Think It Through Thoroughly

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. Remember, also, to recite the mangala charana before each study and review the lessons before each new one.

Continuing with examples of how it is that Aatman creates the illusion of multiplicity;

pÂkaezaidyegen tÄNmy #v iSwt>,

zuÏaTma nIlvSÇaidyaegen S)iqkae ywa.15.

Panchakoshaadi-yegena tat-tanmaya iva sthitaH,

Shuddhaatmaa niilavastraadi-yegena sphatiko yathaa ||15||

In its identifications with the five sheaths, the immaculate Aatman appears to have borrowed their qualities upon Itself; as in the case of a crystal which appears blue or yellow depending upon the colour of the cloth in its vicinity.

A question which often arises in the minds of spiritual seekers and students of philosophy is 'why would the Lord wish to disperse Himself in this manner?' or 'how is this great illusion perpetuated?' Here we are given the example of crystal sitting in proximity to something of colour. This could be altered to something more mundane… a glass tumbler sitting upon a tablecloth which could be (to use the analogy of the shloka) of blue or yellow - or both. Through that glass we see the colour and if we are not entirely paying attention, mistake the glass itself for having that colour. Indeed, even if we know the glass itself is clear, we still see the colour in it purely because it reflects what is sitting upon.

The crystal analogy in some ways is firmer, because we also know that the crystal is capable of taking pure white light and splitting it into the full-colour spectrum. Aatman is the pure white light, the body in which it sits is the spectrum. The body, remember, consists of the panchakoshaH; annamaya, praanamaya, manomaya, vighnaanamaya and aanandamaya. Further, within annamaya, we find the energy centres called as chakras, each reflecting one of the colours of the spectrum. 

Just as we see the glass as being blue or yellow, our mind being tricked by what the eye perceives, we think the Aatman is this body because that's what we can see.

The Self is ever-pure and the same everywhere and it is never contaminated by the objects it reflects through. The traditional example of Vedanta is that of the snake superimposed upon the rope. We, in the poor light of ignorance, see a rope and assume it to be a snake. The rope is ever the rope and not at all damaged by this superimposition - neither can it be poisoned by the bite of this illusionary snake - it remains ever 'pure' as the rope substratum. The glass is ever the glass and never actually gets stained as blue or yellow, no matter how much our eyes tell us otherwise.  The Aatman remains uncontaminated by the flesh, the breath, the mind, the intellect or the individual soul which carries it.

The following shloka is directly related to this one so we shall proceed with it today;

vpuStu;aidi_a> kaezEyuR´< yu®yv"att>,

AaTmanmaNtr< zuÏ< ivivCyaÄ{ful< ywa.16.

Vapustusha-adibhiH koshairyuktam yuktya-avaghaatataH,

Aatmaanamaantaram shudham vivichyat-tandulam yathaa ||16||

Through discriminative self-analysis and logical thinking, one should separate the pure Self within from the sheaths, as one separates the rice from the husk, bran and so on that are covering it.

Here Shankara-ji is demanding that the serious seeker must put the 'little grey cells' into action! Thrashing about the idea of pure Self being at the base of all else and the way to reach it is to put it through the thresher of shravanam, through the winnowing of mananam, through the mulling of nididhyaasanam, just as rice is torn from its 'sheaths' of husk, bran, et cetera. Only then can the rice be cooked - jiivanmukta… realisation.

Chitta shuddham, purification of the mind, takes time. Do not rush into the task, as there is risk of further mistakes, a danger of damage. There is a process tried and tested over the centuries. Modern technology has resulted in our grains becoming adulterated, impure even in the name of 'purification and refinement' - no time is given for the maturing and the fullness of procedure; now there are allergies and other body reactions to foods which were once staple.

Incorrect processing, fast-tracking, does us no favour.

Is This Bliss?

Hari OM

'Text-days' are for delving into the words and theory of Advaita Vedanta.

TATTVABODHAH.

[You are reminded that reviewing the previous week's posts will become essential as the meanings of the Sanskrit terms may not be repeated. There may come additional or alternative meanings, but all should be noted. As study progresses, the technical terms must necessarily become 'second nature' to the student. When the Sanskrit is used, the translation will fall easily into place - or likewise, if the English is used, the Sanskrit term must easily come forwards.]

Please revisit THIS post and chant the mangala-charana. Please use the TattvabodaH label to access all posts relevant to this text.

पञ्च-कोशाः /pancha-koshaaH - the five sheaths, cont'd.

Today, we look at the causal body in the form of the 'bliss sheath'.

