throwing out and restraining

the Prana is what is called Pranayama.

 

Then can we say that the vital energy causes the breath? and it is

distinctly other than that?

 

HARI OM TAT SAT

 

Yours in the Lord,

 

Br. Vinayaka.

[Guest guest]

Vinayaka <vinayaka_ns wrote: --- In

advaitin, "Chittaranjan Naik"

<chittaranjan_naik> wrote:

>

> Dear Sri Felipe,

>

> Refer your post 29824

>

What is prana? If I don't

> see my hand, if I don't even feel the touch of anything on my hand,

> something still appears to my consciousness as the hand and as the

> connection that I have with my hand. That connectedness is the

> consciousness of life in the hand. That is prana.

 

Dear Chittaranjanji,

 

Namaste,

 

Can you kindly elaborate the point in a little more detailed manner.

 

From

Sankarraman

In yogavasishta there is a verse to the

effect that the mind, which is illusory, imagines that there is an entity

called prana being responsible for whatever materialization conceptualized by

the mind, and that this prana should be controlled. Prana seems to be a gross

form of objectivity projecting the waking and dream states. The existence of

the prana in the deep sleep as the sentinel guarding the psychosomatic

apparatus, is conceded in the Upanishads, but it being proved at the same time

that the individual who wakes up when roused is not the insentient prana, but

the Self entering into the individual up to the tips of the finger nails as it

were. From the subjective standpoint very much stressed by Bhaghavan, even the

existence of the prana in the deep sleep state is from the viewpoint of the

onlooker and not that of the being in deep sleep who is bereft of individuality

and the consequent objectivity. The branding of even deep

sleep as one of ignorance is only from the standpoint of the waking

individual, who believing in the illusion of his existence, gets floundered

when his relevance and role are proved to be false. The sleeper does not have

these concerns. Bhaghavan says that even the positing of the kosa of ananda is

only traceable to the unreal vignana which should find out its identity in the

full blaze of waking state itself, which enquiry if pursued assiduously would

result in the perception of the one I alone being true, which is not even a

witness there being nothing external to be witnessed. All these ideas are

beautifully explained poetically in the text Ribu Gita which unequivocally

condemns all duality.

With kind regards,

Sankarraman

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Ref Post 28959 ( Sri Chitta's post)

 

CN writes

 

(Shakti and Shiva merge in the Sahasrara Chakra, the thousand-

petalled lotus that blossoms out into the Union of ineffable

Ecstasy._)

 

Beautiful sentiments . The goal of all Tantric sadhana.

 

Then CN continues to state :

 

(The path of Kundalini is not the path of Advaita. It is the path of

yoga whereas Advaita is the path of jnana)

 

True but not in its entirety. What was the path Sri Ramakrishna

followed? Was it Advaita or was it yoga? It was advaita. Was it

not ? Did he not transcend 'duality( his devotion to Mother Goddess

KALI) to be a Brahma jnani ? Can you categorically say that Sri

Ramakrishna did not have a'kundalini' awakening experience ? It is

said Sri Ramakrishna also helped Swami Vivkenanda

experience 'kundalini' awakening once by Sparsha diksha . So much so,

when Young Naren asked for a repeat experience from the great Master,

The master told the disciple to travel the path all on his own. :-)

 

The goal of Advaita sadhana may not be 'kundalini' awakening but it

is the by product of all realization be it through a path of Jnana or

Hatha yoga. This is also true of Bhakti marga. All self realized

souls belonging to any faith ( even Jesus Christ) have had Kundalini

awakenings.

 

CN, was it not Frederick Nietzche who said something about Linguistic

freedom. "Words can be a prejudice" ( recalling from memory)

 

The Kundalini power is dormant in the human body. In all realized

souls ( no matter what path they belong to - may it bhakti, jnana,

raja yoga ...etc) , Kundalini awakening takes place at the time of

self-realization.

