Digest Number 618 and further thoughts on liberation

October 13, 2002

Moksha or Liberation

According to Indian Philosophical Systems

http://www.geocities.com/neovedanta/aci.html

This world is called realm of painful suffering - Samsara. 'Samsara'

is a Sanskrit word meaning 'repeated passing of souls through

different worlds,' which also means going through the cycle of

repeated births and deaths. This world is also metaphorically called

as 'bhava-sagara' or 'samsara-sagara,' ocean of worldliness.

Individual soul cannot cross it without the knowledge of his true

nature, that is Divine Self, or without the Grace of the God. The

soul swims without any specific direction, gets exhausted, and

perishes without crossing to the shore of Infinite Bliss, only to be

reborn again and again to repeat the same cycle. Many a verse and

parable is written to exemplify the plight of ignorant beings in

their unsuccessful attempt to cross this 'ocean of worldliness' by

various means. For instance, some think that bliss lies in sense

enjoyment, some try to earn name and fame, power and position, still

others believe that the goal can be reached through such endeavors as

acquiring knowledge of physical sciences and scriptures. However, all

such crude or refined acts, in the last analysis, do not release the

soul from fateful cycle of birth and death.

Then, what is Liberation? How does and by what means does one achieve

Freedom?

Different schools of Hindu philosophy give different answers to these

questions. Although they might appear disparate, one common basis

about Liberation in all these schools is that the soul attains to

Moksha when it realizes God, thus becoming free from the ignorance

about its true nature. What is this ignorance, and what is the real

nature of the soul? And how does ignorance veil the mind and

intellect of the soul? Various Teachers and founder persons of six

schools of thought discuss and elaborate these points in their own

peculiar way, and accordingly the definition and means to achieve

Freedom also appears different.

Liberation according to the Dvaita School of Philosophy

Dvaita or dualistic school of Vedanta maintains that the soul gets

freedom only after the death. A person cannot become totally Free

from the Ignorance while still living in human body. However, the

human body is essential for the purification of mind, and thus making

the aspirant fit for Liberation. These spiritual disciplines and

scriptural injunctions a sadhaka has to undertake or follow are 1)

internal and external purity of body, mind, and speech, 2) leading

ethical and moral life of austerity, non-violence, non-attachment to

senses, 3) total surrender to the Will of God, forbearance, and

devotional worship and meditation on the Chosen Deity (like Vishnu,

Hari, Sri Krishna). Following such not so easy life pattern the

aspirant becomes fit for release or Moksha through the Grace of God.

Some Dvaita philosophers maintain that everybody cannot attain to

Moksha, only a select few become Free with God's Grace. Further, we

find four grades of Moksha:

Salokya - soul reaches the world of Ishta Devata and enjoys life

there,

Samipya - soul enjoys extreme proximity to the Lord,

Sarupya - acquires the form of God and enjoys intense Bliss, and

Sayujya - soul becomes blissfully one with God.

Moksha according to qualified non-dualism (Vishishthadvaita

philosophy)

This school of thought also does not accept Liberation while still

living in the body. A person can be liberated only after the death.

The concept of Moksha is more or less similar to Dvaita system.

However, no great emphasis is laid on grades. The soul through

spiritual disciplines and most importantly by way of total surrender

to God and by His Grace reaches Vaikuntha, the world of Vishnu, and

blissfully lives forever in a spiritual body in the company of his

chosen Ideal. The soul acquires many divine powers, but cannot

create, sustain, or dissolve the world as Ishwara or God can do. The

individual soul does not become God, but is subservient to His Will.

The only path to reach the Lord and attain Moksha is through Bhakti

Yoga, and Karma and Jnana are but aid to Bhakti or devotion.

Moksha according to Advaita Vedanta (Absolute Monism)

The Advaita or non-dualistic school of Vedanta believes that by

getting rid of Ignorance or Avidya, which has caused the soul to

forget its true nature, leads to Freedom from samsara. Indeed, there

exists none other than One Supreme Self after the lower self has

gained the knowledge of its true nature. It is the superimposition of

the multifarious world on the Self that leads to suffering and

transmigration from one birth to the next.

