Embrace this truth and wisdom with all your mind, body and soul.

[Guest guest]

Dear Violet and all,

 

Indeed this is a priceless post. After reading it i do not have the

desire to answer your previous inquiries, including the latest

concerning " causal " and " casual " . Any answer will be almost worthless

compared to this masterpiece!

 

Embrace this truth and wisdom with all your heart, mind and soul. You

will definitely realize why the great Adi Shakti (and all the Holy

Scriptures) insists that there is no death, and then for the rest of

your life have ever-escalating faith of your own immortality:

 

http://www.adishakti.org/forum/shri_mataji_there_should_be_no_fear_of_death_but_\

on_the_contrary_should_be_welcomed_2-25-2008.htm

 

http://www.adishakti.org/forum/shri_mataji_but_you_know_that_you_have_eternal_li\

fe_you_can_never_die_2-25-2008.htm

 

http://www.adishakti.org/forum/shri_mataji_death_does_not_exist_for_you_it_is_fi\

nished_your_spirit_is_free_2-25-2008.htm

 

http://www.adishakti.org/forum/shri_mataji_many_people_ask_me_questions_what_abo\

ut_death_2-25-2008.htm

 

http://www.adishakti.org/forum/shri_mataji_the_reality_is_so_beautiful_it_is_jus\

t_lying_ahead_of_us_2-25-2008.htm

 

For many years i have been telling SYs to completely discard the

official SYSSR as its Self-realization dogma is so shallow. And if

you add all the pervasive, fear-based and inherently ignorant culture

of catches and cures it goes against all that is nourishing to your

own spirit and Self. It is thus far better you leave and seek your

own liberation than stay for the sake of the collective. i am saying

this from the bottom of my heart - to remain silent goes against all

that is sacred, conscientious and dharmic as so much is at stake. We

are almost there after countless rebirths that begun from the depths

of the oceans during Genesis, the birth of creation. At last, after

ages, we are at the final stage of evolution! The Cool Breeze (Ruach)

is tangible, irrefutable proof of the promised evolution! This is

indeed the Blossom Time, the Great News of the Resurrection promised

to all who believe in the One Creator!

 

Please realize your Self and evolve into the eternal spirit! Your

next chance will only come again countless aeons from now, a very,

very, very long time after the final dissolution of this universe and

the next Genesis! Realize your Self in this life and attain the

promised liberation and eternal life of your own spirit!

 

As the great Adi Shakti comforts: " The Reality is so beautiful. It is

just lying ahead of us. " What is a decade or two more of living a

righteous, dharmic life compared to an epic journey that begun aeons

ago in the primordial womb of Mother Earth?

 

Read this post again, repeatedly if the need arise, till you realize

that Truth! To drive home the point, i am pasting a previous post

aptly titled " I'm quite sick of Sahaja Yoga - teachings, bhoots,

negativity, shady dealings " :

 

" Dear Xxxxxxxxx and Hui Hua,

 

i think both of your 'problems' are related and is symptomatic of the

chronic disease afflicting the minds of most SYSSR Sahaja Yogis. It

is, of course, much worse than your posts reflect. And since our main

aim is self-realization, anything that affects the 1000-Petalled

Lotus daily seriously retards genuine spiritual growth.

 

To be brutally honest, it is a mental epidemic that can only get

progressively worse the longer you practise the Sahaja Yoga Subtle

System Religion i.e, listen to the ceaseless chatter of catches

and fear the indoctrinated fear that pervades all collectives. In

short, the Divine Lake of your mind is constantly churned and clouded

by the collective current of doubt, guilt, and fear. You will never

be your own master and guide. Never!!!

 

There is no book, mantra, diet, idol, penance, scripture, place of

worship, pilgrimage, spa, holy water, ointment, bracelet or eclipse i

can ever recommend. Other than Silence on Self there is absolutely no

way to heal and nourish the mind for the life-long task of Self-

realization and spiritual liberation (eternal life as the spirit).

