advaita as means to atmasakshatkara

[Guest guest]

hariH OM!

 

there is good reason why adi sankara stipulated the fact that maya

is anirvachaniya and not mithya or even avidya, ajnana or asathya.

this is in keeping with what advaita seeks to accomplish, which

is "radical" nonduality [likened to the new physics' pursuit of a

unified field theory; in this case embracing the physical appearance

as well as its causal spirit reality]. if we really pause to think

about it, even a tangential reference to that which we imperiously

categorize as illusion, gives it at least a semblance of existence,

even if evanescent and devoid of what we philosophically hold as

substantive. as such, if we define [it] as pure mithya, we

unwittingly create a duality. a duality between that which is

*somehow* experienced as fleeting/sensible vs what we postulate as

permanent/transcendental. and thus absentmindedly violating the

mahavakya: "all this, verily, is brahman." (indeed, what is the

reference of the words "all this"? it's superfluous trying to mince

ideas or spin moot interpretation here, however clever any attempt

to divert the blatant meaning; the allusion being inescapably

clear: "all this" is what is being *somehow* "relatively

experienced.")

 

the way i see it, the reason sankara categorized maya specifically

as anirvachaniya (which by any stretch was NOT used as a novel means

to achieve moksha!), was to free the mind from its penchant to

settle on any hardlined ideology re the nature of Reality, which

must include of course apprehending the nature of maya (since it

stobbornly begs recognition regardless of how metaphysically adroit

one might counterargue it out of ontological existence. that maya

inevitably *demands* consideration at all, supercedes any feigned

irrelevance of its nature.

 

the sages and especially the world-teachers have unanimously warned

us of the manipulation potential of the mind. indeed, they have all

indicated--albeit couched in parables or underplayed significance--

how the ego-Mind is itself the greatest obstacle to enlightenment.

i believe it's been relatively hidden and unemphasized simply

because the mind has been so powerfully conditioned, it had no

choice but to necessarily suffer through an elaborately protracted

debriefing (sadhana) before it would even have a chance to be ready

and ripe enough to recognize the simple truth of what's managed to

trick it into its incredibly complex and alienated quagmire.

 

[to my understanding and] despite the above, however, the ego-Mind

is yet vital and indispensible to the sustenance of brahman's lila,

which itself is--according to the rig veda--the outbreath of our

collective unconscious desire [as living manifestations of

brahman!]. it's just that, if we hope to reestablish our natural

*spontaneous* awareness of the Self (the chidakasa of atmanishtha),

the ahamkara or ego-Mind needs to be put in its rightful place: as a

strategic/logistical instrument at our disposal and command, rather

than a dictatorial judgment machine rendering us victims to its

sanctimonious observations.

 

in this regard, guru ramana often cited the teachings of jesus and

buddha (as an aside note, it's valuable to gain insight into other

significant world teachers and their spiritual insights, since it

has the benefit of further reinforcing perceived verities to what

are then recognized as universal allusions to truth, since such is

available to all seekers in all times and cultures), where jesus

spoke of "having the mind of a child" as the primary prerequisite to

moksha; and why buddha was silent in the face of any and all

metaphysical or theological questions, since his purpose was to free

the aspirant from the ages-conditioned habit of relying on the

mind's insistence to realize *for itself* a definitive system of

logic concerning the nature of Reality (be it one that affirms or

denies maya), that it can behold with absolute and unchallengable

certainty.

 

it would be helpful to keep in mind that we literally have to go out

of our way to wind up dwelling in a state of avidya! that there is

in fact nothing we have to do or think to be enlightened...it is our

NATURAL state. sahaja turiya is the essence of what we are.

 

OM ramanarpanamasthu!

 

namaskaar,

frank