Fwd: Better the foible you know?

[Guest guest]

GuruRatings , " durga " <durgaji108 wrote:

 

 

 

GuruRatings , " Uncle Sophie " <unclesophie@> wrote:

 

snip

 

> He continues his " very short summary " ;

>

> " In order to be qualified for enquiry into the

> Self, a man must have a powerful intellect and ability to

> seize the essential and reject the inessential besides the

> various qualities enumerated in the scriptures. What are these? He must be

able to

> discriminate between the real and the unreal. He must have an

> unattached mind. He must ardently desire liberation. And he must be

> tireless in practice Only such one is qualified to enquire into

> Brahman. The qualifications are enumerated as follows:

>

> 1. Discrimination between the real and the unreal.

> 2. Disinclination to enjoy the fruit's of one's actions.

> 3. The six virtues of tranquility, self-control, withdrawal, forbearance,

faith, and concentration of the Self.

> 4. Intense yearning for liberation.

>

> The aspirant must indeed have these qualities in

> order to attain abidance in the Self; without them there can be no

> realization of the Truth.

 

If I'd have read that list before encountering

the teachings of Vedanta, I would have thought

'Forget it, I don't stand a chance.'

 

These qualifications are considered to be optimal,

but I will tell you what my teacher has said about

them. Nobody, nobody at all comes to the teachings

with these qualities perfected. Everybody who comes

to the teachings has enough of them to be interested

in the teachings, and to listen and benefit.

 

Anyone who has all of these qualities perfected

would already be a jnani (a person with self-knowledge.)

 

Even the language of the above translation is pretty

austere, IMO. There are other ways to describe these

'qualifications' which make them seem a lot less

daunting and even possible.

 

It isn't a one two kind of thing. Like I've got

to have all of these before I can even take up

atma vichara, (inquiry into the nature of the self.)

It's not like that at all. And these qualities also

develop gradually, over time.

 

Take #1, discrimination between the real and unreal.

If someone can really do that, that person already

has self-knowledge.

 

So here's another way to look at them

 

1. One needs to have recognized (i.e. made the

discrimination) that no situation brought about

by changing circumstances will ever be capable

of delivering what I really seek, which is lasting

happiness.

 

2. And that can also bring about a kind of dark night

of the soul, a kind of depression even. Feeling as if

nothing works, and nothing will ever work. And so you

begin to loose your interest in those things that used

to work, like getting drunk, getting high, fast cars

and loose women, :-) because you see those things don't work.

 

4. So coming out of that dark night can

involve a kind of asking, is there

anything that can help? Is there anything

that can relieve this anxiety which I know

changing circumstances cannot heal? That's

the desire for liberation from the suffering caused

by getting tossed around by changing circumstances,

that's #4, wanting to get off the roller coaster,

the desire for freedom.

 

3. #3 is actually divided into six parts

all having to do with mental attitudes, and

I would say that it is these six mental

attitudes which develop gradually over time.

And since their development is gradual, it

doesn't seem that hard.

 

a. Like being aware when one's mind is taking you

on a trip, and not going there.

b. But when that fails and one's mind takes one on a trip,

one is able to hold back from acting out. Like not socking

that guy who is annoying me.

c. not being as interested in the stuff that used

to interest you, but being more interested in freedom.

d. able to not get too stressed out by pairs of

opposites, like heat & cold, etc.

e. able to stay one pointed, not like 'Oh, today

I'll look into Vedanta, tomorrow I'll drop that and

go shopping, day after I'll drop that and go to the

movies,' etc.

f. having enough trust, that the teacher knows what

he or she is talking about and that the teachings work,

to listen, often called 'faith pending understanding,'

which attitude we often have when we undertake the

study of anything.

 

For instance, if you take a course in physics

and you think your teacher is an idiot and the

text book useless, you probably won't learn much.

But if you have the trust that the teacher is good,

and the text book is good, (and they are) you probably

will learn the subject.

 

Of all of these it is the sixth one, trust

pending understanding, that is considered to be

the most important (and I would say that it is

unfortunately the one which an unscrupulous teacher

most exploits).

 

So that's another way of looking at these

'qualifications,' to which I think an actual

person in this time and culture can relate,

and actualize, and which many probably already

have.

 

Durga

 

--- End forwarded message ---