Just as one who is in deep sleep is completely free from the waking world and its details and the waking one is free from darkness of sleep, so also one who is obsessed with the body and material possessions does not have a clue about freedom and the one who is free has no obsession or even a memory of the objects here. A person attached to the world has no idea about liberation and the one who is liberated does not have any attachment to the body and the world. Obsession and freedom from obsession are contrary to one another.
What is an obsession? Giving a material object value and getting attached to it is an obsession. To be aware of the fact that no detail within creation has an eternal value is real detachment. What has the eternal value is the subject, and this subject can never be abandoned. I may move from form to form, from situation to situation, but I can never move away from the subject. This is the most intriguing fact about the subject. Recognizing this makes one give up the attachment to all the material details in creation.
Water as water is all inclusive. One wave might exclude another wave, one form can exclude another form, but wave cannot exclude being water. Objects are mutually exclusive, but the subject cannot be exclusive, it is like the water in all the waves. The waves stand as waves because of water. All inclusiveness is the glory of the Self, the Truth. This has to be understood as the nature of the Truth which is my conscious Being. Just as wave is rooted in water, within water, everything is rooted in me within me. Wave cannot be away from the water, so is everything rooted in me and not away from me.
One may think that things look external and tangible to me, so they must exist outside me. This is to be reflected again and again keeping in view the fact that tangibility is only a notion, with an apparent sense of reality. Consider dream objects, they look real, external and tangible, but it is just a thought that assumes a form and gives rise to a sense of externality and reality. In fact every error carries with it a sense of reality. Therefore one has to give up all limitations and all limiting adjuncts, like I am the body, I shall do this or do that, achieve this or that, but see that all thoughts originate in me and carry with them a sense of externality and reality. But entire creation is in this form of thoughts, like dream projection with an utter sense of reality attached to it.
‘I am the body’ is not in the form of an emotional attachment, but a misjudgment and it is the cause of all further misjudgments. ‘I am the body’ is unsuspected, undiscovered error that we are born with, we live with and we also die with it.
But reflection on the deep sleep experience should clinch the argument that I am not the body, because I give up the thought of body so completely that I do not even miss it. I have no memory of it. If this is the case with the body what can be said about all other material objects on which we rely?
Therefore, this verse urges us to give up all obsessions (upadhis) and understand firmly that we cannot bank/rely on any one of them for our well being.
Akhandarupa- Recognize that you are the indivisible conscious Being, like an ocean. Unfortunately we think only in terms of millions of waves, bubbles, foam etc and their innumerable forms, end up loving or hating them, we move from one form to another and never think in terms of the commonality, the essence, that is the water. We move from one form to another without ever thinking of the unmoving Subject! The glaring division within creation is irreconcilable, but the seer of many-ness, multitude is not many, the hearer of many noises is not many, the thinker of multitude thoughts is not many, that principle/the subject is just the indivisible ONE.
The liberated understands the value of Subject, the Being as indivisible fullness and has no interest of any kind with any material possession whatsoever.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Vedanta Verses 321 - 25
The text Viveka Chudamani (VC) cautions the students against pramaada or indifference/ carelessness. Pramaada is from the root ‘mat’ meaning committing mistake inadvertently. Pramaada leads to procrastination. A casual attitude takes over the person and this attitude is the cause for failures in social life. If it proves detrimental for social life what can be said about spiritual quest which requires diligence of extraordinary kind?
The reason as to why one commits this is because of dhi doshah or mental impurity. The reason for this is further traced to avichara or lack of reflection. Hence a student striving to know the self should carefully avoid indifference or pramaada.
Occupying and indulging in short term pleasures (preyas) at the cost of long term ‘good’ (shreyas) is carelessness or pramada. One has to dwell on the long term good (shreyas) and make an active choice regarding it. The only long term good that is worth its name is the knowledge of the self.
This carelessness is death; indifference to self knowledge is death indeed. Whenever I ignore the real ‘topic’ which is my self, the source of everything and get pre-occupied with creation then I live with the mistake that I am part of the creation, and that I live with the body and I shall perish with the body, this is the error.
There is no calamity for a spiritual aspirant other than this heedlessness. One has to reflect and see for oneself “what I want and what this creation can offer me?” what I want is peace and silence and plenitude but nothing in creation can offer this. Hence for a mature student of Vedanta being indifferent to the reflection of one’s own self is the greatest calamity that can befall. Hence one has to be diligent with reflection and at no point be heedless with that.
One should never underestimate one’s attraction for the world. Dwelling on the objects surely makes one an extrovert. One can silently admire and dwell on objects and placing value to them, he or she might seem introverted, but this is only a deception. Whether one dwells with objects in a vivacious manner or sitting silently and dwelling on them, both are extroverted. A true introvert is one who does not place any value on the material objects.
Actually indifference to the topic leads to distraction, and it can happen even to an advanced student. When a gardener is indifferent to gardening weeds begin to grow. Indifference when not checked causes distraction. However not enjoying different pleasures in life is not a loss, but missing out on the topic i.e. the self is the greatest loss.
Indifference and distraction are interdependent. The text compares this distraction to the woman/man who has an illicit love affair and whose mind is always pre occupied and distracted by the affair. She or he then becomes indifferent to the duty that he or she might have. She/he is supposed to be engaged with her/his duties but now is distracted by this illicit love.
There is actually not much loss when one’s attention is caught with love while performing one’s duty or one’s work. The loss is not much, because one is still moving within objects of creation. One is supposed to make money but has got engaged with another man or woman, anyway it is within the creation, the actual loss is when one is indifferent to the topic and is caught with objects of creation. The gradation between the worldly objects is non –topical and can be bracketed together and ignored. Every jiva (individual) has a primary duty towards him or herself. To miss out on the opportunity for knowing the self is the greatest danger and the irreparable loss. This is the great fall. Ignoring one limited for another limited is not such a great fall, but after knowing about the self, the observer as one closest to one’s being and then loosing interest in it is a great loss. Ignoring reality and falling for an appearance is a big fall but choosing to go for another appearance is not such a big fall. (I think swamijee is making a very important point here)
Reason gets eclipsed by impulses. But when I try and control my senses or say my anger it appears controlled for a time period only to rise again. This is like the moss that covers the waters in a lake. When one removes the moss it again covers the waters in a moment. Thus reasoning too gets eclipsed by impulses. Maya, the illusion thus covers up the reality. How does it accomplish this? By the conviction that the world exists independent of the knower, it is real; in fact it is the only reality. This vision or misconception like the moss in the water covers our perceptions of Reality. Hence the aspirant has to be absolutely watchful of distraction and indifference. The aspirant has to ward of callousness towards the topic and distractions arising from the objects by constant reflection on the topic, i.e. the Self.
The reason as to why one commits this is because of dhi doshah or mental impurity. The reason for this is further traced to avichara or lack of reflection. Hence a student striving to know the self should carefully avoid indifference or pramaada.
Occupying and indulging in short term pleasures (preyas) at the cost of long term ‘good’ (shreyas) is carelessness or pramada. One has to dwell on the long term good (shreyas) and make an active choice regarding it. The only long term good that is worth its name is the knowledge of the self.
This carelessness is death; indifference to self knowledge is death indeed. Whenever I ignore the real ‘topic’ which is my self, the source of everything and get pre-occupied with creation then I live with the mistake that I am part of the creation, and that I live with the body and I shall perish with the body, this is the error.
There is no calamity for a spiritual aspirant other than this heedlessness. One has to reflect and see for oneself “what I want and what this creation can offer me?” what I want is peace and silence and plenitude but nothing in creation can offer this. Hence for a mature student of Vedanta being indifferent to the reflection of one’s own self is the greatest calamity that can befall. Hence one has to be diligent with reflection and at no point be heedless with that.
One should never underestimate one’s attraction for the world. Dwelling on the objects surely makes one an extrovert. One can silently admire and dwell on objects and placing value to them, he or she might seem introverted, but this is only a deception. Whether one dwells with objects in a vivacious manner or sitting silently and dwelling on them, both are extroverted. A true introvert is one who does not place any value on the material objects.
Actually indifference to the topic leads to distraction, and it can happen even to an advanced student. When a gardener is indifferent to gardening weeds begin to grow. Indifference when not checked causes distraction. However not enjoying different pleasures in life is not a loss, but missing out on the topic i.e. the self is the greatest loss.
Indifference and distraction are interdependent. The text compares this distraction to the woman/man who has an illicit love affair and whose mind is always pre occupied and distracted by the affair. She or he then becomes indifferent to the duty that he or she might have. She/he is supposed to be engaged with her/his duties but now is distracted by this illicit love.
There is actually not much loss when one’s attention is caught with love while performing one’s duty or one’s work. The loss is not much, because one is still moving within objects of creation. One is supposed to make money but has got engaged with another man or woman, anyway it is within the creation, the actual loss is when one is indifferent to the topic and is caught with objects of creation. The gradation between the worldly objects is non –topical and can be bracketed together and ignored. Every jiva (individual) has a primary duty towards him or herself. To miss out on the opportunity for knowing the self is the greatest danger and the irreparable loss. This is the great fall. Ignoring one limited for another limited is not such a great fall, but after knowing about the self, the observer as one closest to one’s being and then loosing interest in it is a great loss. Ignoring reality and falling for an appearance is a big fall but choosing to go for another appearance is not such a big fall. (I think swamijee is making a very important point here)
Reason gets eclipsed by impulses. But when I try and control my senses or say my anger it appears controlled for a time period only to rise again. This is like the moss that covers the waters in a lake. When one removes the moss it again covers the waters in a moment. Thus reasoning too gets eclipsed by impulses. Maya, the illusion thus covers up the reality. How does it accomplish this? By the conviction that the world exists independent of the knower, it is real; in fact it is the only reality. This vision or misconception like the moss in the water covers our perceptions of Reality. Hence the aspirant has to be absolutely watchful of distraction and indifference. The aspirant has to ward of callousness towards the topic and distractions arising from the objects by constant reflection on the topic, i.e. the Self.
Vedanta Verse 295
Every object falls within the realm of Time. What does this mean? Anything which is subject of memory can be declared to be in Time. But the self is never an object of memory, self is the witness of memory. That “I am” is an ever present knowledge, it does not fall within Time or memory.
The dream world as well as yesterday’s waking world has both become the object of memory and in this sense both are faint, lacking luminosity. Thus waking state constantly proves to be an object of memory and therefore can be reduced to dream.
Vikarah-change what is this change?
We can safely distinguish between two kinds of changes, the topical change and the fundamental change.
That the thoughts begin and end is a fundamental change and various changes in the content of thoughts that undergo change from time to time is topical change. The very beginning and the resolution of the mind is the fundamental change. The feelings that may arise in the mind now happy and now angry etc are all topical changes.
That the body is there now in the waking and is not there in deep sleep is the fundamental change and that in waking the body is observed to change etc is the topical change.
In other words the changes that take place within the waking state is topical change and that the notion of embodiment itself resolves in deep sleep is the fundamental change.
( That is how the great Samkara in his commentary to the second sutra janmadhyasya yathah speaks only of the origination and the destruction of the universe and is not interested in the Yaska’s 6 kind of changes. The 6 kind of changes are only topical changes which are accommodated/included in the fundamental change.)
Who is the witness here?
The self is sarva vikara vetta, the one who sees both the topical and the fundamental changes. One who is aware of loosing the notion of embodiment in deep sleep, one who is aware of the re- arising of the notions of embodiment in waking and dream is the sarva sakshi, the all knowing witness. This unchanging witness is the Truth but is simply missed by us.
There is no need to prove this Truth, it needs to be registered. That which is evident “that I am present as the witness of all the three states” requires only acknowledgment and no proof. In fact nothing can prove or disprove it, all logical arguments presuppose its presence a priori.
What I think, how I think is all part of the material world, but that I am aware of thinking is spiritual.
One fact becomes evident in the close study of the three states. The three states are not simultaneous or parallel but alternating. Dream replaces waking, and waking replaces dream and both get replaced by deep sleep. No two thoughts run parallel, one thought subsides when the other rises. The self, the ever peaceful awareness, is the witness to this.
Thus one who is aware of topical and fundamental changes, who is aware of mental imaginations, dreams and freedom from them, that being is the TRUTH, while body, mind etc which have a beginning and an end are false.
The dream world as well as yesterday’s waking world has both become the object of memory and in this sense both are faint, lacking luminosity. Thus waking state constantly proves to be an object of memory and therefore can be reduced to dream.
Vikarah-change what is this change?
We can safely distinguish between two kinds of changes, the topical change and the fundamental change.
That the thoughts begin and end is a fundamental change and various changes in the content of thoughts that undergo change from time to time is topical change. The very beginning and the resolution of the mind is the fundamental change. The feelings that may arise in the mind now happy and now angry etc are all topical changes.
That the body is there now in the waking and is not there in deep sleep is the fundamental change and that in waking the body is observed to change etc is the topical change.
In other words the changes that take place within the waking state is topical change and that the notion of embodiment itself resolves in deep sleep is the fundamental change.
( That is how the great Samkara in his commentary to the second sutra janmadhyasya yathah speaks only of the origination and the destruction of the universe and is not interested in the Yaska’s 6 kind of changes. The 6 kind of changes are only topical changes which are accommodated/included in the fundamental change.)
Who is the witness here?
The self is sarva vikara vetta, the one who sees both the topical and the fundamental changes. One who is aware of loosing the notion of embodiment in deep sleep, one who is aware of the re- arising of the notions of embodiment in waking and dream is the sarva sakshi, the all knowing witness. This unchanging witness is the Truth but is simply missed by us.
There is no need to prove this Truth, it needs to be registered. That which is evident “that I am present as the witness of all the three states” requires only acknowledgment and no proof. In fact nothing can prove or disprove it, all logical arguments presuppose its presence a priori.
What I think, how I think is all part of the material world, but that I am aware of thinking is spiritual.
One fact becomes evident in the close study of the three states. The three states are not simultaneous or parallel but alternating. Dream replaces waking, and waking replaces dream and both get replaced by deep sleep. No two thoughts run parallel, one thought subsides when the other rises. The self, the ever peaceful awareness, is the witness to this.
Thus one who is aware of topical and fundamental changes, who is aware of mental imaginations, dreams and freedom from them, that being is the TRUTH, while body, mind etc which have a beginning and an end are false.
Vedanta Verse 306
Love for objects can be seen as the first emotion while dislike as the last one. That is the reason we like to close our mind, memory and also individuality and prepare to go to sleep. Every individuality is available for being loved and also disliked. But the Self shorn of individuality is never disliked, existence is never disliked, happiness is never disliked nor is peace ever disliked. Freedom is ever desired, fullness is ever loved. In fact whatever is never hated, never disliked and never ever negated can be rightly called the Self.
The Truth can never be sullied by anyone or disliked. In society when one looses one’s good name it means that one is disliked by others, but the observer of the three states having no name good or bad, can neither loose good name nor be disliked by any. Everyone universally loves this unnegatable Self.
Form makes the bulk of personality, form reigns supreme in creation. This form changes as it is its very nature to change. As the form changes, the personality also changes. But the observer of the form and the changes is free from both.
Why we feel bound and incomplete and unhappy is because of ignorance. The paradox is that remaining ever Full we live an unfulfilled life, remaining ever perfect we live an imperfect life. The imperfections are in thoughts which have a beginning and an end and not for the observer of the three states.
One who registers imperfections is never imperfect!
One who observes the beginning and the end of thoughts does not have any beginning or end.
Experiences pertaining to beginning and end of thoughts are misinterpreted as beginning and end of experience. Experience illumines the beginning and the end of thoughts. This experience is ever perfect.
The perfection of the awareness/Self is natural, svabhavatah, it is not artificially created. The self does not become perfect, it is perfect, ever perfect, and the discovery of this has to be made.
This is like the space in the pot. It does not have go anywhere in search of unlimited ness. All it has to do is to recognize that I am not inside the pot but pot is situated inside me. I am the infinite space and have misidentified myself with the limited pot and therefore conceive myself as being limited by the pot.
One can achieve anything within creation, wealth, name, fame so on and so forth, but happiness which is synonymous with peace is not an achievable object. It is one’s own nature, and nature has to be understood and found out rather than achieved. This is like the Xth man trying to achieving the Xth man. All that he has to do is to discover that he is the Xth man. He cannot achieve himself. An epistemic overhauling is required. We are by nature absolute serenity and this is not an achievable object and it is not a part of this creation.
All our effort has to be in the direction of discovering this truth. All our memory, education and thoughts have to be utilized for this. The three requirements namely, grasping the truth (grahanam), retaining what is grasped (dharanam) and remembering (smaranam) are absolutely important here. Unfortunately we use the three for remembering the events situated in time and miss out on what is to be actually remembered. We remember other things at the cost of our Self. I use all my attention to revel in objects and all this is done at the cost of awareness, the ever present subject. The only way to get out of this situation is to make the observer the topic.
Diverting the attention from object to another is not the solution, for we might be of the opinion that this object has given me pain, let me look for another one, probably that will give me happiness, so on we move from object ‘A’ to Object ‘Z’ and then again return to object A saying “old is gold!” forever we move from one object to another without finding any solution. This is worldly solution of a given problem i.e. move from object to another.
According to Vedanta this perennial movement offers no solution for that movement is exactly the problem. We are here confounding the problem for a solution. The Vedantic (shastric) diversion is simply shifting one’s attention from creation to the Observer. The observer is the solution, the observer can never be disliked or hated, I may dislike creation but not the observer who observes the dislike and like. (This dislike is the final emotion having enjoyed every bit in creation).
The Truth can never be sullied by anyone or disliked. In society when one looses one’s good name it means that one is disliked by others, but the observer of the three states having no name good or bad, can neither loose good name nor be disliked by any. Everyone universally loves this unnegatable Self.
Form makes the bulk of personality, form reigns supreme in creation. This form changes as it is its very nature to change. As the form changes, the personality also changes. But the observer of the form and the changes is free from both.
Why we feel bound and incomplete and unhappy is because of ignorance. The paradox is that remaining ever Full we live an unfulfilled life, remaining ever perfect we live an imperfect life. The imperfections are in thoughts which have a beginning and an end and not for the observer of the three states.
One who registers imperfections is never imperfect!
One who observes the beginning and the end of thoughts does not have any beginning or end.
Experiences pertaining to beginning and end of thoughts are misinterpreted as beginning and end of experience. Experience illumines the beginning and the end of thoughts. This experience is ever perfect.
The perfection of the awareness/Self is natural, svabhavatah, it is not artificially created. The self does not become perfect, it is perfect, ever perfect, and the discovery of this has to be made.
This is like the space in the pot. It does not have go anywhere in search of unlimited ness. All it has to do is to recognize that I am not inside the pot but pot is situated inside me. I am the infinite space and have misidentified myself with the limited pot and therefore conceive myself as being limited by the pot.
One can achieve anything within creation, wealth, name, fame so on and so forth, but happiness which is synonymous with peace is not an achievable object. It is one’s own nature, and nature has to be understood and found out rather than achieved. This is like the Xth man trying to achieving the Xth man. All that he has to do is to discover that he is the Xth man. He cannot achieve himself. An epistemic overhauling is required. We are by nature absolute serenity and this is not an achievable object and it is not a part of this creation.
All our effort has to be in the direction of discovering this truth. All our memory, education and thoughts have to be utilized for this. The three requirements namely, grasping the truth (grahanam), retaining what is grasped (dharanam) and remembering (smaranam) are absolutely important here. Unfortunately we use the three for remembering the events situated in time and miss out on what is to be actually remembered. We remember other things at the cost of our Self. I use all my attention to revel in objects and all this is done at the cost of awareness, the ever present subject. The only way to get out of this situation is to make the observer the topic.
Diverting the attention from object to another is not the solution, for we might be of the opinion that this object has given me pain, let me look for another one, probably that will give me happiness, so on we move from object ‘A’ to Object ‘Z’ and then again return to object A saying “old is gold!” forever we move from one object to another without finding any solution. This is worldly solution of a given problem i.e. move from object to another.
According to Vedanta this perennial movement offers no solution for that movement is exactly the problem. We are here confounding the problem for a solution. The Vedantic (shastric) diversion is simply shifting one’s attention from creation to the Observer. The observer is the solution, the observer can never be disliked or hated, I may dislike creation but not the observer who observes the dislike and like. (This dislike is the final emotion having enjoyed every bit in creation).
Vedanta Verses 273 - 75
Just as sandal wood immersed in water for a long period produces foul odor and has to be purified and processed (dried, cleansed and rubbed etc ) to regain its fragrance, the self too “trapped” in the notions “I am the body” “I am limited” etc ‘seemingly’ looses its original nature.
Swamijee made an important point here thus:
There is a process that is carried out while purifying the sandal wood involving an actual chemical process such as drying and rubbing, but with the Self it is not so.
I see myself as non-eternal and I do not have to process or purify the self which is ever pure and lustrous. There is no modification or any chemical cleansing to be done. It is because of aviveka or absence of discrimination that the self is seemingly eclipsed. The antidote is viveka or correct discrimination between the knower and the known, the drk and the drsya.
In the case of performing action, every problem entails a process, and a solution to the problem (antidote) also entails a process, but for acquiring knowledge there is no processing any sorts but only correction of error, error in the form of “I am the Body”.
Brahmavidya is susukam involving no strain, one has to only look at oneself, silently, look at the observer as obtained in all the three states involving no uncertainty, it liberates the jiva.
Thus reflection is different from action involving some processing.
Rooted in the mind is the uncountable/countless attractions and this has to be distinguished from habits. Habits have tendency of becoming stronger and stronger. Attraction does not grow in strength but moves from object to object. The cause of attraction is the sense of feeling incomplete coupled with the false belief that with the fulfillment of the desire for the object ‘I will become full’. Habits can be changed/stopped and made less strong or whatever, but attractions can not be brought under this category. Attraction has it roots in the sense of incompleteness, and this is common to all men, men from cave times to the ultra modern man living in big cities. With time attraction does not become stronger the quality remains the same.
Swamijee makes an important point here:
Attraction to objects is not by habit but due to “ignorance” attraction is anadi, timeless, since when am I attracted to the object? Does not have a historical beginning, in fact the Self is as though hampered by attraction for the objects,
But if a person has determination to undertake the quest for the Self, then the attraction for objects may not come in the way to obstruct his study and reflection, for someone who loves silence noise is a disturbance but for someone who is not affected by noise then noise is not a problem, attraction has to be looked seriously by the seekers of the knowledge and it is not a problem for others.
The attraction for the world has to be rubbed off. How does one do that?
It is through viveka, discrimination by which I tell myself that if I were to possess all objects of the attraction I still do not loose the sense of incompleteness. Self-discovery is the only solution for getting rid of the sense of incompleteness.
One does not get vexed with attractions but only switches from one object to the other. The reason for temptation is within me and objects are not responsible for anything. Objects have no will to tempt me. I am in a position of being attracted and always wanting something or the other, and therefore I get attracted. Each attraction is like a noose and I am trapped by it. But by constant reflection and serious study I have to know the self. I have to look at the fundamental problem, that I am the body and not worry so much about topical problems which arise and fall. When attractions come to an end self becomes evident as Brahman,
Giving up attraction will not automatically culminate in knowledge of the self, it can help me to relax and do vichara, investigation and this will lead to the self knowledge. Dispassion facilitates vichara and vichara directly leads to K of the self.
Swamijee made an important point here thus:
There is a process that is carried out while purifying the sandal wood involving an actual chemical process such as drying and rubbing, but with the Self it is not so.
I see myself as non-eternal and I do not have to process or purify the self which is ever pure and lustrous. There is no modification or any chemical cleansing to be done. It is because of aviveka or absence of discrimination that the self is seemingly eclipsed. The antidote is viveka or correct discrimination between the knower and the known, the drk and the drsya.
In the case of performing action, every problem entails a process, and a solution to the problem (antidote) also entails a process, but for acquiring knowledge there is no processing any sorts but only correction of error, error in the form of “I am the Body”.
Brahmavidya is susukam involving no strain, one has to only look at oneself, silently, look at the observer as obtained in all the three states involving no uncertainty, it liberates the jiva.
Thus reflection is different from action involving some processing.
Rooted in the mind is the uncountable/countless attractions and this has to be distinguished from habits. Habits have tendency of becoming stronger and stronger. Attraction does not grow in strength but moves from object to object. The cause of attraction is the sense of feeling incomplete coupled with the false belief that with the fulfillment of the desire for the object ‘I will become full’. Habits can be changed/stopped and made less strong or whatever, but attractions can not be brought under this category. Attraction has it roots in the sense of incompleteness, and this is common to all men, men from cave times to the ultra modern man living in big cities. With time attraction does not become stronger the quality remains the same.
Swamijee makes an important point here:
Attraction to objects is not by habit but due to “ignorance” attraction is anadi, timeless, since when am I attracted to the object? Does not have a historical beginning, in fact the Self is as though hampered by attraction for the objects,
But if a person has determination to undertake the quest for the Self, then the attraction for objects may not come in the way to obstruct his study and reflection, for someone who loves silence noise is a disturbance but for someone who is not affected by noise then noise is not a problem, attraction has to be looked seriously by the seekers of the knowledge and it is not a problem for others.
The attraction for the world has to be rubbed off. How does one do that?
It is through viveka, discrimination by which I tell myself that if I were to possess all objects of the attraction I still do not loose the sense of incompleteness. Self-discovery is the only solution for getting rid of the sense of incompleteness.
One does not get vexed with attractions but only switches from one object to the other. The reason for temptation is within me and objects are not responsible for anything. Objects have no will to tempt me. I am in a position of being attracted and always wanting something or the other, and therefore I get attracted. Each attraction is like a noose and I am trapped by it. But by constant reflection and serious study I have to know the self. I have to look at the fundamental problem, that I am the body and not worry so much about topical problems which arise and fall. When attractions come to an end self becomes evident as Brahman,
Giving up attraction will not automatically culminate in knowledge of the self, it can help me to relax and do vichara, investigation and this will lead to the self knowledge. Dispassion facilitates vichara and vichara directly leads to K of the self.
Vedanta Lecture On 28.02.2008
One who loves form, identifies himself to be form, looks at the self as form. Such a person has no clue to his real or actual identity. Clues are always there but he keeps missing on them. He not only considers himself to be with form but hankers after objects thinking that forms will satisfy him and free him. Such a person is called bahyartha prasakta manasah his mind is totally obsessed with forms, he goes out to collect the objects, enjoys them, and then again looks for another kind of object, and again runs after it, till he closes his eyes and sleeps, once he wakes up again he does the same running around. In other words he is obsessed with working for them.
The text gives three descriptions of men running after forms:
1) takes no clue given to him in life,
2) he is obsessed with external objects
3) he is obsessed with work to achieve them all.
Life keeps giving clues, switching from wakeful to dream and deep sleep is no ordinary clue, to be able to switch off from thoughts to no thoughts in deep sleep is no ordinary glory of sleep. Sleep is so common that we take no cognizance of it. The English word “sleep” is a non serious word, we should call it transcending all forms, the word should communicate freedom, and Vedanta uses the word svapah , sva oneself, apyayah, or svasmin apitah bhavati, or svasmin apyayah that is going back to oneself, receding unto one’s self. the word “sleep” in Englsih does not mean the above connotation, that is going back to oneself.
Anyway the author laments as to how such a person qualified by the three characteristics exclude form from his Being when he values it so much. He cannot!
While another person who has renounced action (karma) given up the desire to do Righteous action or non righteous actions (dharma) and all cravings for pleasures (vishaya), who is committed to know the self and who is for ever fascinated by this topic, who loves peace more than noise, such a person should discern between the seer and the form with steadfast devotion.
The text gives three descriptions of men running after forms:
1) takes no clue given to him in life,
2) he is obsessed with external objects
3) he is obsessed with work to achieve them all.
Life keeps giving clues, switching from wakeful to dream and deep sleep is no ordinary clue, to be able to switch off from thoughts to no thoughts in deep sleep is no ordinary glory of sleep. Sleep is so common that we take no cognizance of it. The English word “sleep” is a non serious word, we should call it transcending all forms, the word should communicate freedom, and Vedanta uses the word svapah , sva oneself, apyayah, or svasmin apitah bhavati, or svasmin apyayah that is going back to oneself, receding unto one’s self. the word “sleep” in Englsih does not mean the above connotation, that is going back to oneself.
Anyway the author laments as to how such a person qualified by the three characteristics exclude form from his Being when he values it so much. He cannot!
While another person who has renounced action (karma) given up the desire to do Righteous action or non righteous actions (dharma) and all cravings for pleasures (vishaya), who is committed to know the self and who is for ever fascinated by this topic, who loves peace more than noise, such a person should discern between the seer and the form with steadfast devotion.
Vedanta Verses 339 - 40
Probing into any subject should take into account the subject. Any study which leaves out the discerning subject will produce an incomplete knowledge. Actual studying happens when one studies in the light of the subject. What is this light that lightens up all things? A mere analysis of matter and material object does not bail us out of suffering, sorrow and struggle. The primordial idea that I am subject to disappearance is the greatest fear of humanity and every other fear is a ramification of this primordial fear. When we analyze matter as it appears to our senses, we miss out on that awareness which is aware of senses and the objects. We never probe into the one who is aware of the senses and also its absence, we never in a leisurely way take to the reflection of the fact that non-awareness is never ever experienced by us. I am aware also of the unaware state in the light of non- negatable awareness. In the light of this irrefutable self that we have to study the world. One cannot study the dream state using the dream senses, one has to use the wakeful senses and intelligence to do that. In the light of the survivor of the dream the dream has to be studied, the temporary has to be survived on the basis of the permanent. Analysis is probing into the subject in whose light everything is known.
There is no other way for absolute freedom other than understanding the sarvatmabhava, that every thing indeed is me and me alone. The whole world boils down to the self, recognizing everything as oneself is the freedom. Whatever is divided from me is an appearance in/within me. The dream that I see in not other than me, though within the dream perception they look divided from me.
Swamijee gave an analogy to explain this: with a single strand of thread one can knit embroider sceneries like forest, birds, the rising sun, flowing river, and a person standing nearby observing the scenes. The thread forms the matrix of the whole painting or of the scene made therein. The same thread runs through the person who is watching the scenery as well as the scenery. Every detail of the picture can be seen as the ‘given’ thing but not the thread, the thread is the very source of the puicture.Just so awareness is the matrix of everything that we see and observe and it runs through the seer and the seen. But this awareness is not one of the given, it is the very source of all given items that we perceive.
Everything boils down to the non dual non negatable conscious being. There is no other way for freedom apart from this one single method or sarvatmabhava.
Form is not a part of the seer, it is perception of the seer. A Vedanta student must recognize the unique ness of the seer and learn to discern the seer from the seen. God could have created the world but he did not definitely create the seer, he “became” the seer. Seer is therefore none other than the source of all this.
Space is the subtlest of the material things, while earth is the grossest, earth is different from the moon, moon is different from stars etc but none can stand separate from the space. All material forms rest in the subtle space. One form can be separate from another form, but all form stand on the formless. One wave can look separate from other wave, but they all boil down to the formless waters. All forms are illusory and more I see the formless the more I begin to see the illusory nature of the form. The more I see the rope the more I see the illusory nature of the snake that I beheld. The more I see the sand the more I see the illusoriness of the mirage waters. The more I wake up from sleep the more I can see the dream as illusory. The more I wake up to myself as conscious formless being the more I see of the waking as illusory as dream. The sarvatmabhava is possible the more I move away from forms.
Man is deeply habituated and passionately fond of forms, he knows nothing better than forms, he is fond of the “pleasures” that they generate, he undergoes trouble, undertakes effort to attain the forms that he so deeply cherishes, the color combinations that he so much admires. He does not know that no color combination can sustain him, ultimately when he gets tired he closes his eyes to the best of the colors and goes to sleep. The Xth man suffering the loss of the Xth man can be given no color combination for solace and comfort, all he needs to find out is the whereabouts of the Xth man. (swamijee was referring to the colors therapy etc here!)
I cannot hope to enjoy the world and also find a way to moksha. Absolute dispassion is necessary for fruitful enquiry.
There is no other way for absolute freedom other than understanding the sarvatmabhava, that every thing indeed is me and me alone. The whole world boils down to the self, recognizing everything as oneself is the freedom. Whatever is divided from me is an appearance in/within me. The dream that I see in not other than me, though within the dream perception they look divided from me.
Swamijee gave an analogy to explain this: with a single strand of thread one can knit embroider sceneries like forest, birds, the rising sun, flowing river, and a person standing nearby observing the scenes. The thread forms the matrix of the whole painting or of the scene made therein. The same thread runs through the person who is watching the scenery as well as the scenery. Every detail of the picture can be seen as the ‘given’ thing but not the thread, the thread is the very source of the puicture.Just so awareness is the matrix of everything that we see and observe and it runs through the seer and the seen. But this awareness is not one of the given, it is the very source of all given items that we perceive.
Everything boils down to the non dual non negatable conscious being. There is no other way for freedom apart from this one single method or sarvatmabhava.
Form is not a part of the seer, it is perception of the seer. A Vedanta student must recognize the unique ness of the seer and learn to discern the seer from the seen. God could have created the world but he did not definitely create the seer, he “became” the seer. Seer is therefore none other than the source of all this.
Space is the subtlest of the material things, while earth is the grossest, earth is different from the moon, moon is different from stars etc but none can stand separate from the space. All material forms rest in the subtle space. One form can be separate from another form, but all form stand on the formless. One wave can look separate from other wave, but they all boil down to the formless waters. All forms are illusory and more I see the formless the more I begin to see the illusory nature of the form. The more I see the rope the more I see the illusory nature of the snake that I beheld. The more I see the sand the more I see the illusoriness of the mirage waters. The more I wake up from sleep the more I can see the dream as illusory. The more I wake up to myself as conscious formless being the more I see of the waking as illusory as dream. The sarvatmabhava is possible the more I move away from forms.
Man is deeply habituated and passionately fond of forms, he knows nothing better than forms, he is fond of the “pleasures” that they generate, he undergoes trouble, undertakes effort to attain the forms that he so deeply cherishes, the color combinations that he so much admires. He does not know that no color combination can sustain him, ultimately when he gets tired he closes his eyes to the best of the colors and goes to sleep. The Xth man suffering the loss of the Xth man can be given no color combination for solace and comfort, all he needs to find out is the whereabouts of the Xth man. (swamijee was referring to the colors therapy etc here!)
I cannot hope to enjoy the world and also find a way to moksha. Absolute dispassion is necessary for fruitful enquiry.
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