Self, Shakti, Heart, and Enlightenment in Advaita: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

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Self, Shakti, Heart, and Enlightenment in Advaita: By Dr. Harsh K.

Luthar

Posted by: Harsha • Dec 18th, 2006

 

Often on the spiritual path, the topics of best postures, best

techniques of meditation, best behaviors conducive to spiritual

growth, best gurus, etc., come up. All of these questions are

appropriate to their time and circumstances. Underlying such

questions is the fundamental theme or inquiry as to what constitutes

superior spiritual practice that will lead to improvement in one's

mental and physical conditions and finally to Self-Realization or

Enlightenment.

 

In this perspective, Self-Realization is viewed as an attainment. It

is something that is achieved by an individual by making the right

effort. This approach in its methodology is not too different than

that of a talented world class athlete, who after having trained

rigorously, wins a gold medal at the Olympics.

 

This point of view emphasizes the need to focus the mind in order for

it to expand and evolve to higher levels. Spiritual practices based

on this foundation, involve meditating in a particular posture,

concentrating on chakras, raising the kundalini shakti, practicing

mantras, deep breathing, and doing pranayama exercises.

 

The Yoga paths explicitly incorporate the idea of controlling and

developing the mind to gain entry into Samadhi and Super-conscious

states. Most religions have this philosophy at their core; that

without hard work one does not succeed either in life or in knowing

God.

 

The General Spiritual Path Model

 

Budhha is supposed to have said to his disciples as he was

dying, " Work out your salvation with diligence. " He meant that you

have to personally work it out and attain Nirvana by right conduct,

right practice, right meditation, etc.

 

The same principle is present in Jainism and most of the schools of

thought in Hinduism. In Jainism, one attains to Moksha through one's

own individual efforts. In Hinduism, one achieves Moksha by God's

Grace. However, in most schools of Hinduism, one only benefits fully

from God's Grace, when one has made the right effort on the spiritual

path by following one's Dharma and by meditating on the nature of the

Self.

 

Although it is a complex topic, the general spiritual model that we

have before us is this: There is a spiritual path, there is the goal

of Enlightenment or Self-Realization, and you have to expend much

effort, and walk on the path for a long time in order to reach the

destination. While you are walking, you may even have to go through

the " dark night of the soul " a few times, because there are so many

temptations along the way and things can sometimes appear hopeless

and quite depressing.

 

So not only is there the possibility of tripping and falling due to

worldly obstacles, but one also may give up on the whole idea of

Liberation, Salvation, Enlightenment, Nirvana, Moksha, and/or getting

to Heaven. Indeed many on the spiritual path do end up concluding

that there is no meaning in life or the spiritual aspiration at all

and kick themselves for missing out on the pleasures of their youth

by having rejected the philosophy of " Eat, Drink, and be Merry "

prematurely.

 

However, experienced sages know that what practices or behaviors will

be helpful to the seeker on the spiritual path seems to depend on

one's conditioning, physiology, culture, background, etc. Although

there is a general framework on how to pursue one's aspiration for

Enlightenment or Self-Realization, the truth is that one has to make

the path as one walks on it because each individual is unique.

Therefore, the view of " Eat, Drink, and be Merry " , within reason and

in moderation, may be fully compatible with the spiritual life. It is

the overall context that has to be understood.

 

The Self-Knowledge of a Sage

 

For the one abiding spontaneously and inherently in the Self-Truth of

Reality, questions of methods, techniques, and practices, and the

path become moot. When clarity of Self arises, any technique may be

practiced and any path may be walked or one may give up all

techniques and paths. For such a person, the Self-Attention itself

absorbs attention regardless of where it is focused outwardly. The

essential element in this understanding is the Recognition by

Awareness of its Innate Wakefulness. Awareness is always self-aware

by its very nature.

 

When awareness remains pure and spontaneously self-focused

(perpetually in communion with itself), the subtle duality between

awareness/attention (as Pure I AM) and its Source is seen to be

illusory.

 

Then even the witness disappears, there being nothing to witness.

The " I AM " disappears having nothing to point to. Spontaneously with

the I AM Awareness/Shakti merging in its Source, the Self is

Recognized. The Self Recognizes It Self by It Self and Through It

Self as its own Source. It Sees and Recognizes that It has Always

Been the Source. That It Is the Eternal Source, the causeless cause.

 

This is the Supreme Beauty of the Heart. It absorbs the Shakti, and

along with it the Mind, thus swallowing time and space.

 

How can one speak of this Silence? The Silence that transcends all

understanding and knowledge can only be indicated indirectly.

 

Great sages like Sri Ramana Maharshi never tire of pointing out

that, —That Which is Real and Absolute Always Exists and is not

absent even now—. How can Reality, whether one calls it God,

Consciousness, Absolute, Nirvana, Moksha, Kingdom of Heaven, or by

some other name be present at one time and absent at another?

Perfection, by its nature, cannot be more perfect sometimes but not

others. The approach and method of Advaita is based on this implicit

axiom.

 

The Method of Advaita

 

The ever-present and eternal existence of our fundamental reality,

whatever label we give it (Self-Nature, Buddha-Nature, Original Face,

God, Goddess, God Consciousness, Pure Consciousness, Supreme

Consciousness) must be here and now in this very moment. Otherwise,

it is not Perfect!

 

This is the fundamental insight and conviction of the path of Advaita

and the Advaitic sages. Therefore, we have to grasp the present by

simply being present to it. This is the method of Advaita.

 

How is this done? In this way:

 

This present ordinary awareness, that you experience, you should

notice it and then hold on to it. It is subtle and yet so ordinary.

That is why we miss it. No matter how ordinary a baby looks to

others, to the mother it is special. She adores her baby and to her

it is the most lovely and wonderful child in the world. That is the

attitude one must have towards one's ordinary present awareness.

 

Like a mother holds on firmly to her child in all conditions, one

should keep this ordinary self-awareness in the center of one's

consciousness knowing it to be special. The Supreme Reality It Self

is hidden in it. It cannot be anywhere outside of it. If the Supreme

Reality is somewhere outside of our ordinary consciousness, it is not

perfect. Therefore, we can confidently look for perfection in our

ordinariness, our ordinary consciousness.

 

Finding God in the Heart

 

There is a Christian saying that " Man is made in the image of God " .

There is deep meaning in that. In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna says

to Arjuna, " I am in the Heart of all. " We find such expressions in

many of the religions of the world and in major works of different

spiritual traditions.

 

On the path of Advaita, through our present ordinary awareness, we

become, or more accurately, recognize our True and Ever-Present Image

in the Heart. Advaita goes one step further and states that indeed

the illusion of separation between the Individual soul and God lasts

only as long as God is not recognized as the Center of our Being,

sitting in the Heart as the Heart.

 

This is the Heart, that the ancients called Sat-Chit-Ananda.

Existence, Consciousness, Bliss. The Supreme Self. It is beyond

thoughts and concepts. Time and Space do not touch it.

 

As Sri Ramana has said, — that which is real is ever present—. We

have to see what is present right now in this very moment. If we

become quiet, we are able to feel our ordinary awareness, the sense

of " I Am " as being present in this moment. That is the seed. If we

water it and give it food, it grows and the Reality reveals it Self

from within.

 

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