All the chillies, lemons, ghee, ajwan, candles, strings, matka pots,

shoe-beatings, mantras and incense used by SYs for the last three

decades cannot give Self-realization to even a single soul .........

far less liberate, even if repeated for the next thousand rebirths.

 

And how does one grasp, understand and have deep faith on why and how

to attain Silence on Self? All the websites and forum topics are

aimed towards that realization. The latest posted by Violet is

testimony of the wide range of consciousness explicitly required for

grasping and attaining Silence on Self:

 

/message/9010

 

Main Entry: con·scious·ness

1 a: the quality or state of being aware especially of something

within oneself b: the state or fact of being conscious of an external

object, state, or fact c: awareness; especially : concern for some

social or political cause

2: the state of being characterized by sensation, emotion, volition,

and thought : mind

3: the totality of conscious states of an individual

4: the normal state of conscious life <regained consciousness>

5: the upper level of mental life of which the person is aware as

contrasted with unconscious processes

 

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

 

follow the SYSSR at your assured spiritual demise, "

 

/message/9024

 

Never forget what has been prophesied and promised by the Saviour,

one that the Comforter has fulfilled to the fullest:

 

http://www.adishakti.org/forum/jesus_god_is_spirit_and_those_who_worship_him_mus\

t_worship_in_spirit_and_truth_10-22-2007.htm

 

Remember that i have only reached 2% of enlightenment. Only a fool

will claim any more. (There is also enligtenment in my ignorance.)

 

regards to all,

 

 

jagbir

 

 

Main Entry: ae·on

1: an immeasurably or indefinitely long period of time : age

2 ausually eon : a very large division of geologic time usually

longer than an era

b: a unit of geologic time equal to one billion years

 

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

 

 

, " Violet "

<violetubb wrote:

 

Dear All,

 

Part 2 of The Eastern Vision of the Universe ended with:

 

" In this way then the seers of the Upanishads began to meditate and

they made the great discovery that this 'brahman', this power in the

universe, (P.64} this power which was believed to be in the sacrifice

which sustained the universe, this power is within each person.

The 'mahavakya', the great saying of the Upanishads, is 'prajnanam

brahman', " Brahman is consciousness " . That was a tremendous step, for

it was a movement beyond the physical world. 'Brahman' was

understood previously to be manifesting in all the universe, in the

heaven and the earth, and in man; 'brahman' is everywhere. But now

came the discovery that 'brahman', that reality without, is one with

one's own inner consciousness. This is the awakening of the inner

self for the first time. Previously man had been living in the outer

universe and experiencing God, brahman, the reality, in that outside

universe but not in himself. Now man discovered himself. The word for

self is 'atman', so now it is said, 'ayam atman brahmanasti', " That

self is Brahman " , meaning that this self which I discern within me,

is one with brahman, one with the reality of the universe outside me.

The third great saying or mahavakya is, 'aham brahmasmi', " I am

Brahman " . This means that if I go to the depths of my being, beyond

my body, beyond my thoughts and my feelings, I discover the " I " , the

atman, and come to know that brahman in myself, as my true being. The

fourth mahavakya is, 'Tat Tvam asi', " Thou art that " . It occurs in

the Chandogya Upanishad where the guru tells the disciple to take a

fruit from a tree, break it open and then take a seed and break it

open, and he asks the disciple what he can see. The disciple says, " I

see nothing, " to which the guru replies, " In that nothing, that

hidden essence which you cannot see, the power of the growth of the

whole tree consists. " So also there is a secret essence in all

creation, in everything which exists, which is the source of all

being; and " Thou, Svetaketu, art that. " (Chandogya Upanishad 6:12) In

other words, the source of the universe around us is the source of

our own being. This was the great breakthrough of the Upanishads, and

still today in India these four mahavakyas are considered the supreme

wisdom of the Vedas. "

 

Here is Part 3 of the " Eastern Vision of the Universe " by Bede

Griffiths.

