Bhagavan and St. Teresa of Avila; Sages East and West

[Guest guest]

Greetings All,

 

Thought you might enjoy these thoughts from St. Teresa of Avila, a

great Christian mystic. They are from her work, The Interior Castle.

Truth is there in the Christian tradition, for those who can

understand. For me, I had to have Bhagavan explain things before I

could see it! In Bhagavan,

 

David M.

 

 

===================================

1. Ego/soul as the spirit-matter (consciousness-insentience) knot

(chit-jada granthi)

 

BHAGAVAN: Between spirit and matter, the self and the body, something

which is called the Ahamkara, the ego-self, Jiva, the living being.

Now what you call your self is this ego-self which is different from

the ever-conscious Self and from unconscious matter, but which at the

same time partakes of the character of both spirit and the matter

Chetana and Jada."

 

 

TERESA: "The person already referred to found herself better in every

way, however numerous were her trials and business worries, the

essential part of her soul seemed never to move from that dwelling-

place. So in a sense she felt that her soul was divided; and when she

was going through great trials, shortly after God had granted her

this favour, she complained of her soul, just as Martha complained of

Mary.[223] Sometimes she would say that it was doing nothing but

enjoy itself in that quietness, while she herself was left with all

her trials and occupations so that she could not keep it company.

"You will think this absurd, daughters, but it is what actually

happens. Although of course the soul is not really divided, what I

have said is not fancy, but a very common experience. As I was

saying, it is possible to make observations concerning interior

matters and in this way we know that there is some kind of

difference, and a very definite one, between the soul and the spirit,

although they are both one. So subtle is the division perceptible

between them that sometimes the operation of the one seems as

different from that of the other as are the respective joys that the

Lord is pleased to give them. It seems to me, too, that the soul is a

different thing from the faculties and that they are not all one and

the same."

 

 

 

 

2. River/Ocean union (sahaja nirbikalpa samadhi)

 

BHAGAVAN: "He who turns inward with untroubled mind to search where

the consciousness of 'I' arises, realizes the Self, and dissolves in

Thee O Arunachala! like a river when it joins the ocean." From

Maharshi's Gospel, The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, there is a

table which describe the differences between kevala vs. sahaja

nirbikalpa samadi. Sahaja is described as "like a river discharged

into the ocean and its identity lost." This sentiment is also echoed

in the ancient Mundaka Upanishad, III.2.8, "As flowing rivers

disappear in the ocean casting off name and form, even so one who

knows, freed from name and form, attains to the Self, higher than the

high."

 

TERESA: "We might say that union [spiritual Marriage] is as if the

ends of two wax candles were joined so that the light they give is

one: the wicks and the wax and the light are all one, yet afterwards

the one candle can be perfectly well separated from the other and the

candles become two again, or the wick may be withdrawn from the wax.

But here it is like rain falling from the heavens into a river or a

spring; there is nothing but water there and it is impossible to

divide or separate the water belonging to the river from that which

fell from the heavens. Or it is as if a tiny streamlet enters the

sea, from which it will find no way of separating itself, or as if in

a room there were two large windows through which the light streamed

in: it enters in different places but it all becomes one."

 

 

 

3. The Self/Sun.

 

BHAGAVAN: (cinema analogy) "Again, just as there is only the light of

the lamp visible when there is no film, so the Self alone shines

without the triple factors when the mental concepts in the form of

tendencies are absent in the states of deep sleep, swoon and samadhi.

Just as the lamp illumines the lens, etc., while remaining

unaffected, the Self illumines the ego (chidabhasa), etc., while

remaining unaffected.

 

TERESA: "...just as a great stream of water could never fall on us

without having an origin somewhere, as I have said, just so it

becomes evident that there is someone in the interior of the soul who

sends forth these arrows and thus gives life to this life, and that

there is a sun whence this great light proceeds, which is transmitted

to the faculties in the interior part of the soul. The soul, as I

have said, neither moves from that centre nor loses its peace..."

[Guest guest]

--- dmcewen_1 <David.McEwen wrote:

 

Dear David,

Osiyo! (Hello!) Thank you very much for these

comparative observations. As an interfaith person

myself, I always find that looking at things from the

perspective of still another tradition actually

strengthens my own path. The various spiritual

traditions do not decrease each other; rather, they

augment and complement, and seem even more fully

together to be That Which Is--the manifesting Many of

the Undivided One.

