The failure to attain direct experience of the truth, and consequently of freedom, is due to man's spiritual ignorance

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" As we have intimated, the Vedas, or Srutis (revealed truths), stand

as an absolute authority behind which the orthodox schools cannot go.

In this sense their authority might seem to resemble that of the Holy

Bible in many periods of Christian thought; but in the words of Dr S.

Radhakrishnan, `The appeal to the Vedas does not evolve any reference

to an extra-philosophical standard. What is dogma to the ordinary man

is experience to the pure of heart.'[1] With the exception of

Buddhism and Jainism, all Indian schools of thought regard the Vedas

as recording the transcendental experience of the first mighty seers

of India. This experience cannot and should not contradict similar

experience in any age or country. Furthermore, it is accessible to

all. For these reasons, all Hindus believe that the Vedas are eternal—

beginningless and endless—and that in them transcendental experience

has had its standard manifestation.

 

What then of Buddhism and Jainism? Shall we exclude them from the

highest expressions of Indian thought? The fact is that they accept

the authority of revealed knowledge and transcendental experience,

though they deny the authority of the Vedas, particularly of the

ritualistic portions, as a result of certain historical

circumstances. They were born at a time when the spirit of the Vedas

had been lost, when the Hindus held faithfully only to the letter of

the law, and when priestcraft reigned supreme. The yearning to know

the truth of the Self, or Brahman in one's own soul, which is

attained only by the pure at heart, was absent. Buddha, though he

denied the authority of the Vedas, actually impressed their spirit

upon his followers by urging them to live the pure life in order to

free themselves from the burden of sorrow. And he showed the way by

himself attaining nirvana—another name for samadhi, the

transcendental state.

 

Thus the teachings of Buddha do not contradict the spirit of the

Vedas but are in entire harmony with it; and the same is true of the

teachings of Mahavira, founder of Jainism...

 

Philosophers differ, however, with respect to the exact nature of

moksa; and the differences make up the substance of Hindu thought.

These are due in part to varying grades of experience in realizing

the transcendental life; and of course they are due above all to the

attempt to express the inexpressible.

 

In one thing, however, the philosophers all agree. That is, that

spiritual perfection can be attained here and now. `Man's aim', says

Professor Hiriyanna, `was no longer represented as the attainment of

perfection in a hypothetical hereafter, but as a continual progress

towards it within the limits of the present life.' Moksa, or the

attainment of freedom from the limitations and sufferings of physical

life, is the supreme aspiration of all Indian philosophy.

 

Samkara, speaking of the supreme goal of human life, says: `A man is

born not to desire enjoyments in the world of the senses, but to

realize the bliss of jivanmukti [liberation while living].' And the

Upanishads over and over again emphasize this truth: `Blessed is he

who attains illumination in this very life, for a man not to do so is

his greatest calamity.' [2] But in these same scriptures it is

pointed out that is a man fails to attain the supreme goal in this

life he can attain it in some other life, for he will be given

unlimited opportunities, by rebirths to reach the goal of perfection.

 

The failure to attain direct experience of the truth, and

consequently of freedom, is due to man's spiritual ignorance, which

is all but universal, and which forms the chief cause of sin and

suffering. It can be dispelled by direct knowledge of the ultimate

truth obtained through purification of the heart, and through a

constant striving for detachment of the soul from worldly desires. By

transcending the limitations of the body, the mind and the senses,

one may enter the superconscious state.

 

The methods of attaining this highest state of consciousness are

hearing about, reasoning about, and meditating upon the ultimate

reality. One must first hear about it from the Sruti, or Vedas, and

from the lips of a guru, an illumined teacher. Then one must reason

about it. Finally comes the meditation upon it in order to realize

the truth for oneself. Different schools offer different methods of

attaining the same goal, but all agree in recommending the practice

of yoga, or the exercises prescribed in the art of concentration and

meditation.