 

Enjoy!

 

violet

 

 

The Eastern Vision of the Universe

 

(Part 3)

 

 

(Page 65} It was in the sixth century that the 'Aranyakas' gave way

to the Upanishads, the last stage of the Vedas, or Vedanta, as it is

called. The Upanishads are the discourses of the rishis to their

disciples, revealing the great discovery that had been made. The

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, which is the earliest we have, gives the

greatest insight into this understanding of the universe in terms

of 'brahman'. There are two particularly important sayings. The first

is, " Verily in the beginning this was Brahman, one only " .

(Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1:4:11) This is a very important insight,

for what it means is that behind the phenomena of the universe,

behind all the phenomena of human existence, the rishis had

discovered the brahman. They had found the source of the universe and

the source of humanity. In the beginning was that brahman, one only,

and the whole physical and psychological universe comes forth from

the one. That was the profound insight that was reached at this

time.

 

The second saying is, " In the beginning this was atman alone in the

form of Purusha " , or, " This was the Self, the Spirit alone, in the

form of a Person " . (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1:4:1) So there were

three words now to describe this ultimate Reality. The first

was 'brahman'. When you look at the world around you, you see the

source of all in brahman. The second word is 'atman'. You look

within yourself and you see that the source of your own being and

consciousness is the atman, and that the atman is one with brahman.

Thirdly, there is the conception of the whole universe as being a

great person, a 'purusha', who contains the whole universe in

himself. The purusha occurs in the Purusha Shukta of the Rig Veda,

where it says, " A thousand heads has Purusha, a thousand eyes,

a thousand feet, on every side, pervading the earth. " (Rig Veda

10:90) This purusha is the supreme Person who fills the whole

creation. A thousand is the sign of completeness, perfection. All the

creation is filled with this purusha. It goes on, " This Purusha is

all that has been and all that will be, the Lord of immortality. "

(Page 66} Then it says, " With three fourths Purusha is in heaven;

one fourth is here on earth. " This means that this purusha transcends

the whole creation with regard to three fourths of his being and he

is immanent in creation with one fourth. There is here the concept of

a unified creation which has the character of a person who embraces

the whole universe and at the same time transcends it. So brahman,

atman and purusha are the three terms for ultimate Reality.

 

'Brahman' is the ground, the source, of everything. There is a

beautiful illustration of this in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad where

Yagnavalkya, one of the great sages, is talking with Gargi, his wife.

Women at this stage took part in discussions on equal terms with men

although later they were not even allowed to read the Vedas. Here

Gargi asks Vajnavalkya, " Everything here is woven like warp and woof

in water, then what is that in which the water is woven like warp

and woof? " The point of this question was the attempt to discover the

source of the universe. A very common view was to say that it all

came from water. In the Greek philosophers there was the same

questioning as to the origin of the universe, and often the same

answers. Thales, for instance, in the seventh century, said that

everything comes from water. It is a simple idea because water is

liquid, but when heated it becomes vapour and when frozen it is solid,

so water embraces the three states of matter. Later, Anaximines

asserted that everything comes from air. Later still Heraclitus said

that everything comes from fire and finally Empedocles held that

everything comes from the four elements, the earth, the air, the fire

and the water. In this way the Greeks built up their understanding of

the universe. The same kind of process is taking place here. Gargi

said, " Everything here is woven like warp and woof in water. In what

is the water woven? " And Yajnavalkya replied, " In the air, O Gargi. "

She continued, " Then in what is the air woven like warp and woof? "

and he replied, " In the sky, Gargi. " (Page 67} Then she said, " In

what is the sky woven? " to which he replied, " In the 'gandharvas, "

which means the spirits.