 

Can you say that sri Madhusudana Saraswati or Adi shankara or

Chaitanya mahaprabhu or even sri Ramana did not have a kundalini

awakening at one time or the other? The only thing to remember is as

Sri Ramana said ' it is not permanent and where there is an

ascension, there is decension also . ' That is why he recommended the

path of 'Atma vichara' and the awakening of the 'amrita nadi' in the

right side of the heart.

 

On another note. The Shankaracharya of Puri( I caannot recall his

name) had a Ruby Sri Chakra and he regularly practiced Sri Vidya

upasana by doing sri chakra puja. Not only that , he shared this

Vidya with Sri Rama . Sri Rama has mentioned this in his book on

Himalayan masters.

 

I do agree with Sankararaman when he talks about a distinction

between empirical Truths and A Metaphysical Truth. The absolute Truth

is neither 'Sat' OR 'Asat as BG says.

 

I must however congratulate you , CN, on the excellent post on

the 'Magic of snakes and Ladders' - this was definitely a

spiritual 'high' for me in every sense of the word.

 

I do not know if you have heard of the serpent Goddess 'Manasa

Devi . 'She is mentioned in Devi Bhagvatam. She is a very powerful

goddess and is the ishta nishta of all Siddhas.

 

Read about her 'INFINITE SHAKTI ' at the following website

 

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk09ch48.htm - 28k

 

Warmest regards

 

ps - btw , i really liked your explanation of 'PURUSHA- PRAKRITI'

PRINCIPLE. btw the word'Purushattama' does not mean foremost

among 'men' - it means the highest of all!:-)

[Guest guest]

"All self realized

souls belonging to any faith ( even Jesus Christ)"

 

What is the proof that Jesus was a self relaized person?. Based on my

reading of Bible I find quite disgusting. Isn't this amounts to saying

that God of bible is same as Brhamn?.

 

Please help me in removing this darkness of ignorance.

[Guest guest]

Namaste Sri Vinayaka-ji,

 

advaitin, "Vinayaka" <vinayaka_ns> wrote:

> Namaste,

>

> Can you kindly elaborate the point in a little more

> detailed manner.

>

> Swami Vivekananda says about this topic in the Raja Yoga

> which is as under:

>

> The word used is Prana. Prana is not exactly breath. It is

> the name for the energy that is in the universe. Whatever

> you see in the universe, whatever moves or works, or has

> life, is a manifestation of this Prana. The sum - total of

> the energy displayed in the universe is called Prana. This

> Prana, before a cycle begins, remains in an almost motionless

> state; and when the cycle begins, this Prana begins to

> manifest itself. It is this Prana that is manifested as

> motion -- as the nervous motion in human beings or animals;

> and the same Prana is manifesting as thought, and so on.

> The whole universe is a combination of Prana and Akasha;

> so is the human body. Out of Akasha you get the different

> materials that you feel and see, and out of Prana all

> the various forces. Now this throwing out and restraining

> the Prana is what is called Pranayama.

>

> Then can we say that the vital energy causes the breath?

> and it is distinctly other than that?

 

 

What can i add to what Swami Vivekananda says? I can only try to

understand it, and the words that i write here are only efforts in

that direction. I think the key word in all that may be said about

prana is 'life'. Life is essentially Consciousness. It is on account

of Consciousness that we say a thing has life. But a living thing

(being) is not a passive thing. It acts, and it has a metabolism by

which it holds itself together to perform its actions.

 

The 'force of life' by which the living body holds itself together

and performs its actions is 'prana'. It is therefore the life-current

within living beings. It is also the life coursing through the body

to make it work as a single coherent organism. It is the living

principle that is at the heart of its metabolism.

 

In its grosser form 'life' expresses itself in the body as breath.

This breath breathes within the body and also in and out of the body.

The breath within is felt as the grosser aerial manifestation of the

life-current. It may be perceived as the five airs, but the force by

which it moves is the life-force. That is prana.