आनन्दमयः कः

एवमेव कारणशरीरभूताविद्यास्थमलिनसत्त्वं

प्रियादिवृत्तिसहितं सत् आनन्दमयः कोशः।

एतत् कोशपञ्चकम्

aanandamayaH kaH

evameva kaaraNa-shariirabhUUta-avidya-astha-malina-sattvaM

priyaadivR^ittisahitaM sat aanandamayaH koshaH.

etat koshapa~ncakam

"What is aanandamaya  ?"

"Established in ignorance, whish is of the form of the causal body, of impure nature, united with thoughts like priya and so on, is the bliss sheath. 
These are the five sheaths."

A small linguistic note before we proceed with study of the aphorism. You will have heard in the chanting that Swami-ji repeated the first line and it was different from the initial chanting. For convenience of the non-Sanskrit speaker, in the transliteration, each individual word is marked by use of hyphen; however, correctly, these ought to all be pronounced as one continuous compound. This is due to grammatical rules known as संधि /sandhi, "joining". It is mostly applied in these instances to group together related concepts. When approaching such a compound, what is generally done is to break away the words from the end. In this case 'sattvam' - that calmness, that nature. Next we find 'malina' - impurity/dirtyness. Then we find 'astha' - standing (with/in). 'Avidya' - without knowledge (ignorance). 'Bhuuta' - which (by association). 'Kaarana-shariira' - by now you must be recognising as 'causal body'.  This is how translation is made. Thus the long word is found to say that the True Sattvam (the essential calm being), due to its proximity with ignorance, which is manifest as the causal body, is subsequently corrupted and becomes less pure.

In similar fashion, the remainder of the phrase tells that this impurity is due to the Pure Self now mixing with the manifestations of the kaarana shariira, that is to say, such things as 'thoughts' and 'priya etc.'  प्रिय /priya, मोद /moda and प्रमोद /pramoda are three forms of happiness. The happiness is graded from moderate, through joy to ecstasy.

In another way, priya can be equated to anticipation of receiving some satisfaction, moda can be equated to immediacy of receipt or meeting the object of anticipation and pramoda is the maximum enjoyment of that person or object. It is these conditions, when the pure "I AM" becomes entangled with them, that pure Bliss of Sat-Cit-Aananda (unchanging truth-consciousness-bliss) which previously knew itself to be happiness, falls into the trap of saying 'I am happy'. Note the difference. Knowing oneself as happiness is to be the condition. Thinking oneself to adopt the condition leaves an option for that condition to be removed. 'I am happy' can so easily become 'I am unhappy' - because the condition has become dependent on objects separate from ourselves. Happiness itself is the pure condition. If 'I am happiness', how can 'I' be anything else?  Thus, aanandamaya is NOT pure bliss, but a conditioned bliss. This is how bliss becomes an upaadhi, a covering. The intellect experiences this earth-bound bliss and mistakes it. Everything is done to keep returning to that bliss. Mistaking the need, instead, to become Bliss.

When we go to sleep, we do not know ourselves to be in bliss, but when we wake, we are aware that we slept deeply and well and this we refer to as having slept 'blissfully'. A condition free of all worries and pressures of daily life. The trigunas, sattva, rajas and tamas do not reach that deeper self and, being free of their influence, our spirit is rested. However, due to the nature of sleep, it also did not enter pure knowledge. Deep sleep is still a state of ignorance, because we do not know it except by memory. Anything which involves वृत्ति /vritti (thoughts) is not our truth - though it may point to that truth.

Some say that we are given deep sleep to learn that there is such a condition as bliss and therefore something to work for! In deep sleep, we attain the greatest amount of sattvam existence that we can whilst resident in our bodies, but the minute we awaken, rajas and tamas are ready to rush in and fight for dominance.

Those who have been captured by the peace of sattvam, may find that they begin their journey in search of Sat, the root of all joy.

The Guru ends by reminding the shishya that this was the last of the five sheaths under current discussion. Now, think back to the sangraH shloka for this part of the enquiry… "aatmaa kaH?" The response of the Guru to that question was that other than the three bodies (can you name them now?!), the three states of consciousness and the five sheaths… there is Sat-Cit-Aananda. Something beyond all this. Something separate from all conditioning. That which is "I" is none of these things… is there some logic for this argument?.. We shall pick this up next week.

The Chiff-Chaff of Mano-BuddiH

Hari OM

'Text-days' are for delving into the words and theory of Advaita Vedanta.

TATTVABODHAH.

[You are reminded that reviewing the previous week's posts will become essential as the meanings of the Sanskrit terms may not be repeated. There may come additional or alternative meanings, but all should be noted. As study progresses, the technical terms must necessarily become 'second nature' to the student. When the Sanskrit is used, the translation will fall easily into place - or likewise, if the English is used, the Sanskrit term must easily come forwards.]