 

To tread he path of philosophy is to seek after truth and follow a

way of life. Before a man sets out on the quest after truth, he must

fulfil certain conditions. Samkara sums them up as follows: First,

there must be discrimination between the real and the unreal. This

statement means, not that a man must posses complete knowledge of

absolute reality, which is attained only after long practice of

meditation, but that he must unfailingly subject the nature if things

to a rigid analysis by discriminating between what is transitory and

what is abiding, or between what is true and what is false. The

second condition is detachment from the selfish enjoyments of life.

The aspirant must learn that the highest good is realized not through

worldly pleasure, but through a continuous search for the infinite,

the enduring joy. This ideal of renunciation must be realized by a

gradual purification of the seeker's heart and mind. A third

condition is that the student must acquire tranquility of mind, self-

control, patience, poise, burning faith in things of the spirit, and

self-surrender. These are called the six treasures of life. The

thirst for moksa, or release, is the fourth condition. "

 

The Spiritual Heritage Of India: A Clear Summary of Indian Philosophy

and Religion, pp. 17-20

Swami Prabhavananda

Vedanta Press (June 1979)

ISBN-10: 0874810353

ISBN-13: 978-0874810356

 

1. Indian Philosophy, vol. I, p. 51

2. Kena, II. 5

 

 

 

, " adishakti_org "

<adishakti_org wrote:

>

> " The word darsana, which is usually translated `philosophy', means

> in Sanskrit seeing or experience. From this we may gather that Indian

> philosophy is not merely metaphysical speculation, but has its

> foundation in immediate perception. God and the soul are regarded by

> the Hindu mind, not as concepts, speculative and problematical, as is

> in the case of Western philosophy, but as things directly known. They

> can be experienced not merely by a chosen few, but, under right

> conditions, by all humanity.

>

> This insistence upon immediate perception rather than on abstract

> reasoning is what distinguishes the Indian philosophy of religion

> from philosophy as Western nations know it. Immediate perception is

> the source from which springs all Indian thought.

>

> This perception, it must be made clear, is not of the senses, nor

> must it be confused with the operation of the intellect, nor of the

> emotions; it is supersensuous, transcendental—something not to be

> fully explained in rational terms.

>

> The Mandukya Upanishad speaks of three states of consciousness-

> waking, dreaming, and dreamless sleep. These are common to all men.

> In addition, there is turiya (The Fourth), the transcendental state—

> known also as samadhi—which may be described as the ultimate

> consciousness. Though it is realizable by all men, they do not

> experience it in their spiritually ignorant condition. Indian

> philosophers call the transcendental state by various names, but all

> of the names unmistakably point to the same concept.

>

> Turiya, or samadhi, is a phenomenon well known throughout the history

> of Indian life. Today, as well as in earliest times, it is

> experienced. Sri Ramakrsna, the greatest saint of modern India,

> though not a learned man, attained samadhi, and having realized the

> highest illumination spoke words of solace and wisdom to all men. The

> state is conceivably attainable by anyone who strives hard to free

> himself from the dross of worldliness.

>

> The Hindu, however, is careful not to confuse reveries, dreams,

> hallucinations, and hypnotic spells with transcendental experience.

> Before a state is recognized as genuinely transcendental, it must

> pass certain tests.

>

> First, the revelation it brings must be related (as was said by

> Jaimini, founder of the Purva Mimamsa school of thought) to arthe

> anupalabdhe—something which is otherwise unknown and unknowable. The

> transcendental revelation is therefore not a revelation of things or

> truths normally perceived or generally known, nor of truths capable

> of ordinary perception or of apprehension through the ordinary

> instruments of knowledge. And yet it must be universally

> understandable in relation to human experience, and must be

> communicable to us in human terms.

>

> Second, the truth it reveals must not contradict other truths. It is

> necessarily beyond and above reason, but it must not contradict

> reason.