 

Bhagavan gives us almost a lexicon for awakening to

Reality; we can use this lexicon in every way to

undestand the paths of others. I have experienced this

myself in interfaith dialog. It is a blessed

experience to have entered into the grace of Sri

Ramana, and be able to share the Truth of Self or

Supreme Consciousness, found in other spiritualities.

Wado! (Thanks so much!)

 

Donadagovi (Till we meet again),

 

With love in Bhagavan,

Sister Judith, Hermit of Sarada

rainbowbird~

tsisqua unvgoladv

 

Eastern Cherokee

 

_________

> TERESA:

however numerous were her trials and business

> worries, the

> essential part of her soul seemed never to move from

> that dwelling-

> place. So in a sense she felt that her soul was

> divided; and when she

> was going through great trials, shortly after God

> had granted her

> this favour, she complained of her soul, just as

> Martha complained of

> Mary.[223] Sometimes she would say that it was doing

> nothing but

> enjoy itself in that quietness, while she herself

> was left with all

> her trials and occupations so that she could not

> keep it company.

> "You will think this absurd, daughters, but it

> is what actually

> happens. Although of course the soul is not really

> divided, what I

> have said is not fancy, but a very common

> experience. As I was

> saying, it is possible to make observations

> concerning interior

> matters and in this way we know that there is some

> kind of

> difference, and a very definite one, between the

> soul and the spirit,

> although they are both one. So subtle is the

> division perceptible

> between them that sometimes the operation of the one

> seems as

> different from that of the other as are the

> respective joys that the

> Lord is pleased to give them. It seems to me, too,

> that the soul is a

> different thing from the faculties and that they are

> not all one and

> the same."

>

>

>

>

> 2. River/Ocean union (sahaja nirbikalpa samadhi)

>

> BHAGAVAN: "He who turns inward with untroubled mind

> to search where

> the consciousness of 'I' arises, realizes the Self,

> and dissolves in

> Thee O Arunachala! like a river when it joins the

> ocean." From

> Maharshi's Gospel, The Teachings of Sri Ramana

> Maharshi, there is a

> table which describe the differences between kevala

> vs. sahaja

> nirbikalpa samadi. Sahaja is described as "like a

> river discharged

> into the ocean and its identity lost." This

> sentiment is also echoed

> in the ancient Mundaka Upanishad, III.2.8, "As

> flowing rivers

> disappear in the ocean casting off name and form,

> even so one who

> knows, freed from name and form, attains to the

> Self, higher than the

> high."

>

> TERESA: "We might say that union [spiritual

> Marriage] is as if the

> ends of two wax candles were joined so that the

> light they give is

> one: the wicks and the wax and the light are all

> one, yet afterwards

> the one candle can be perfectly well separated from

> the other and the

> candles become two again, or the wick may be

> withdrawn from the wax.

> But here it is like rain falling from the heavens

> into a river or a

> spring; there is nothing but water there and it is

> impossible to

> divide or separate the water belonging to the river

> from that which

> fell from the heavens. Or it is as if a tiny

> streamlet enters the

> sea, from which it will find no way of separating

> itself, or as if in

> a room there were two large windows through which

> the light streamed

> in: it enters in different places but it all becomes

> one."

>

>

>

> 3. The Self/Sun.

>

> BHAGAVAN: (cinema analogy) "Again, just as there is

> only the light of

> the lamp visible when there is no film, so the Self

> alone shines

> without the triple factors when the mental concepts

> in the form of

> tendencies are absent in the states of deep sleep,

> swoon and samadhi.

> Just as the lamp illumines the lens, etc., while

> remaining

> unaffected, the Self illumines the ego (chidabhasa),

> etc., while

> remaining unaffected.

>

> TERESA: "...just as a great stream of water could

> never fall on us

> without having an origin somewhere, as I have said,

> just so it

> becomes evident that there is someone in the

> interior of the soul who

> sends forth these arrows and thus gives life to this

> life, and that

> there is a sun whence this great light proceeds,

> which is transmitted

> to the faculties in the interior part of the soul.

> The soul, as I

> have said, neither moves from that centre nor loses

> its peace..."

>

>

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