 

This is going beyond the physical to the psychological world, the

world of the spirits and angels. Gargi then asked, " In what is the

world of the 'gandharvas' woven? " and he replied, " In the world of

the gods, O Gargi " . Then she asked, " In what is the world of the gods

woven? " " In the worlds of Indra, " he replied. Indra is the supreme

god, so there is an upward progression from the spirits, to the gods,

to the Supreme. Gargi then asked, " In what are the worlds of Indra

woven? " and Yajnavalkya replied, " In the world of Prajapati, O argi. "

Prajapati is the lord of creation. Gargi asked again, " In what are

the worlds of Prajapati woven, O Yajnavalkya? " and he replied, " In

the worlds of Brahman. " She then asked, " In what are the worlds of

Brahman woven like warp and woof? " to which he responded, " O Gargi,

do not ask too much lest thy head should fall off. " (Brihadaranyaka

Upanishad 3:6) That means that there is no going beyond 'brahman';

brahman is the limit.

 

This is a beautiful example of how at this stage the ancients were

investigating the universe, asking, " What does it all come

from? " " How is it built up? " " What is the source? " It is very

elementary in a way, but to see here the human mind first asking

these questions makes it fascinating.

 

'Brahman', then is the ground in which the whole creation is woven.

Everything comes out from 'brahman', emerging as from a source. The

text says, " As the spider comes out with its thread or as small

sparks come forth from fire, thus do all the senses, all the world,

all gods and all being come forth from that Spirit. " It is the

source. The text goes on to say, " That Atman is the satyasya

satya " , which means " the truth of the truth " , " the real of the real. "

(Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2:1:20) The world of the senses is real,

but the 'atman' is the reality behind the senses. It is the source

behind the sense world. In this context the terms 'brahman'

and 'atman' are interchangeable.

 

A New Vision of Reality (Western Science, Eastern Mysticism and

Christian Faith)

Bede Griffiths

Templegate Publishers - Springfield, Illinois

ISBN 0-87243-180-0

Pgs. 65-67

[Guest guest]

Dear Jagbir and All,

 

i will never forget the day when you said that:

 

" I am Brahman! "

 

And i knew what you knew, that " I am Brahman! "

 

I had uttered it in mantras when i said " Aham Brahmasi! " But i had not reached

the full conscious realisation. Then there was a point where i had reached the

full conscious realisation, but did not dare express the same, because i had

heard nobody else express the same in a personal way, and i felt that i might be

daring to say too much. i can now confess that it was only when you explained

really clearly, and allowed yourself to express your realisation that " I am

Brahman " , that i too felt the liberty to say the same. And liberating, it was!

 

Perhaps, it was not until my experience of " I am Brahman " was confirmed by your

experience of " I am Brahman " - that i could say the same thing confidently,

without the fear of maybe sounding egotistical, LOL! In the climate of catches

and cures in the SYSSR (Sahaja Yoga Subtle System Religion), it is not really

possible to say with conviction that " I am Brahman " . i mean, how can you say " I

am Brahman " and be riddled by all these catches, whereby you still don't even

have the kundalini flowing clearly on a 24/7 basis?! i know from experience that

until you have the " confidence " in your kundalini (but it is confidence in the

Divine, actually) that you will never get over the catches and cure syndrome

that Sahaja Yogis suffer from. And by " confidence " i mean that you have to be so

confident in the Divine Mother Within, that She comes to your aid. It is as deep

as that. By our power alone, the psychomatic blocks or 'catches' do not go away.

They only go away by surrender to Her, to the Holy Spirit within, who is the

Source of Cures for all Catches! So, i repeat that, " somehow the SYSSR does not

instil confidence that 'I am Brahman' " That is why, Jagbir, when you confirmed

about One's Self being 'Brahman', i.e. part and parcel of Brahman, that this

brought such faith in my Self realisation also!

 

i hardly have the words to continue, because beyond that is " Silence " , i.e. no

more can be said, for the utter depth and enormity of this Great Realisation.

