Fwd: SOME THOUGHTS ON ATMA---11

[Guest guest]

SAI RAM Dear Brothers and Sisters,

(continued from posting no.10)

In the previous submission, Atman was described as being a witness and inactive. One gets an impression from this that the Atma is dull and powerless. This is not so. Atma illumines the perceptions, emotions and thoughts but none of these expressions ,righteous or unrighteous , affect that Atma in any way.

 

 

Let me attempt to explain the above statement this way. The sun is the life-giving force in the entire Universe. Without it there will be no warmth at all and consequently, no life on earth. As the rays of the rising Sun fall upon the earth, the earth , the entire flora and fauna are thrilled to activity and life. The sun may illumine a deed of kindness or an act of cruelty but it is unaffected by either of them. Similarly, in the prescence of the Atman alone, the body, senses, mind and intellect function in their respective fields of activity. In either case, the animating principle remains pure and uncontaminated by the animations generating from it.

 

 

Incidentally, the Kenopanishad says " That which the mind can not comprehend but without which the mind can not contemplate upon anything at all, understand that to be the Brahman(Atman). The mind gets the power to think and know when it is illumined by the light of consciouness or awareness which is within itself. Therefore know that alone to be Brahman(Atman) which , as the source of Consciouness within, is the Self(Atma) of the mind " .

 

(to be continued)

With Loving Sai Rams,

G.Balasubramanian

---------- Forwarded message ----------G. Balasubramanian <gbsub1Mar 23, 2007 2:35 PM

SOME THOUGHTS ON ATMA---10puttaparthy saibaba Cc: saibabadivine

 

SAI RAM Dear Brothers and Sisters,

(continued from sl. no.9)

 

Atman witnesses all activities at physical, mental and intellectual levels without itself getting involved or affected by them. If we desire to attain self-realization, we need to practise witnessing of our own perceptions, emotions and thoughts arising within ourself. The Sadhana starts when we try to observe detachedly the world and its manifold activities without indiscriminately indulging or getting involved in them. When we reach such a state, we next direct the art of witnessing inward towards our own actions,emotions and thoughts. If we succeed in doing that we will remain remain detached and not get affected by them. Thus by disassociation with the body, mind and intellect and their functions and by attuning to the Atma within we will gradually merge with the divine Self.

 

Atma appears to be active when the sense organs are functioning to a non-discriminating person. This can be compared to the moon appearing to be moving when the clouds are moving. On a moonlit night, the movement of the clouds creates an illusion that the moon is moving. The illusion occurs because our attention is focussed upon the clouds. However, if we shift the focus of our attention from the clouds to the moon, we realise that only the clouds are moving . Similarly, we imagine the Atman to be active because our attention is centred on the equipment of the body, mind and intellect. No sooner we withdraw our attention from these equipment and direct it upon the Self within us, we realise that the activities belong to the equipment and not to the Atma.

 

The metaphor of the clouds suggests a few interesting points of comparison. For instance, we notice the motion of the clouds because the moon remains motionless in the background. Any movement is recognised or identified with reference to a motionless factor. Similarly, we perceive changes occuring in the different layers of the human personalty because of a changeless, substratum, which is the supreme Self(Atma). Furthermore, the clouds themselves are visible only in the light of the moon. So also, we are conscious of the human equipment and their activities because of the prescence of the pure Consciousness(Atma) in us.

(to be continued)

With Loving SAI RAMs,

G.Balasubramanian