Please revisit THIS post and chant the mangala-charana. Please use the TattvabodaH label to access all posts relevant to this text.

(The vid-clip begins with the praanamaya chant from last week.)

पञ्च-कोशाः /pancha-koshaaH - the five sheaths, cont'd.

The following two are so closely related that they are being given together.

मनोमयः कोशः /manomayaH koshaH - the mental sheath.

मनोमयः कोशः कः

मनश्च ज्ञनेन्द्रियपञ्चकं मिलित्वा

यो भवति सः मनोमयः कोशः।

manomayaH koshaH kaH

manashcha GYanendriyapa~nchakaM militvaa

yo bhavati saH manomayaH koshaH.

"What is manomaya  ?"

"The mind and the five organs of perception together form the mental sheath."

विज्ञानमय कोशः /vijnaanamaya koshaH - the intellectual sheath.

विज्ञानमयः कः

बुद्धिर्ज्ञानेन्द्रियपञ्चकं मिलित्वा

यो भ्वति सः विज्ञानमयः कोशः।

viGYaanamayaH kaH

buddhirGYaanendriyapa~nchakaM militvaa

yo bhvati saH viGYaanamayaH koshaH.

"What is vijnaanamaya   ?"

"The intellect and the five organs of perception together is the intellectual sheath."

At first glance it may be thought exactly the same answer is given for both - and in the English translation it could said to be so. However, it must be remembered that Sanskrit is multidimensional in a way that many languages, and English in particular, are not. If you glance again at the Sanskrit (transliteration) you will note that for vijnaana, there is a single prefix to the 'organs' reference, that being 'buddiH'.

In reference to 'mind' then, it is a simple functioning of the organs which is being referenced, but in the case of the intellect, by adding this prefix, the inference is that from the function of those same organs, there is a higher function; that of assessment and anlaysis.

The mind is the seat of emotions like anger, jealousy, love, compassion; it is constituted of thoughts in a state of volition, for example "Shall I read or not?.. Is it fun or not?..." It is the mind which perceives the objective world through the senses (indriyas). If the mind does not back the indriyas, they cannot receive the stimuli. "My eyes may be open, but I have not seen what has happened"… how often have we realised that we haven't heard or seen something due to the mind being 'absent' rather than present in the moment?!

Identified with the mental sheath, the sakshi "I" will say "I am happy/unhappy/growing old/getting deaf…" The True Self is neither happy nor unhappy. It is of the nature of pure bliss.

Meanwhile, the vijnaana (intellectual) part of us is subtler and pervades the preceding koshas. It is firmly associated with mind, but is able to take the stimuli presented via the manomaya and apply decision making. Here at the intellectual level, the sakshi can begin to appreciate "I am infinite… "I" am pure happiness… "I" am not the physical…" et cetera. The intellect is the seat of the values of life which inform our daily lives. What we value we try to emulate. If money is valued most, all efforts will be made to obtain and satisfy what measures up to the ideal which we have. If we value family above all else, we will sacrifice for that family. The intellect discriminates between right and wrong, real and unreal and so forth. To innovate, create, discover, visualise, and to imagine, are all faculties of the vijnaanamaya kosha. The mind carries the sense perceptions to the intellect. Based on previous experience, it recognises, understands and decides on the course of action. It conveys the same back via manomaya to the karmendriyani (organs of action) and the body is operated. Hence the intellect is called the driver of this 'vehicle'.

The vital air, mental and intellectual sheaths together form the subtle body. The key difference between mind and intellect, then, whilst they are essentially the same, is that 'mind feels' whilst 'intellect thinks'. Mind orders the body's reactions, which is why, when there is strong emotion of grief or joy, it activates the heart to pump harder and we are inclined to refer to things 'clutching our heart', or if it is fear or anxiety, we 'feel' it in our abdomen and say that 'my tummy's full of butterflies' - but clear analysis shows that the physical organ of the heart, or the guts, can only function according to what the mind is ordering and therefore, in Vedanta, whenever 'heart' or 'emotion' are discussed, it is in reference to manomaya kosha. Corrective actions to overcome the emotions is the function of the intellect.

The Connectors

Hari OM

'Text-days' are for delving into the words and theory of Advaita Vedanta.

TATTVABODHAH.

[You are reminded that reviewing the previous week's posts will become essential as the meanings of the Sanskrit terms may not be repeated. There may come additional or alternative meanings, but all should be noted. As study progresses, the technical terms must necessarily become 'second nature' to the student. When the Sanskrit is used, the translation will fall easily into place - or likewise, if the English is used, the Sanskrit term must easily come forwards.]