One realises that they are " part and parcel " of that being, that Being that is

Greater than the particular part and parcel, they, themselves, are. One realises

that they are a part and parcel of the Ground of Being, which draws them into

the most deep, profound and utter Silence, a Divine Silence, that has the music

of the spheres of the universe in it, which poets call the " music of the

spheres " . It is a Silence filled with Divine Sound, one in which the " All That

Is " is experienced at a level that goes beyond what the mind itself, can

comprehend.

 

So i want to thank you for consciously and openly, voicing (some time back) what

i felt reticent to express, because it might sound egotistical. i had felt that:

" Who am I to voice such a thing? " But isn't that the first question that Shri

Mataji says we must ask ourselves in Sahaja Yoga:

 

" Who am I? "

 

To have the Brahman, the Ground of One's Being, emerge in the consciousness of

the Self, is the greatest Sense of Wonder! It is the Great Realisation of being

a part of the " All That Is " ! It is the Ultimate Realisation that one cannot and

would not, want to go back from. It is a Realisation in which the whole Universe

is contained. The amazing thing is that the rishis of yore, had discovered this

great spiritual secret so long ago! And how far are the religions preventing

this simple truth from becoming known?! Despite the fact that Christ said:

 

" I AM THAT I AM! "

 

Jagbir, when Christ said: " I AM THAT I AM " - was He not saying that He was

Brahman? Was He not saying:

 

" I AM THAT [bRAHMAN] I AM! "

 

regards to all,

 

violet

 

 

 

-- In , " jagbir

singh " <adishakti_org wrote:

>

> Dear Violet and all,

>

> Indeed this is a priceless post. After reading it i do not have the

> desire to answer your previous inquiries, including the latest

> concerning " causal " and " casual " . Any answer will be almost

worthless

> compared to this masterpiece!

>

> Embrace this truth and wisdom with all your heart, mind and soul.

You

> will definitely realize why the great Adi Shakti (and all the Holy

> Scriptures) insists that there is no death, and then for the rest of

> your life have ever-escalating faith of your own immortality:

>

> http://www.adishakti.org/forum/

shri_mataji_there_should_be_no_fear_of_death_but_on_the_contrary_should_be_welco\

med_2-

25-2008.htm

>

> http://www.adishakti.org/forum/

shri_mataji_but_you_know_that_you_have_eternal_life_you_can_never_die_2-

25-2008.htm

>

> http://www.adishakti.org/forum/

shri_mataji_death_does_not_exist_for_you_it_is_finished_your_spirit_is_free_2-

25-2008.htm

>

> http://www.adishakti.org/forum/

shri_mataji_many_people_ask_me_questions_what_about_death_2-25-

2008.htm

>

> http://www.adishakti.org/forum/

shri_mataji_the_reality_is_so_beautiful_it_is_just_lying_ahead_of_us_2-

25-2008.htm

>

> For many years i have been telling SYs to completely discard the

> official SYSSR as its Self-realization dogma is so shallow. And if

> you add all the pervasive, fear-based and inherently ignorant

culture

> of catches and cures it goes against all that is nourishing to your

> own spirit and Self. It is thus far better you leave and seek your

> own liberation than stay for the sake of the collective. i am saying

> this from the bottom of my heart - to remain silent goes against all

> that is sacred, conscientious and dharmic as so much is at stake. We

> are almost there after countless rebirths that begun from the depths

> of the oceans during Genesis, the birth of creation. At last, after

> ages, we are at the final stage of evolution! The Cool Breeze

(Ruach)

> is tangible, irrefutable proof of the promised evolution! This is

> indeed the Blossom Time, the Great News of the Resurrection promised

> to all who believe in the One Creator!

>

> Please realize your Self and evolve into the eternal spirit! Your

> next chance will only come again countless aeons from now, a very,

> very, very long time after the final dissolution of this universe

and

> the next Genesis! Realize your Self in this life and attain the

> promised liberation and eternal life of your own spirit!

>

> As the great Adi Shakti comforts: " The Reality is so beautiful. It

is

> just lying ahead of us. " What is a decade or two more of living a

> righteous, dharmic life compared to an epic journey that begun aeons

> ago in the primordial womb of Mother Earth?

>

> Read this post again, repeatedly if the need arise, till you realize

> that Truth! To drive home the point, i am pasting a previous post

> aptly titled " I'm quite sick of Sahaja Yoga - teachings, bhoots,

> negativity, shady dealings " :

>

> " Dear Xxxxxxxxx and Hui Hua,

>

> i think both of your 'problems' are related and is symptomatic of

the

> chronic disease afflicting the minds of most SYSSR Sahaja Yogis. It

> is, of course, much worse than your posts reflect. And since our

main

> aim is self-realization, anything that affects the 1000-Petalled

> Lotus daily seriously retards genuine spiritual growth.

>

> To be brutally honest, it is a mental epidemic that can only get

> progressively worse the longer you practise the Sahaja Yoga Subtle

> System Religion i.e, listen to the ceaseless chatter of catches

> and fear the indoctrinated fear that pervades all collectives. In

> short, the Divine Lake of your mind is constantly churned and

clouded

> by the collective current of doubt, guilt, and fear. You will never

> be your own master and guide. Never!!!

>

> There is no book, mantra, diet, idol, penance, scripture, place of

> worship, pilgrimage, spa, holy water, ointment, bracelet or eclipse

i

> can ever recommend. Other than Silence on Self there is absolutely

no

> way to heal and nourish the mind for the life-long task of Self-

> realization and spiritual liberation (eternal life as the spirit).

> All the chillies, lemons, ghee, ajwan, candles, strings, matka pots,

> shoe-beatings, mantras and incense used by SYs for the last three

> decades cannot give Self-realization to even a single soul .........

> far less liberate, even if repeated for the next thousand rebirths.

>

> And how does one grasp, understand and have deep faith on why and

how

> to attain Silence on Self? All the websites and forum topics are

> aimed towards that realization. The latest posted by Violet is

> testimony of the wide range of consciousness explicitly required for

> grasping and attaining Silence on Self:

>

> /message/9010

>

> Main Entry: con·scious·ness

> 1 a: the quality or state of being aware especially of something

> within oneself b: the state or fact of being conscious of an

external

> object, state, or fact c: awareness; especially : concern for some

> social or political cause

> 2: the state of being characterized by sensation, emotion, volition,

> and thought : mind

> 3: the totality of conscious states of an individual

> 4: the normal state of conscious life <regained consciousness>

> 5: the upper level of mental life of which the person is aware as

> contrasted with unconscious processes

>

> Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

>

> follow the SYSSR at your assured spiritual demise, "

>

> /message/9024

>

> Never forget what has been prophesied and promised by the Saviour,

> one that the Comforter has fulfilled to the fullest:

>

> http://www.adishakti.org/forum/

jesus_god_is_spirit_and_those_who_worship_him_must_worship_in_spirit_and_truth_1\

0-

22-2007.htm

>

> Remember that i have only reached 2% of enlightenment. Only a fool

> will claim any more. (There is also enligtenment in my ignorance.)

>

> regards to all,

>

>

> jagbir

>

>

> Main Entry: ae·on

> 1: an immeasurably or indefinitely long period of time : age

> 2 ausually eon : a very large division of geologic time usually

> longer than an era

> b: a unit of geologic time equal to one billion years

>

> Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

>

>

> , " Violet "

> <violetubb@> wrote:

>

> Dear All,

>

> Part 2 of The Eastern Vision of the Universe ended with:

>

> " In this way then the seers of the Upanishads began to meditate and

> they made the great discovery that this 'brahman', this power in the

> universe, (P.64} this power which was believed to be in the

sacrifice

> which sustained the universe, this power is within each person.

