Fwd: Verification of upanishadic statements

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

I find this post extremely informative and answers many

questions...ONS..Tony.

 

 

 

advaitin , kuntimaddi sadananda

<kuntimaddisada wrote:

 

--- mahadevadvaita <mahadevadvaita wrote:

 

 

Shree mahadevadviata

With the name like that, there should not be a problem.

Let me address the questions you raised to the best I can.

 

First, there is no use to ask anyone if he has experienced the

mahaavaakyaas. Suppose I say yes, are you going to believe me or

dispose it off saying that I am some kind of crackpot? What I am

arriving at is, as you recognize, it is intensely subjective since

it is

about the subject I and not any object. Asking someone whether he

has

realized or telling someone that he has realized both are not

encouraged, since that kind of approach does not help anyone.

 

Let us address the problems that you are facing. That I think is

more

helpful than knowing someone else has realized or not. This is my

humble opinion.

 

> OM TAT SAT

> Dear list members, I think we all have intellectual understanding

of

> Advaita - it is fairly simple except maybe the part about the

> reality/mithya/unreal nature of world. Personally, I am just

> spinning my wheels without making " any progress " in my sadhana or

> maybe I am even going in reverse or maybe I am learning something

> each time I falter.

 

This is not uncommon and please rest assured that what you are facing

very normal. It is like trying to do vigorous exercise for a day and

see how much the muscles have grown. We are taken many lives with

the

notion that we are jiivas and these notions are very deep-rooted. It

takes some time to purify the mind from the burden of many lives.

Continue with saadhana and with full faith and conviction about the

reality of advaita. That conviction is very important for your

saadhana

- once one has a clear vision of the nature of the goal, the

commitment

for saadhana becomes deep rooted, whatever the obstacles one

encounter

they are overcome with confidence. The problem everyone has is the

lack

of chitta suddhi. The pressure of vaasanaas tries to derail the

saadhak,

but with determination and conviction, one can overcome these slowly

but

steadily.

 

>I want to know, how far folks have experienced

> the upanishadic statements, especially about consciousness. This

is

> a subjective experience and it is difficult to describe. Maybe the

> experiencer, experiencing and experience are all merged into one.

 

I find two problems here - one the very longing for experience

becomes

an obstacle for growth. Please recognize that it is not the

experience

that we are seeking but knowledge. Everyone experiences both dvaita

and

advaita, first one in the waking and dream states and the second one

in

the deep sleep state. There is no merging or non-merging. Does the

pot-space merges with the total space. Space is one only and never

divided. However, pot space appears to be different from total space

when we are paying attention only to the enclosures or upaadhiis. It

is

only shifting ones attention based on the scriptural knowledge. The

pressure of vaasanaas keeps us pulling back. The saadhana therefore

involves - abhyaasa and vairaagya as Krishna repeatedly tells us.

Renouncing what we are not and ascertaining in the knowledge of what

we

are by constant practice.

 

 

I

> am not trying to throw a challenge for Vedanta or trying to judge

> who is a sthithpragya or not. I am just trying to check with

> members, if their conviction, experience, contemplation,

reflection

> etc matches with the absolute reality of Advaita.

 

I suggest your turn your challenge inwards with full conviction that

advaita is correct and that I am going to establish in that by

renouncing what I am not. I do not question your attempts but the

problem you or any one of us have is only the chitta suddhi. Please

continue your saadhana with full faith and taking the help from the

Lord

and teacher to guide you.

 

 

All the volumes

> that are available on Advaita and the numerous upanishads,

> ultimately amount to " Consciousness is Brahman " in my humble

> opinion.

 

It is not 'consciousness is Brahman' and I am looking for

consciousness.

It is the conviction that I am what I am seeking for and I am not an

object that I perceive or conceptualize, that includes even the

concept

that I am consciousness or consciousness is Brahman. It is not

cenceptual undersanding. It should be internalized with firm

conviction

that I am Brahman or totality that pervades all the concepts.

 

 

I want to hear (maybe anonymously or email directed only to

> me), if folks have experienced this great mahavakya.

> On a related note, when I can see my thoughts and sometimes

> even " see " a budding thought, who is seeing this ? Is it my buddhi

> or is it consciousness ?

 

Please understand that I am, the conscious entity, through buddhi is

seeing the thoughts rising in my buddhi, sustained in by my buddhi

and

goes back into my buddhi. Identifying myself as I am the buddhi,

then I

say the thoughts are rising in me, sustained by me and goes back into

me. It is a question of shifting your attention from buddhi to the

consciousness that enlivens buddhi.

 

In the final analysis - I am beyond any concepts about myself too. I

am

period - even 'I am' disappears into I am.

 

Bottom line - continue to your study of scriptuers - shravaNam,

mananam

and nidhidhyaasana, while involved yourself in Karma yoga in

purifying

the mind. Have a full faith or conviction in the advaita. To

establish

that faith and conviction only that study of the scriptures and

reflecting on the truth and contemplation are essential. There are no

other short cuts.

 

 

Hope this helps. All the best in your saadhana.

 

Hari OM!

Sadananda

 

 

>

> thanks,

> OM TAT SAT

>

>

>

>

 

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