 

We are used to thinking that living beings have life, and that the

universe is dead matter. Therefore, we look for a principle called

the 'law of the universe'. In the Vedic world-view, the unified law

of the universe is Ritam, the way things are in Brahman. It is the

eternal dharma of things. The way of the actions of things are in the

very dharma of things, but these actions are in Stillness in the

Eternity of Brahman. Brahman sets these actions into motion (which

are already in the dharma of things) through Time. It is called

Creation. Brahman is the Life of all things. The force with which

Brahman sets things in motion is the Life-Force of the Universe. It

is the same Prana that is both within in the body and in the universe

which is the body of Brahman seen in the manifested world as

Hiranyagarbha and Virat in their subtle and gross forms respectively.

The Life-Force of the Universe is also equated to vayu in its lower

form as air, and as mukhya-prana or the essential Living Current in

in its higher form. (Sri Madhvacharya and Sri Hanuman are said to be

incarnations of mukhya-prana. But prana is also Air. The Wind Gods

are called the Maruts, and they are said to be lower manifestations

of Shiva. That is how Sri Hanuman comes to be both an aspect of Shiva

as well as mukhya-prana.)

 

Akasha is the first element. When creation is seen to be actual, then

all elements are seen to arise out of akasha through parinama.

Parinama is the tranformation of akasha into objects through names

without changing the nature of the all-pervasive akasha. The force of

transformation is the life-principle of the Universe: it is the Life-

Current of Consciousness through which the metabolism of the Universe

functions.

 

These are a few reflections on the topic of prana which are picked up

from here and there.

 

Warm regards,

Chittaranjan

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "chandramauli_s"

<chandramauli_s> wrote:

>

> "All self realized

> souls belonging to any faith ( even Jesus Christ)"

>

> What is the proof that Jesus was a self relaized person?. Based on

my

> reading of Bible I find quite disgusting. Isn't this amounts to

saying

> that God of bible is same as Brhamn?.

>

> Please help me in removing this darkness of ignorance.

>

Namaste,

 

First of all one shouldn't confuse Jesus with the Bible or any

scripture. The Bible was a collection of books and writings from

several different traditions in the area, over some millenia.

 

Jesus can only be judged from his 'Sayings'not from any religions

based on his name. In the end result only a Mukta can recognise a

Mukta but many Indian Saints regarded Jesus as so.

 

I am working on this right now and have been for some time.

 

http://www.geocities.com/aoclery/Jesusbook/

 

You will find the Gospel of Thomas quite non dualistic.

 

This quote below could no doubt be checked out, for it is rumoured

Jesus/Isa was in India.

 

"Finally, there is a confirmation of the accuracy of the Hemis

Scriptures about Issa from another part of India al-together, and

from a Hindu rather than a Buddhist source. It will be recalled that

these scriptures said Issa spent six years in Jagannath (now Puri)

and other holy cities of the Hindus, before going to live for a

further six years in the Himalayas. Sri Daya Mata, president of Self-

Realization Fellowship, went to India in 1959, and in an interview

with one of India's great spiritual leaders, His Holiness Sri

Bharati Krishna Tirtha, the Shankaracharya of Puri, she mentioned

that she had been told that Jesus "spent some of his life in India,

in association with her illumined sages. His Holiness replied, 'That

is true. I have studied ancient records in the Puri Jagannath Temple

archives confirming those facts. He was known as "Isha," and during

part of his time in India he stayed in the Jagannath Temple. When he

returned to his part of the world, he expounded the teachings that

are known today as Christianity'"[20]. . . [Excerpts from Mason's

book, In Search of the Living God, Chapter 4. Also, ]"

 

.................ONS...Tony.

[Guest guest]

"These are a few reflections on the topic of prana which are picked

up

from here and there.

 

Warm regards,

Chittaranjan"

 

 

Thanks Chitranjan ji for such deep sights. You cleared many of my

doubts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

advaitin, "Chittaranjan Naik"

<chittaranjan_naik> wrote:

>

> Namaste Sri Vinayaka-ji,

>

> advaitin, "Vinayaka" <vinayaka_ns>

wrote:

>

> > Namaste,

> >

> > Can you kindly elaborate the point in a little more

> > detailed manner.