Spiritual disciplines by way of four Yogas; Jnana Yoga of

discrimination and renunciation in particular, lead to purification

of the mind and sharpening of 'reason'. This newly acquired

purification makes the sadhaka ready for intense meditation on

Impersonal aspect of God (Atman, Brahman) and thus gain 'Atman-Jnana'

or 'Brahman-Jnana' on the basis of 'universal intuition' of Oneness.

He becomes free from Avidya or Maya or Ignorance, and becomes One

with Supreme Self, which is none other than Absolute Existence,

Knowledge, and Bliss.

Liberation according to Samkhya Philosophy

This system posits two absolute realities 1) sentient Purusha, as

Self or Spirit, and 2) insentient Prakriti as Matter of which human

body and mind are the highly evolved stages. Purusha is Pure

Consciousness but due to lack of discrimination (aviveka), It falsely

identifies with Prakriti (and its manifestations as this world), and

thus experiences joy and happiness, pain and sufferings. Only when

the Purusha acquires the knowledge that It is completely different

and distinct from Prakriti, It becomes Free (enlightened). The

knowledge that leads to Liberation is Viveka Jnana (knowledge through

discrimination). When a Jiva (individual self) identifies with

Purusha and not with Prakriti (insentient principle - matter in its

manifold expressions as names and forms) the individual becomes free.

This clear dichotomy between Purusha and Prakriti brings Supreme

Knowledge and Bliss to the individual Jiva. Thus, Jnana Yoga and Raja

Yoga mostly are the means advocated by Samkhya for Moksha. Such

Liberation leads to complete freedom from pain and suffering. This

state is called state of Kaivalya. Like Advaita Vedantins, Samkhya

also accepts possibility of Liberation while still living in the body

(Jivan Mukta; Free while living). After the body falls, it becomes

Videhi Mukti (Free after death).

Sri Krishna in the Gita defines knowledge as 'the knowledge of

Kshetra (Field, Prakriti, Matter) and Kshetrajna (Knower of the

field, Purusha, Spirit or Self), which is considered as the true

knowledge.' (Gita XIII. 2) That which is perceived as the matter

having names and forms, that is called the 'Field' or Kshetra, and

one that engulfs, pervades, that which is in and out of the 'Field'

and by which ones come to realize the 'Field', is called the 'Knower

of the Field' - Kshetrajna.

A person (sadhaka or spiritual aspirant) who experiences such

distinction between matter and the spirit, the person who has become

like a dried coconut in which the inner pulp has separated from the

outer shell as two distinct entities, and the person who identities

with the outer shell (i.e. spirit) such a person is known to have

gained the knowledge. He has become the liberated yogi par

excellence.

*

c s shah

October 13, 2002

Hello Group,

My name is Robin. I was in an Egroup about a year ago. And my life is in such

upheaval that I thought Id come back and see if anyone can help. Im totally

lost in life right now. Darkness all around me. I pray and pray but find no

answers, at least not that Im aware of, or maybe I am and I'm afraid to answer

them. I am 28 years old been married for eight and now divorcing. I have two

daughters five and four. Im so stressed out about money, and am dating someone

for almost three months which I have doubts about. It seems all simple but its

all first times for me. I feel so ALONE in life, sometimes I want to give up,

the only thing that keeps me going is my girls. I barely have any friends, don't

know where to meet anyone, and with my girls its hard to get out. Ive been

living with my mother in a one bed room apartment, its so crowded. I sleep on

the couch, and there hardly a minute alone. I cry all day everyday. It never

seems to leave. Im so scared. I just want to be held. It would be nice to be

held by Amma, but if it were to be, then I would have a way to be there. Which I

don't. I just want to find my place in this world, something Im meant to do,

something Im good at, and I want someone to share it with, who loves, respects

me the way I would them. Someone with simalar beliefs, openminded. I feel so

alone. Please send me help of some kind. I really am a spiritual person, but

have some how lost my way. I see only darkness and lonliness. I know what to do

and what not to do. I just do not know how. I have been smoking which I havent

done in about ten years.

Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos, & more

faith.

October 13, 2002

Sorry somehow my message was cut off. Please send some help. I need love, light,

and most of all ..Hope. Hope for the future, hope for someone special, and hope

to be happy again. Someone please bring me back home.

With all the love and devotion I have for now, Robin

Robin Wilson

wrote: