Guest guest Posted April 27, 2006 Report Share Posted April 27, 2006 Vairagyam IX Namaste Sadhakas, The 'pratipaksha-bhaavanam', cultivating vasanas in order to counteract the vasanas inimical to sadhana, is an exercise the scriptures prescribe with great concern. While vairagyam for the sense objects are stressed, the attachment for status in society, power, etc. too hinders sadhana by strengthening the propensity for the life of the lower self: pride, arrogance, etc. Vairagyam is essential to overcome these negative tendencies and give room for the blossoming of humility, devotion to the scriptural teaching, reverence to the Guru, etc. Several devices are presented to the sadhakas by the scriptures to accomplish this end. The firm attachment to the opinion of others is pointed out to be a great hindrance in the path of sadhana. This is called loka-vasana. As one, harassed by children, friends, wife and the like, feels much disgust for them all and betakes oneself to renunciation, so should one, afflicted with the impure vasanas, such as arrogance begotten of learning, opulence, pedigree and the like, cultivate 'discrimination' to counteract them. Discrimination has been pointed out by Janaka: 'Those who, today, are at the head of the great, sink, in course of time, to the lowest depths. Alas, O mind! Wherefore do you place such implicit faith in greatness? Whither has gone the fabulous wealth of emperors? Where are the innumerable worlds created by Brahma? The old order of things has found its way to oblivion. Why then this foolish faith of thine? Millions of Brahma-s have come and gone. Myriads of heavens have vanished one after another. Potentates have been turned into dust. What hold have I then on this life? Persons, by the closing or opening of whose eyelids, worlds were created or destroyed, have passed out of memory. Why then should the existence of persons of my type be noticed at all?' Says Saint Pattinattar of the ephemeral nature of the worldly riches: The Tamil verse: MuDi-saarnda mannarum matrum ullorum muDivil PiDi-saambalaai vendu maNNaavadu kanDum ip- Padi-saarnda vaazhvai ninaippaduve allaamal Ponnambalar ADi-saarndu vaazhaveNDumendru arivaar illaye !! Meaning: Even the Monarch and all others meet their ends and become just a handful of ash and merge with earth. Noticing this day in and day out, ignorant men do not get disgusted with worldly life. Alas! None is there to take refuge in the Resplendent Shiva and live a life that leads to Liberation. Says a smriti: 'If a man of the world, who is bent on picking holes in the character of others, should, in the same manner, expend his skill in analysing his own, whosoever would not be liberated from the bonds of ignorance?' 'If they slander the Self (in me), they slander only themselves, of themselves; if they slander my body, they would be looked upon by me as my friends. How can the intellect of that sharp yogin, whom slander and insult verily serve to embellish, be overpowered at all, by the babble of idle prattlers?' The Naishkarmyasiddhi 2.16,17 speaks of the kind of discrimination a man on the path of salvation must practice: 'What does it matter to him, who has cast off excreta, as some unclean thing, not worthy of being retained in the body, if some one should descant on its unclean nature? In the same manner, when the gross and the subtle bodies have both been given up by one, through discrimination, if one should find fault with them, what recks the knower for such slander? Grief, joy, fear, anger, ambition, illusion, desire, birth, death and the like, belong to egoism, not to the Self.' The JnAnakusha describes how insult is an ornament: If people derive pleasure by insulting me, is this not a favor I have generated without effort? For, desiring the highest goal, people even donate all the wealth they have acquired with great difficulty to please others. In the human world where happiness is absent and suffering is always abundant, if someone derives joy by criticizing me, let him criticize me at will to my face or behind my back. For in a world of much suffering, it is hard to find joy. Anger is twofold: one's anger directed at another, and another's anger directed at oneself. Of these, this passage addresses anger situated in oneself: If you have anger at one who does you harm, why do you not have anger at anger which violently hinders Dharma, Artha, Kaama, and Moksha? [YU p. 317] If it destroys