Is Enlightenment Personal?

[Guest guest]

H.N.Sreenivasa Murthy

 

Pranams to you all.

 

I would very much like to draw the kind attention of the members to the

Mantra 1-4-10 of Bruhadaranyaka Upanishad and to the commentary of

Sri Shankara to that Mantra.

 

The Mantra reads as follows:

Brahma vA idamagra AsIttadAtmAnamEvAvEt |

ahaM brahmAsmIti |

tasmAttatsarvamaBavat . . . ||

This was indeed Brahman in the beginning. It knew only Itself as ' I

am Brahman". Therefore It became all.

 

Commentary of Sri Shankara :

TasmAt yat praviShTaM sraShTR brahma tad brahma |

vaiSabdOvadhAraNarthaH | idaM SarIrasthaM yat gRhyatE agrE prAk

pratibOdhAdapi brahmaiva AsIt sarvaM cEdam |

kiM tu apratibOdhAt abrahmAsmi asarvaM ca iti Atmani adhyArOpAt

kartAham kriyAvAn PalAnAm ca BOktA suKI duHKI saMsArI iti ca

adhArOpayati |

paramArthatastu brahmaiva tadvilakShaNam, sarvaM ca |

tat kathaMcit AcAryENa dayAlunA pratibidhitaM nAsi samsArIti

AtmAnamEva AvEt svABAvikaM avidyAdhyArOpitaviSEShavarjitam ityEvaSabdasya

arthaH ||

 

Therefore the conclusion is that the word ' Brahman ' refers to that

Brahman which projected the universe and entered into it.

This, the Brhman (self) that is perceived as being in this body, was

indeed-this word is emphatic-Brahman, and all, in the beginning,even before

realisation.

But owing to ignorance it superimposes on itself the notion that it is

not Brahman, and that is not all, and consequently thinks, through mistake, that

is an agent (Karta), possessed of activity (Kriyaavaan), the experiencer of its

fruits (Bhoktaa), happy or miserable, and transmigrating .

BUT REALLY IT IS BRAHMAN different from all the foregoing and is

all.

Being somehow awakened by a merciful teacher who told it that it was

not subjected to transmigration, ' It knew only Itself ', its own natural Self,

that is, which is free from differentiations superimposed by ignorance. That is

the meaning of the particle ' eva '. [End of Commentary. Translation by Swami

Madhavananda of Ramakrishna Mission]

 

What are the facts that emerge out from the Mantra and the

commentary upon it? It is for every seeker to find out the answer for the

question that has been posed within himself . The sharing of their

understanding with me will be gratefully received.

 

With warm and respectful regards,

Sreenivasa Murthy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

sreenivasa murthy wrote:

> H.N.Sreenivasa Murthy

>

> Being somehow awakened by a merciful teacher who told it

> that it was not subjected to transmigration, ' It knew only Itself ',

> its own natural Self, that is, which is free from differentiations

> superimposed by ignorance. That is the meaning of the particle ' eva

> '. [End of Commentary. Translation by Swami Madhavananda of

> Ramakrishna Mission]

 

Beautiful. Upon hearing the Truth from the Guru, the disciple realizes

that the scriptures/Guru are talking to him about him, his true nature.

Upon hearing the Truth even once, It knows It Self.

> What are the facts that emerge out from the Mantra and the

> commentary upon it? It is for every seeker to find out the answer for

> the question that has been posed within himself . The sharing of

> their understanding with me will be gratefully received.

 

The Mahavakyas are clear. "Aham Brahamasmi". "I am Brahaman". Read with

faith, heard with faith, meditated upon with faith, one realized that in

essence one is Brahman.

>

> With warm and respectful regards,

> Sreenivasa Murthy

>

 

> Jiyo cricket on India cricket

> Messenger Mobile Stay in touch with your buddies all the time.

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>

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>

> Discussion of Shankara's Advaita Vedanta Philosophy of nonseparablity

> of Atman and Brahman.

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"Love itself is the actual form of God."

 

Sri Ramana

 

In "Letters from Sri Ramanasramam" by Suri Nagamma

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

 

This question arises as a result of the mistaken concept that there are

individuals who are not currently enlightened but may become so at a future

time.

 

In reality, there is only brahman and it is obviously not meaningful to

speak of brahman becoming enlightened - brahman IS unlimited light,

consciousness etc. And in reality, there are no persons, egos or individuals

- no one who could become enlightened.

 

At the level of the apparent world, there appear to be jIva-s as a result of

Atman seemingly being limited by ignorance. Why this should be the case is

not a question that can meaningfully be addressed. The mechanism by which

this confusion is resolved, however, is to bring in knowledge to eliminate

the ignorance. When this occurs, it can be said that it is now understood

(at the level of mind) that there never was a separate individual. This

process is called 'enlightenment'. But it is clearly not meaningful to speak

of the person having become enlightened.

 

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (IV.4.19) states that "It is only through the

mind that the truth can be realized." And when so-called realization occurs,

it is seen that nothing has actually changed. It is simply that the mistaken

view of a "world" and "separation" has now disappeared.

 

Hence the expression of Sri Poonja (?): 'Nothing ever happened' or the Zen

term: 'the gateless gate'.

 

Best wishes,

 

Dennis

 

(Apologies for delay in sending this message - I have been trying to get the

new email address working!)