> >

> > Swami Vivekananda says about this topic in the Raja Yoga

> > which is as under:

> >

> > The word used is Prana. Prana is not exactly breath. It is

> > the name for the energy that is in the universe. Whatever

> > you see in the universe, whatever moves or works, or has

> > life, is a manifestation of this Prana. The sum - total of

> > the energy displayed in the universe is called Prana. This

> > Prana, before a cycle begins, remains in an almost motionless

> > state; and when the cycle begins, this Prana begins to

> > manifest itself. It is this Prana that is manifested as

> > motion -- as the nervous motion in human beings or animals;

> > and the same Prana is manifesting as thought, and so on.

> > The whole universe is a combination of Prana and Akasha;

> > so is the human body. Out of Akasha you get the different

> > materials that you feel and see, and out of Prana all

> > the various forces. Now this throwing out and restraining

> > the Prana is what is called Pranayama.

 

....

[Guest guest]

Namaste Sri Purushartha-ji,

 

 

advaitin, "Purusha" <purush_artha> wrote:

> > Then CN continues to state : (The path of Kundalini is

> > not the path of Advaita. It is the path of yoga whereas

> > Advaita is the path of jnana)

>

> True but not in its entirety. What was the path Sri

> Ramakrishna followed? Was it Advaita or was it yoga?

> It was advaita. Was it not?

 

Sri Ramakrishna initially followed Tantra (yoga) and when he was

ready for Advaita, he 'followed' Advaita. The goal of both Kundalini

Yoga and Advaita Vedanta may be Advaita, but the paths are different.

The one is yoga, and the other is the jnana marga of Advaita.

Kundalini Yoga is part of Tantra. Tantra acknowledges action. Tantra

is the magic weave of fixedness and action in One. Advaita Vedanta is

being fixed in the no-movement that spanda is in the Light of Supreme

Knowledge.

 

> The goal of Advaita sadhana may not be 'kundalini' awakening

> but it is the by product of all realization be it through

> a path of Jnana or Hatha yoga.

 

Advaita has no by-products. But yes, those who are not ready

(qualified) for Advaita may have the experience of Kundalini

awakening on the way. This I can firmly say. But such sadhakas cannot

be said to be Advaita sadhakas as they were not qualified (at the

time of the Kundalini awakening) for the jnana-marga of Advaita

Vedanta. It is important in this context to distinguish the starting

points of the sadhakas in these two paths. The starting point of a

sadhaka in Kundalini Yoga is somewhere from where there is a

spiralling line to the Destination. The starting point of the Advaita

sadhaka is the point where he has attained the four-fold

qualifications. From this point to the Destination there is no line.

It is only a Point and hence there is nothing to trace in the path.

It is therefore asparsa. Why is the path only a point? Because the

sadhaka of Advaita is one who is already there and only a thin veil

stands in between him and the Destination. He has no attachment to

anything in the entirety of creation. Therefore he is standing not in

the body, but on his 'owned' head, as it were. If you read my post on

the Magic Snake, you will see that this is exactly what i said. The

Advaita sadhaka has only one thing to do - he has only to hear the

Sruti.

 

But it is possible that the sadhaka has at some point (earlier on, or

in an earlier life) had the Kundalini experience. I really can't say

much about it as i am not sufficiently knowledgable to speak about

these things.

 

> CN, was it not Frederick Nietzche who said something

> about Linguistic freedom. "Words can be a prejudice"

> ( recalling from memory)

 

Yes, words can be a prejudice. But they can also be luminescent.

Matrika works two ways. One is ghora and the other is aghora. And

much as i admire Nietzsche, he said many false things. Read below the

kinds of things he said:

 

"Granted that we want the truth: why not rather untruth? And

uncertainty? Even ignorance? The problem of the value of truth

presented itself before us -- or was it we who presented ourselves

before the problem? Which of us is the Oedipus here? Which the

Sphinx? The falseness of an opinion is not for us any objection to

it; it is here, perhaps, that our new language sounds strangest. The

question is, how far an opinion is life-furthering, life-preserving,

species-preserving, perhaps species-rearing; and we are fundamentally

inclined to maintain that the falsest opinions are the most

indispensable to us...."