the Dharma, fame, and wealth of one seeking results, if it is useless, burns up one's body, if it does not benefit you, in this world or the next, why does anger occupy the minds of the righteous? This passage addresses anger directed at oneself: One must never think "I have done not wrong, so why are people angry with me for no reason?" He should consider his inability to remove the bondage with samsara to be his greatest fault. Let homage go to the god of anger, who is violently burning his own dwelling, who is bestowing detachment on me, a man prone to anger, and who is causing me to perceive flaws (in others). [YU p. 317] In the same way as anger and craving for wealth, craving for women and children is also to be removed through discernment. 16. Of these, Vasishta describes the discernment toward women: What beauty is there in women who are puppets of flesh stuffed with tendons, bones, and joints, in a cage of limbs moved by a mechanism? [LYV 1.2.90;YU pp. 314–315] Look closely if there is something pleasing in her eyes, after separating the membrane, flesh, blood, and watery tears. Why are you vainly infatuated? [LYV 1.2..91; YU p. 315] Shining with the glitter of a string of pearls on her breast comparable to the rapid waters of the Ganges glittering on the slopes of Mount Meru, [LYV 1.2.92; YU p. 315] This very breast of a woman is, at death, devoured by dogs like a small morsel of food at a remote cremation ground. [LYV 1.2.93; YU p. 315] Wearing tresses of hair and collyrium, charming to look at but unpleasant to touch, women, who are the flame of fire of sins, burn a man like grass.[LYV 1.2.94; YU p. 315] Even from afar they burn; appearing as full of love,68 they are without love. For women are the fuel of hell-fire, beautiful yet terrifying. [LYV 1.2.95;YU p. 315] Women are snares set by the hunter named Desire, binding the limbs of birds that are men with foolish minds. [LYV 1.2.96; YU p. 316] A woman is the bait on a hook tied to the line of evil latent tendencies of men, who are fish in the pond of rebirth, wallowing in the mud of their minds.[LYV 1.2.97; YU p. 316] May I be through with woman forever—of the beautiful casket of all the jewels of evil wrapped with the chain of suffering. [LYV 1.2.98; YU p. 316] Flesh here, blood here, bones there—so woman, O Brahman, becomes a beauty that is poison in just a few (days). [LYV 1.2.99; YU 316] One who has a woman has desire for pleasure. Where is there room for pleasure in one who is without a woman? Abandoning woman, you have abandoned the world; abandoning the world, you would become happy. [LYV 1.2.100; YU p. 316] Therefore, the mind is bound when it has vasanas, latent tendencies, and is free without them. O Rama, secure the state without latent tendencies through discernment at once. [LYV 4.3.45] Through the true complete insight, latent tendencies are dissolved. On the dissolution of latent tendencies, the mind becomes still like a lamp. [LYV 4.3.46] The above account covers a wide range of vasanas and the means to get over them by applying discernment. (Portions of the above were copied from Robert Alan Goodding's Translation of the Jivanmuktiviveka – Vasana-kshaya prakaraNam) Pranams subbu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 29, 2006 Report Share Posted April 29, 2006 subrahmanian_v <subrahmanian_v > wrote: Vairagyam IX This is called loka-vasana. As one, harassed by children, friends, wife and the like, feels much disgust for them all and betakes oneself to renunciation, so should one, afflicted with the impure vasanas, such as arrogance begotten of learning, opulence, pedigree and the like, cultivate 'discrimination' to counteract them. Says Saint Pattinattar of the ephemeral nature of the worldly riches: The Tamil verse: MuDi-saarnda mannarum matrum ullorum muDivil PiDi-saambalaai vendu maNNaavadu kanDum ip- Padi-saarnda vaazhvai ninaippaduve allaamal Ponnambalar ADi-saarndu vaazhaveNDumendru arivaar illaye !! Meaning: Even the Monarch and all others meet their ends and become just a handful of ash and merge with earth. Noticing this day in and day out, ignorant men do not get disgusted with worldly life. Alas! None is there to take refuge in the Resplendent Shiva and live a life that leads to Liberation. Dear subramanium, How true what you say about our endless preoccupation with worldy sucess, recognition, trying to cover up one's weaknesses, intellectual haughtiness, trying