>

> Thus Indian religion, though having its foundation in supernatural

> revelation, gives a legitimate place to logic and reason, and it has

> never been an obstacle to the growth of philosophic thinking. In

> fact, no race has produced a succession of more subtle or more

> rigidly logical thinkers than the Hindus—and yet, without exception,

> they have declared that reason, unaided by transcendental experience,

> is blind. Those who are called orthodox philosophers accept the Vedic

> scriptures as recording revealed truths; and they make these

> scriptures the basis of their reasoning. Samkara, one of the foremost

> philosophers of India, has this to say concerning the limitations of

> reason in the investigation of truth:

>

> `As the thoughts of man are altogether unfettered, reasoning which

> disregards the holy texts and rests on individual opinion only has no

> proper foundation. We see how arguments, which some clever men have

> excogitated with great pains, are shown, by people still more

> ingenious to be fallacious, and how the arguments of the latter again

> are refuted in their turn by other men; so that, on account of the

> diversity of men's opinions, it is impossible to accept mere

> reasoning as having a sure foundation.'

>

> The Spiritual Heritage Of India: A Clear Summary of Indian Philosophy

> and Religion, pp. 15-16,

> Swami Prabhavananda

> Vedanta Press (June 1979)

> ISBN-10: 0874810353

> ISBN-13: 978-0874810356

>

>

> Divine Feminine (Adi Shakti)

> The Kingdom Of God

>

> " Since November 1993 the transcendental experiences of children's

> souls meeting the Divine Feminine thousands of times over the years

> have been recorded. All have independently corroborated and

> identified Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi as the divine personality sent to

> deliver and explain in detail God Almighty's promised Resurrection

> and eschatological evolution into the eternal spirit.

>

> The collective signs, prophecies and circumstances ushering this

> promised Golden Age for the human race—as according to Christian,

> Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist and Hindu scripture—is the leitmotiv of

> this website. Few truths are more often or more clearly proclaimed in

> the scriptures of all major religions than that of the general

> judgment. The scriptures mention certain events and predictions meant

> to foreshadow eschatological manifestations of the Last Judgment and

> Resurrection (both occur simultaneously and take an entire lifetime,

> thus giving ample time to be properly understood and perceived by the

> senses). To keep its manifestation in the minds of believers it must

> be presented without exciting useless curiosity and vain fears.

> Belief in the Last Judgment will become common, indeed creedal,

> because scripture says it, tradition asserts it, reason supports it,

> and literature and art proclaim it. Most imporant of all the daily

> experience of the Cool Breeze that is absolutely beyond any human

> manipulation, and specific to the Resurrection (Al-Qiyamah) only, will

> eventually manifest universal belief of its commencement!

>

> " Though you can understand that Mother's Love makes it very easy for

> you to get to your Realization and that the whole story of Last

> Judgment—which looks such a horrifying experience—has been made very

> beautiful and very tender and delicate, and does not disturb you. "

>

> Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

>

> The eschatology that binds Judaism, Christianity and Islam as one—

> final events in history, Resurrection, fulfillment of a divine plan

> for humanity, and the immortality of the human soul—is congrously and

> collectively fulfilled by the Divine Feminine (Adi Shakti). This site

> is thus also an open book and challenge to all guardians of religious

> regimes—priests, pastors, reverends, bishops, popes, rabbis, clerics,

> imams, mullahs, shaikhs, ulema, ayatollahs, gurus, swamis, pandits,

> brahmins, acaryas, bhagwans, granthis, gianis, lamas, monks, dalai

> lamas—to rebut and prove Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi's Divine Message

> false. Skeptics, atheists or any anti-cult organization, especially

> those specializing in busting fake gurus and false claims, are most

> welcome.

>

> Should the high priests of organized religions fail to challenge this

> site, a forgone conclusion of which we are absolutely assured, they

> should refrain from further misleading and dividing fellow beings on

> religious, spiritual and mystical issues that are beyond their

> present comprehension. The millennia-old rule of the patriarchal

> priestly class is definitely over. The religious elite should begin

> to realize that the sun is now setting on their evening empires which

> are crumbling into sand, and from those ruins is breaking the Dawn of

> the Divine Feminine that will awaken the human race from their long

> spiritual slumber. "

>

> http://www.adishakti.org/

>