 

> The Kundalini power is dormant in the human body. In all realized

> souls ( no matter what path they belong to - may it bhakti, jnana,

> raja yoga ...etc) , Kundalini awakening takes place at the time of

> self-realization.

 

Why does Sri Shankaracharya not describe it then in the prasthana-

trayi bhashyas? Even in the Vivekachudamani, wherein the awakening of

the disciple is described, the Kundalini is not mentioned. I believe

that for an Advaita sadhaka it is already uncoiled. One can reside at

various chakras, and perhaps the Advaita sadhaka is one who is

residing in one of the higher chakras. But Purushartha-ji, does it

matter whether the paths of Advaita and Kundalini Yoga are same or

different? What matters is the life-giving water, whether it comes

from a well or a lake.

 

> I must however congratulate you , CN, on the excellent post

> on the 'Magic of snakes and Ladders' - this was definitely

> a spiritual 'high' for me in every sense of the word.

 

Thank you Purushartha-ji. Let me also thank you for giving me the

quote on the difference between the Real Self and the Empirical self

as being the spanda principle. Something clicked in me then and a

bulb flashed! Thank you once again.

 

 

Warm regards,

Chittaranjan

[Guest guest]

advaitin, ombhurbhuva <ombhurbhuva@e...>

wrote:

>

>

> Namaste Chandramauli,

> To remove the darkness of ignorance

> the best thing is viveka which works

> like those torches that charge when

> you wind a handle. If you are sincere

> and not making a sectarian point try

> reading the New Testament particularly

> the Sermon on the Mount which Gandhi

> found uplifting. The Gospel of Thomas

> which Tony recommends is a mixum

> gatherum of mostly Gnostic origin

> with some genuine sayings of Jesus in it.

> That is the opinion of scholars and the

> supposed adventures of Issa/Jesus in

> India are fanciful and something > read in a book from Lemuria Library.

> Happy New Year T.

>

>

> Best Wishes,

> Michael.

>

Namaste M,

 

Thank you for your standard Christian Scholar view.

 

I have treated Matthew: 5, on my site in the Jesusbook also, in a

Vedantic view.

 

Http://www.geocities.com/aoclery/Jesusbook

 

I don't think we can discount all evidence pointing to Jesus being

in India particularly as in Christian records there is no mention of

him from age 12 to about 29. Where was he? Also some of the evidence

from Sankaracharya, and the Buddhists should be given some validity.

There is also the puzzle of why Thomas, Barnabas and perhaps even

Matthew went to India................ONS....Tony.

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "chandramauli_s" <chandramauli_s>

wrote:

>

> "All self realized

> souls belonging to any faith ( even Jesus Christ)"

>

> What is the proof that Jesus was a self relaized person?. Based on my

> reading of Bible I find quite disgusting. Isn't this amounts to

saying

> that God of bible is same as Brhamn?.

>

> Please help me in removing this darkness of ignorance.

 

 

Dear Advaitins,

 

Namaste,

 

The life of Jesus is really mysterious. When Swami Vivekananda was

coming from west he had a vivid dream. In that dream a buddhist monk

appeared and told him that there was never a personality called jesus

christ. And he said that a buddist monk's teachings are attributed to

Jessus. He said to him that it was in the island of crate. Swamiji woke

up from the dream and asked the captain of the ship where they were and

he told that they are passing the island of crete. It was discoved

after the swamiji's passing away that ancient buddist monsatry did

existed in the crete island. Many say Jesus came and stayed in Kashmir.

There is a cave which they call the jesus cave and it is said that many

sadhus had his vision there in the meditative posture.

 

When Sri Ramakrishna practiced christianity he had vivid vision of

jesus once and Madonna and the infant jesus another time. Which proves

that he did existed whatever may be his origin. He also said that the

face was beautiful and his nose was flat. But many people did not

believe that. He said to search in the sacred books of christianity the

physical traits of Jesus. They were unable to find in bible and at last

they found out in another book and the explanation given by Sri

Ramkrishna did tally with the description.