to keep up appearances in society, pride of learning, lamentation about our not being as successful as others, being afraid to talk of religious matters lest we should be considered out of fashion, to wit, somehow or other trying to move along the bandwagon of life, being swayed by the entire belt of the non-self. Saint Pattinathar further says lamenting over the utter evanescence of life: " Can this life of creature- comforts be renounced? Can the mind abide steadily in renunciation? Will it fall to our lot to wait at the doors of worldly upstarts seeking after alms, lamenting our fate? Oh! Lord Chokkanada, everything happens by Thine Behest." " Oh mind of mine given to endless thoughts about the worldly concerns! There are countless rivers and lakes to bathe; there is the cool shade of the trees in plenty; there are wayside inns to rest and sleep; there is the security of the sacred ashes to remove any lurking fear; there are rags and loin-cloths to cover one's person; there is extraordinary delight in eating the begged food, and going to sleep in total stillness of mind." "If there is intense cold and heat, one can overcome it through simple old rags or remaining undressed; for sleeping there are pyols many; Supreme Lord Siva is there to provide food to assuage the pangs of hunger and thirst." " Oh mind! The truth has dawned on me that the joy of worldly wealth and wordly relationship will come to ruin. Rest assured that the begging bowl, and old cloths, are the enough necessaries. With this being sufficient, with the five-lettered mystic syllable being available to vanquish the worldly concerns, and the association of the devotees of Siva being of easy access, who could match thy excellence?' "Is there a particular samadhi to be practiced by the great ones who have abandoned as a straw even the abode of the denizens, who have totally renounced the delusion of the body-consciousness? When there is swetting they take bath, when there is hunger, they take a morsel of food. To all intents and purposes, such Siva-yogis of total renunciation look like the ordinary people." ( The purport of this verse is that the great jnanis do not display their inner wisdom through external vulgar, ostentatious display of siddhis etc, nor do they claim to be gurus, being anchored in the thought that only Siva is the true Guru.) "Oh Mind! Know that there is only One Supreme Principle, Which is the Lord. Know that He is Existence. Beware that all the wealth of the world will disappear in a trice. Look at the beings suffering from the pangs of hunger with a compssionate heart, and share thy wealth with them. Be sure that the unswering pursuit of dharma, and association of those who walk with God, are the true wealth. Be anchored in the truth that everything, good and bad, flows from the immaculate Law of the Lord, and not sorrow over anything." Excuse me for grammatical and spelling errors as this was done in haste. with warm regards, Sankarraman New Messenger with Voice. Call regular phones from your PC and save big. Discussion of Shankara's Advaita Vedanta Philosophy of nonseparablity of Atman and Brahman. Advaitin Homepage at: Terms of Service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 29, 2006 Report Share Posted April 29, 2006 advaitin, Ganesan Sankarraman <shnkaran> wrote: > > > > > > Dear subramanium, > How true what you say about our endless preoccupation with worldy sucess, recognition, trying to cover up one's weaknesses, intellectual haughtiness, trying to keep up appearances in society, pride of learning, lamentation about our not being as successful as others, being afraid to talk of religious matters lest we should be considered out of fashion, to wit, somehow or other trying to move along the bandwagon of life, being swayed by the entire belt of the non-self. Namaste, Thank you very much Sri Sankarraman ji, those words of supreme wisdom are truly instructive. The earlier one realises the truth of these lofty ideas the better. Like the company of Shiva-bhaktas, we have here the company of members journeying on the path of emancipation. Let the Lord's grace ever be on all of us. Kindly place such ideas before us often. Regards, subbu Discussion of Shankara's Advaita Vedanta Philosophy of nonseparablity of Atman and Brahman. Advaitin Homepage at: Terms of Service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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