> The 'mahavakya', the great saying of the Upanishads, is 'prajnanam

> brahman', " Brahman is consciousness " . That was a tremendous step,

for

> it was a movement beyond the physical world. 'Brahman' was

> understood previously to be manifesting in all the universe, in the

> heaven and the earth, and in man; 'brahman' is everywhere. But now

> came the discovery that 'brahman', that reality without, is one with

> one's own inner consciousness. This is the awakening of the inner

> self for the first time. Previously man had been living in the outer

> universe and experiencing God, brahman, the reality, in that outside

> universe but not in himself. Now man discovered himself. The word

for

> self is 'atman', so now it is said, 'ayam atman brahmanasti', " That

> self is Brahman " , meaning that this self which I discern within me,

> is one with brahman, one with the reality of the universe outside

me.

> The third great saying or mahavakya is, 'aham brahmasmi', " I am

> Brahman " . This means that if I go to the depths of my being, beyond

> my body, beyond my thoughts and my feelings, I discover the " I " , the

> atman, and come to know that brahman in myself, as my true being.

The

> fourth mahavakya is, 'Tat Tvam asi', " Thou art that " . It occurs in

> the Chandogya Upanishad where the guru tells the disciple to take a

> fruit from a tree, break it open and then take a seed and break it

> open, and he asks the disciple what he can see. The disciple says,

" I

> see nothing, " to which the guru replies, " In that nothing, that

> hidden essence which you cannot see, the power of the growth of the

> whole tree consists. " So also there is a secret essence in all

> creation, in everything which exists, which is the source of all

> being; and " Thou, Svetaketu, art that. " (Chandogya Upanishad 6:12)

In

> other words, the source of the universe around us is the source of

> our own being. This was the great breakthrough of the Upanishads,

and

> still today in India these four mahavakyas are considered the

supreme

> wisdom of the Vedas. "

>

> Here is Part 3 of the " Eastern Vision of the Universe " by Bede

> Griffiths.

>

> Enjoy!

>

> violet

>

>

> The Eastern Vision of the Universe

>

> (Part 3)

>

>

> (Page 65} It was in the sixth century that the 'Aranyakas' gave way

> to the Upanishads, the last stage of the Vedas, or Vedanta, as it is

> called. The Upanishads are the discourses of the rishis to their

> disciples, revealing the great discovery that had been made. The

> Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, which is the earliest we have, gives the

> greatest insight into this understanding of the universe in terms

> of 'brahman'. There are two particularly important sayings. The

first

> is, " Verily in the beginning this was Brahman, one only " .

> (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1:4:11) This is a very important insight,

> for what it means is that behind the phenomena of the universe,

> behind all the phenomena of human existence, the rishis had

> discovered the brahman. They had found the source of the universe

and

> the source of humanity. In the beginning was that brahman, one only,

> and the whole physical and psychological universe comes forth from

> the one. That was the profound insight that was reached at this

> time.

>

> The second saying is, " In the beginning this was atman alone in the

> form of Purusha " , or, " This was the Self, the Spirit alone, in the

> form of a Person " . (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1:4:1) So there were

> three words now to describe this ultimate Reality. The first

> was 'brahman'. When you look at the world around you, you see the

> source of all in brahman. The second word is 'atman'. You look

> within yourself and you see that the source of your own being and

> consciousness is the atman, and that the atman is one with brahman.

> Thirdly, there is the conception of the whole universe as being a

> great person, a 'purusha', who contains the whole universe in

> himself. The purusha occurs in the Purusha Shukta of the Rig Veda,

> where it says, " A thousand heads has Purusha, a thousand eyes,

> a thousand feet, on every side, pervading the earth. " (Rig Veda

> 10:90) This purusha is the supreme Person who fills the whole

> creation. A thousand is the sign of completeness, perfection. All

the

> creation is filled with this purusha. It goes on, " This Purusha is

> all that has been and all that will be, the Lord of immortality. "

> (Page 66} Then it says, " With three fourths Purusha is in heaven;

> one fourth is here on earth. " This means that this purusha

transcends

> the whole creation with regard to three fourths of his being and he

> is immanent in creation with one fourth. There is here the concept

of

> a unified creation which has the character of a person who embraces

> the whole universe and at the same time transcends it. So brahman,

> atman and purusha are the three terms for ultimate Reality.