 

We should never try to judge great people by superficial reading. Swami

Vivekananda had a high regard for jesus. and he always use to utter his

words like "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God", " I

and my father in the heaven are same", "Kingdom of heaven is within

you" etc.

 

He also used say that the teachings of jesus was non-dualistic and he

used to interpret kingdom of heaven to the self and that it is within

all and he said that this was the ture import of the saying.

 

How beautiful is the saying -Blessed are the pure in heart for they

shall see god. Every time i hear this sentence a thrill and tremendous

joy is felt within which i feel is due to the power in the word of the

great teacher of mankind.

 

JAI JAI RAGHUVEER SAMARTH

 

Yours in the Lord,

 

Br. Vinayaka.

[Guest guest]

Ref post number 29875

 

Namaste Sri Chitta:

 

After reading your post on this thread 'The magic Snake', I recall

the following words of Lord Alfred Tennyson " Knowledge comes , but

wisdom lingers , and I linger on the shore."

 

You state :

 

(Sri Ramakrishna initially followed Tantra (yoga) and when he was

ready for Advaita, he 'followed' Advaita. )

 

It was indeed very ignorant of me not to remember that phase of

Thakore's SPIRITUAL life when his first guru was none other than

Yogini 'Bhairavi Brahmani' under whom Sri Ramakrishna practiced all

facets of Tantric Sadhana. ( including Shava sadhana and of course

not 'maithuna'). It was the Advaitic Guru Totapuri ( from the

Trialinga Swami lineage) who brought the truth of 'Formless Reality'

of Advaita to Sri Ramakrishna. It was under Totapuri that Sri

Ramakrishna had the full spiritual awakening of Brahman.

 

Cn, you state :

 

( If you read my post on the Magic Snake, you will see that this is

exactly what i said. The Advaita sadhaka has only one thing to do -

he has only to hear the Sruti. )

 

Sri Chitta , please say it again and again. Some of us need to hear

it again and again. As T.S. Eliot says " you say I am repeating

something I have said before . I shall say it again." ( Four

Quartets, 'East coker').

 

It is said , if one wants to realize the Truth of Vedanta , one must

be ready for it. If it is taught to One who is not qualified , it

will be fruitless ; on the contrary it will produce adverse results.

(I cannot readily recall that verse - it goes something like

this .... Brahmeti yo vadeth' .... sa tena viniyojitaha - ... maybe

can some learned member can quote the entire verse and its

reference).

 

Sri Chitta, It is true Adi Shankara does not mention about 'Mata

Kundalini'in his Bhasyas or Viveka chudamani but can we ignore the

Other major work that is often attributed to the Acharya- 'Saundarya

Lahari' - the Wave of Divine splendor ' - the great poetic

composition.

 

verse 9 of Saundarya Lahari reads

 

"Having Penetrated the Prithvi (earth) element situated in Muladhara,

the Jala (Water) element in the Manipura , the Agni (fire)element in

the Svadhisthana, the Vayu (Air) element in the Heart or Anahata ,

the Akasa (sky) element above the former in the Vishuddi and Manas (

mind) in the Ajna between the eyebrows , THOU , ascending through the

Sushumna or the Kula path , sportest with thy Cosort in the solitude

of Sahasrara the thousand petalled lotus . ( above in the head).

 

The Acharya is 'Genuine' whether writing the Bhasyas or whether

composing great lyrical works praising the gods and the goddesses.

There lies Acharya's ingenuity to appeal to sadhakas of all

dispositions - be in the jnana marga or bhakti marga. Are we

seekkers 'genuine' when we choose to focus only on his Bhasyas and

choose to ignore his other works?

 

Jesus. This has generated a few posts when I mentioned Jesus. What is

the 'sepent of wilderness that Moses Lifted up' that is in the Old

Testament. KUNDALINI. The Gospel of Thomas has a reference to

the 'Holy spirit is My Mother.'

 

The sikhs also call this the 'DHASAM DWAR' ( tenth door) -

Bhramandhra.

 

This is why I repeat 'KUNDALINI' is dormant in all of us and is

awakened during spiritual awakening no matter what path we follow.

