Fwd: [Anandamayi] Five sheaths

[Guest guest]

Note: forwarded message attached.

 

 

 

 

LAUNCH - Your Music Experience

http://launch.

 

 

 

It is said that we have five sheaths covering our real identity called

'Soul'.

 

They are:

 

a) Physical sheath: where we identify ourselves with our body and its

possessions. But when we are focussed on anything intensely, we foget

our body. Like a scientist who is deeply thinking about his invention

or even a gambler totally immersed in his gambling.

 

b) Vital sheath: where we develop aptitude to sensory pleasures and

cannot resist them. It can't otherwise be explained why we like

certain kinds of food or music and dislike others.

 

These first two sheaths are transient, but are important to keep them

fit as they help explore the higher realms of truth. The later sheaths

span across lives, and persists as long as we haven't achieved our

ultimate goal of self-realization.

 

c) Mental sheath: where we live in our fanciful world, make it as

colourful as possible and revel in them. It is very important to

control our mind and keep it well directed otherwise it might push us

down the evolutionary ladder. It is a rare oppurtunity to get a human

life that we have to make full use of it.

 

 

d) Intellectual sheath: where we rationalize and discriminate. It is

mostly made up of other people's opinions, what we read in books or

newspapers, heard on TV, etc. - not real experience. The intellect

can ask important questions about life and death, why we are here and

where we might be going. Because of its inherent limitations, it

cannot go beyond the subject of cause and effect, and therefore cannot

understand the underlying unity of life. It cannot understand what was

before and what happens after this life.

 

As scientists totally get immersed in their ideas resulting in new

innovations or discoveries, a true sadhaka has to make an effort to

convince himself of the efficacy of Bhakti, Karma and Jnana yogas and

try to live it up.

 

When we persevere further with meditation, prayers and rightful

living, we can develop the divine qualities of love, and its

associated noble qualities.

 

With self-effort we can struggle to cross the first four levels, but

for the final level any amount of our efforts are useless. Only one

who is freed from all these shackles can help us free from the final

veil.

 

 

e) Ego: the final veil covering the consciousness is separate

identity. This can be broken and communion with the higher Self or

Paramatma is possible only by One who is fully liberated and who has

experienced the Oneness with the higher Self.

 

It is only by crying aloud, " Mother I have done everything I could. I

am helpless, please let me free! " that we might be released by the

Grace of Divine. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and all other Mahaans we

can think of have undergone this stage and got liberated.

 

I think only those Mahaans can follow the philosophy of Advaita, it is

not for ordinary mortals like us.

 

We can get liberated ONLY by Divine Grace, and it is possible ONLY

through sincere and honest approach. The spirituality is a science

like any other worldly sciences, but offers an eternal solution.

 

Regards,

Srinivas.

 

 

Anandamayi, Sriram Sampath Kumar <rln2k> wrote:

> Sankaram Siva Sankaram.

>

> Dear Srinivas,

>

> You mentioned about Consciousness being veiled. Can

> you please elaborate on that?

>

> Thanks for the rejoinder.

>

> Regards,

>

> Sriram

> --- saikrupak <saikrupak> wrote:

> >

> > > But it remains a fact that God delivers judgement

> > on

> > > us for our unrighteousness and adharma that we may

> > > commit. Because he has to regulate and control

> > evil.

> > > There is no better person competent than Him for

> > > excercising His sceptre of justice on all living

> > > beings.

> >

> > True.

> >

> > According to the Karmic theory, there is nothing

> > called good or bad,

> > right or wrong in the absolute sense. It is all

> > about the kind of

> > thoughts we entertain and assimilate. The whole life

> > is about learning

> > from our experiences.

> >

> > That is why Vivekananda says, " I am glad I was born,

> > glad that I made

> > mistakes, and glad that I entered peace " . If we look

> > back, we would

> > see that everything falls into a pattern - even our

> > mistakes.

> >

> > We have to see it as part of our growth. Had we not

> > made mistakes, we

> > wouldn't have learnt, but we DO have to face the

> > consequences of it.

> >

> > As it is said that a lawyer wants his children to be

> > a lawyer or a

> > business magnet wants his children to become

> > business magnets, so also

> > God wants to transform His children into His own

> > image.

> >

> > God gives us the kind of experiences that help us

> > progress on the path

> > of spirituality whether we realize it or not. Even

> > our scriptures say

> > that we are all sadhakas - one who progresses on the

> > path of

> > spirituality whether we know it or not. Certainly

> > not as sinners. This

> > is to instill a positive attitude which is very

> > important for our

> > growth.

> >

> > We might be confused by the evils we face in the

> > day-to-day world and

> > we react to it. But we are encouraged to do our best

> > and and be at our

> > best irrespective of what is meted out to us

> >

> > ... because in the final analysis, it is not

> > between us and the

> > world, but it is between God and us anyway.

> >

> >

>

>

>

>

> LAUNCH - Your Music Experience

> http://launch.