>

> 'Brahman' is the ground, the source, of everything. There is a

> beautiful illustration of this in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad where

> Yagnavalkya, one of the great sages, is talking with Gargi, his

wife.

> Women at this stage took part in discussions on equal terms with men

> although later they were not even allowed to read the Vedas. Here

> Gargi asks Vajnavalkya, " Everything here is woven like warp and woof

> in water, then what is that in which the water is woven like warp

> and woof? " The point of this question was the attempt to discover

the

> source of the universe. A very common view was to say that it all

> came from water. In the Greek philosophers there was the same

> questioning as to the origin of the universe, and often the same

> answers. Thales, for instance, in the seventh century, said that

> everything comes from water. It is a simple idea because water is

> liquid, but when heated it becomes vapour and when frozen it is

solid,

> so water embraces the three states of matter. Later, Anaximines

> asserted that everything comes from air. Later still Heraclitus said

> that everything comes from fire and finally Empedocles held that

> everything comes from the four elements, the earth, the air, the

fire

> and the water. In this way the Greeks built up their understanding

of

> the universe. The same kind of process is taking place here. Gargi

> said, " Everything here is woven like warp and woof in water. In what

> is the water woven? " And Yajnavalkya replied, " In the air, O Gargi. "

> She continued, " Then in what is the air woven like warp and woof? "

> and he replied, " In the sky, Gargi. " (Page 67} Then she said, " In

> what is the sky woven? " to which he replied, " In the 'gandharvas, "

> which means the spirits.

>

> This is going beyond the physical to the psychological world, the

> world of the spirits and angels. Gargi then asked, " In what is the

> world of the 'gandharvas' woven? " and he replied, " In the world of

> the gods, O Gargi " . Then she asked, " In what is the world of the

gods

> woven? " " In the worlds of Indra, " he replied. Indra is the supreme

> god, so there is an upward progression from the spirits, to the

gods,

> to the Supreme. Gargi then asked, " In what are the worlds of Indra

> woven? " and Yajnavalkya replied, " In the world of Prajapati, O

argi. "

> Prajapati is the lord of creation. Gargi asked again, " In what are

> the worlds of Prajapati woven, O Yajnavalkya? " and he replied, " In

> the worlds of Brahman. " She then asked, " In what are the worlds of

> Brahman woven like warp and woof? " to which he responded, " O Gargi,

> do not ask too much lest thy head should fall off. " (Brihadaranyaka

> Upanishad 3:6) That means that there is no going beyond 'brahman';

> brahman is the limit.

>

> This is a beautiful example of how at this stage the ancients were

> investigating the universe, asking, " What does it all come

> from? " " How is it built up? " " What is the source? " It is very

> elementary in a way, but to see here the human mind first asking

> these questions makes it fascinating.

>

> 'Brahman', then is the ground in which the whole creation is woven.

> Everything comes out from 'brahman', emerging as from a source. The

> text says, " As the spider comes out with its thread or as small

> sparks come forth from fire, thus do all the senses, all the world,

> all gods and all being come forth from that Spirit. " It is the

> source. The text goes on to say, " That Atman is the satyasya

> satya " , which means " the truth of the truth " , " the real of the

real. "

> (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2:1:20) The world of the senses is real,

> but the 'atman' is the reality behind the senses. It is the source

> behind the sense world. In this context the terms 'brahman'

> and 'atman' are interchangeable.

>

> A New Vision of Reality (Western Science, Eastern Mysticism and

> Christian Faith)

> Bede Griffiths

> Templegate Publishers - Springfield, Illinois

> ISBN 0-87243-180-0

> Pgs. 65-67

>