 

'Divine Madness; is contagious and let the magic Flute play the

enchanting music endlessly ad we the children of this holy sangha

follow the pied piper of Hamlin town to a divine destination. The

post on Prana is excellent. I have never read anything quite like it.

 

Warmest regards

 

ps - Love and peace

[Guest guest]

Ref. Post: 29859

 

Namaste Chittaranjan-ji,

 

This explains a real lot... As regards the path of yoga not being that of

advaita, i am under the impression now that advaita could be the lens, and

the yogas (meditation etc) the hands moving the lens in place so that the

sunrays are focused and converge in a laser-beam. In this age of Kali Yuga,

then, couldn't we take Karma Yoga to be one of the most important

disciplines in the path of the sadhaka? I mean, taking into account the

context into which we were born, wouldn't we accumulate some karma just for

interacting? Of course true knowledge of the self would instantly eradicate

karma, but are we not fathomed by the burden of karma simply by existing in

Kali Yuga? And wouldn't this karma hold us back in our paths?

 

Anyhow, i am happy now, though, and i cannot state a single reason why.

Those dedicated to the expansion of the heart-less automaton life-style

could never have foreseen that their weapon (mass communication, of which we

experience the epithome) would eventually be taken over by The Soul (has not

happened yet, but i bet we feel this growing around us everyday). And to

close, you finished your heartfelt post by giving me a good laugh...

 

My warmest regards, to you and all here...

 

 

 

 

 

 

_____

doce lar. Faça do sua homepage.

http://br./homepageset.html

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "Purusha" <purush_artha> wrote:

>

> Ref post number 29875

> You state :

>

> (Sri Ramakrishna initially followed Tantra (yoga) and when he was

> ready for Advaita, he 'followed' Advaita. )

>

> It was indeed very ignorant of me not to remember that phase of

> Thakore's SPIRITUAL life when his first guru was none other than

> Yogini 'Bhairavi Brahmani' under whom Sri Ramakrishna practiced all

> facets of Tantric Sadhana. ( including Shava sadhana and of course

> not 'maithuna'). It was the Advaitic Guru Totapuri ( from the

> Trialinga Swami lineage) who brought the truth of 'Formless Reality'

> of Advaita to Sri Ramakrishna. It was under Totapuri that Sri

> Ramakrishna had the full spiritual awakening of Brahman.

 

Dear Purushaji,

 

Namaste,

 

Chittaji has given chronology of gurumaharaj's sadhana in different

paths. I have got one doubt now. It is said that Sri Ramakrishna

practiced all the 64 forms of tantrik sadhanas under the guidence of

adept bhairavi brahmani. As far as my understanding goes when the

kundalini is raised thru different tantrik sadhanas and led upwards an

aspirant will experience different states when the kunalini starts

crossing the six chakras. Sri Ramrkrishna has also reiterated and

described different experience he had. ultimately he says that when the

kundalini raises to sahasrara the divine mother in the form of

kundalini will get merged in the lord shiva and the aspirant reaches

nirvana which is nothing but realisation of brahman.

 

But if we study carefully the great master it is said that after the

tantrik sadhana he realised the fruits of each sadhanas as mentioned in

the scriptures. Nowhere it is said that thru tantrik sadhana he

realised brahman. It is also true that Sri Ramakrishna ralised absolute

brahman in the presense of totapuri for the first time.

 

Why gurumaharaj did not reached the brahman thru tantrik sadhana is the

question. Ofcourse later it is proved that even though Bhairavi

Brahmani was adept in tantra she was not knower of brahman. when Sri

Ramkrishna said that he is going to get initiation into advaita sadhana

she vehemently tried to dissuade him by telling all sorts of things

like those who practice advaita sadhana will become dry hearted and

they stop loving god with form ect. Probably because of this reason he

was unable to proceed further to the ultimatum in the tantra sadhana.

 

But can we defenitely say that advaita sadhana after the tantrik

sadhana is not necessary for realisation of the absolute?

 

JAI JAI RAGHUVEER SAMARTHA

 

Yours in the lord,

 

Br. Vinayaka.