ChittaShuddi

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--- On Mon, 6/29/09, Srinivas Nagulapalli <srini_nagul wrote:

 

............

Brahman is beyond thought - avaang maanasa gOcaraM. Thinking is hard,

 

and introspection not always pleasant. Mind seems to enjoy thinking

 

about transcending thoughts- and Brahman, instead of introspection!

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Srinavas - PraNaams

 

It is natural for the mind to be extrovert since senses constantly feed the

information about the external world or sensuous world.

 

Brahman is beyond thought - only means Brahman cannot be thought of or

objectified since all thoughts involve objectification or conceptualization.

 

But Brahman is thought too.

 

Seeing Brahman in the thought requires a subtle discrimination what is called

viveka - distinction of that which is eternal vs. ephemeral - Implication is

there has to be something to discriminate in order to separate that which is

eternal and that which is ephemeral - in the thought or in every thought. Hence

thinking one cannot avoid and it is a useless exercise to try to eliminate the

thoughts. What is needed is redirection of the thoughts.

 

Puja etc are means to redirect the thought towards higher so that one can do

exactly this - that is, as though, to stand apart and look what is eternal and

what is ephemeral in each thought divine or undivine. It is easier to do with

divine thoughts since mind is introvert in the process and able to stand apart

to do that discrimination. With sensuous thoughts, the mind gets cocooned in the

thoughts.

 

Our daily entanglement in vyavahaara and emotional attachments makes it more

difficult to indulge in this viveka process. Chitta sudddhi is nothing but the

ability to stand apart and do this discrimination and firmly associate oneself

with the eternal than with the ephemeral.

 

Krishna says whenever whenever you have noticed that your mind has shifted away

from the eternal to ephemeral, bring it back to the locus to do the shift again

to identify yourself with the eternal than with the ephemeral.

 

This becomes easier if one starts recognizing HIS play even in the sensuous

world too. By recognizing HIS presence, the mind already gets the shift from the

changing things to changeless thing. That shift can be gained slowly and

steadily - shanaihi, shaniahi or dheere dheere. The capacity to do the shift is

the measure of the chitta suddhi. This Krishna says can be gained by abhyaasa

and vairaagra - two powerful tools - constant practice and vigilant mind to

discard the emotional attachments. Everyone has to go through this process and

there are no short cuts here.

 

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda