Hari OM
'Text-days' are for delving into the
words and theory of Advaita Vedanta.
We are now studying Aatmabodha. As
always, with each week, you are encouraged to review the previous teachings and
spend some time in contemplation of the meanings as the affect your life.
Please do consider purchasing the text.
INTRODUCTION.
Certainly, if even an average education is behind one, it is
possible to dive into the likes of Vivekachoodamani, Bhagavad Gita and even
Kaivalya or Prashnopanishad and gain some insights; however there is a risk.
Just as anyone indeed can get behind a vehicle's steering wheel and find the on
switch and even work the gears (or rely on the auto!)… it does not mean that
one has a full understanding of the effect of driving that vehicle out in
traffic. There are established rules and behaviours and without proper,
professional training then testing and licensing, there is danger lurking with
every inch you travel. Even after all the official stuff, you may believe you
are the best driver in the world, but risk remains unless you are fully focused
on the road and the task of driving. Similarly, with advanced philosophical
study, if appropriate learning has not taken place to fill in the details, it
is possible to make assumptions about what is read which may lead to a fall in
spiritual travel, or lead one down a path which, albeit intellectually
interesting, does not take one to the intended goal. Scenic routes are fun but
time-wasting and fraught with even further distractions!
If we have decided that we want to raise ourselves morally and
spiritually, then we need to minimise the side tours. Society can challenge us
and often, (no blame attached, everyone is doing it), we too rely on external
methods of coping; movies to watch, unhealthy foods to stuff our feelings down
with, alcohol or drugs to numb the agonies - only to discover that these things
ultimately do not satisfy or pacify and we get sucked into seeking more and
more.
It takes strength of character (or perhaps a reaching of 'rock
bottom' which prompts the call for something else) to turn one's mind towards
analysis of life, hard as truth can be; to analyse scientifically, to observe
keenly, how the world of objects and the inner instruments of experience in us
are related. We find that the upanishads have the tools and formulae to assist
us in this endeavour. Vedanta is the science of life and explains the art of
living. It tells us the goal, the destination of life, as well as providing the
wherewithal for us to embark on the path to reach that goal. However, access to
the various writings can be daunting for those starting out. Not only is the
language 'high', but so are the concepts. If you tell a jungle person
who has never seen an aeroplane that Man can fly, he may be fascinated and get
ideas to try it himself, but without all the knowledge and understanding that
you, the modern urban dweller have, there is risk to life and limb. Then comes
the next thing of asking you for help to build a flying machine. You the urban
dweller now realise that as much as you know, you don't have the specifics or
skills to do this either! You might manage to put a glider together, but true,
powered flight is beyond you and you would need to study further in order to
achieve that particular goal.
Knowledge can be gained, but it must be gained in an orderly and
logical fashion. For this reason Sri Adi Shankara understood that to reach as
many people as possible with the magnificence of Vedanta, he need to lead them
more gently into the texts through some introductory writings of his own. The
shaastras - the technical manuals of the science - are fine for those who
already know the terminology and basic formulae, but for those who need to
gather that basic information first, we have the likes of TattvabodhaH and now
Aatmabodha. Whilst they are not scriptures (shaastras) in and of their own
right, they are read as such, being written in similar language albeit much
more simply. Nothing in the prakarana grantha is 'original'; rather, they take
down some essential points of the shaastras and provide introduction and
instruction on how to read these things and what to look for in them. With
TattvabodhaH we had a lot of technical terms covered. This continues in
Aatmabodha, but a deeper look at the concepts of Vedanta is now undertaken;
expanding on earlier mentions. Think of it in terms of a child's first having
to learn the letters of the alphabet before forming words - and only when words
are fully understood can they be intelligently formed into sentences… Even if
we have, till now, been 'following religion', it is possible that we have not
been satisfied by it. This may in part be due to having used that religious
visitation as simply another form of distraction from doing the hard work of
truly looking at ourself. It may be that we have never thought that we could look into the texts ourselves, leaving it all to the the monks and philosophers. Vedanta demands that we 'get real' about who we are
as the jiva we currently identify as, and then press on to understand the
Aatman we truly are. It demands that each individual do this for themselves - with the guidance of the aachaarya - for the journey to 'God'/Self is a solitary one. Aatmaabodah takes us one more step of that particular
journey.