Please revisit THIS post and chant the mangala-charana. Please use the TattvabodaH label to access all posts relevant to this text.

(The vid-clip includes chanting for next week's lesson also, as each chant is relatively brief.)

पञ्च-कोशाः  /pancha-koshaaH - the five sheaths, cont'd.

प्राणमय कोशाः /praanamaya koshaaH - the vital airs sheath.

प्राणमयः कः

प्राणाद्याः पञ्चवायवः

वागादीन्द्रियपञ्चकं प्राणमयः कोशः।

praaNamayaH kaH

praaNaadyaaH pa~nchavaayavaH

vaagaadIndriyapa~ncakaM praaNamayaH koshaH.

"what is praanamayaH  ?"

"The five physiological functions like praana and so on; and the five organs of action, like speech and so on; together form the vital air sheath."

The vital air sheath pervades the food sheath. It is subtler. The five modifications of air which control the main physiological functions of the body are called praanas. In brief they are;

Praana; respiration; breathing is governed by this. When the inhalation and exhalation are slow, deep, rhythmic and even, then the breathing is proper and good.

Apaana; elimination; waste removal. Were it not for its efficient functioning, toxic chemicals and waste would gather in the body, resulting in poor health.
Samaana; digestion; the transformation of gross food into its nutrient constituents for the body to utilise.

Vyaana; circulation; this is not just the oxygenation of the blood, but also other circulations in the body, providing nourishment and protection to the body.

Udaana; 'reversings'; as in forcible ejection. All reactions or reverse process are governed by this praana - eg vomiting, burping, crying, sneezing.  It is responsible for the mind rejecting one thought and taking another. It supplies the power for the subtle body to leave the gross body at time of death.

The pancha-praaana are vital to life. They function silently from birth to death even while we sleep.  If even one is not working at full function, we become ill and even may face death. Praanas are the connecting factor of the subtle body with the gross body.  It is for this reason that there is an entire school in the shaastra for praanaayaama  - the physical yoga with which many are familiar.

Normally the praanas function naturally and involuntarily (though it is known that advanced yogis are able to exert mind control over the praanas). It can be seen now how the various organs of action can only function in their turn as a result of the presence of the praanas. When the Self identifies with this kosha, it will say '"I" am hungry, "I" am thirsty' and so on.

If this explanation seems brief, be reminded that, although subtle, praana is still considered very much of the physical realm and again, whilst Vedanta addresses them in order to give a context for the physical 'Self', it does not linger. However, fret not, for the subject will keep being revisited with ever more depth of understanding developing. 

Input, Retention, Comprehension

Hari OM

Monday is AUM-day; in search of meditation.

Meditation & Life, with Sw. Chinmayananda (Gurudev).

We are now exploring the writings of Gurudev on our focus subject of Meditation. The book is a thorough treatment of the subject and extends to over 170 pages of closely printed text. No attempt is intended, here, to present the text in its entirety. However, important paragraphs and quotes will be given, within a summary of each section. You are encouraged to use the links on sidebar to obtain a copy for yourselves from CM publications.

Please remember that each of the posts under this title is part of a thought flow and it is important to go back and read the previous post in order to refresh and review the context.

4: Spirit Enveloped in Matter

Our Multiple Personalities; cont'd

The composition of the various sheaths, we discovered in last Text-day's post and is explored last week, is varied according to function, from the gross to the most subtle of material substance. Here is a summary (more will come on Text-days also);

Annamaya Kosha (food sheath); is the physical body, of which everyone is aware during the waking state of consciousness. It is born of food assimilated by the parents, it exists because of the food regularly taken in, and ultimately after death, it must decompose (or become ash) and return to the earth where it becomes food again. The physical structure then, arises from food, exists in food and returns to food, thus is appropriately named. The indriyas - the organs of action and the organs of knowledge gathering - exist within this sheath.

Praanamaya Kosha (vital airs sheath); the air we breathe mixes with our blood and reaches every cell of our body.  Oxygen forms an inner lining, as it were, of our physical sheath. The praanas control all the organs of action and they are five in number; 1) praana (respiration - also considered as 'perception' in the sense of its requirement to control energise the organs), 2) apaana (elimination - of wastes from the body), 3) samaana (digestion), 4) vyaana (circulation - not just of blood, but of nutrients resulting from samaana), 5) udaana (ejection, eg vomiting, crying - and also of sparking thought). The annamaya and the praanamaya sheaths are together known as the sthuula shariira.

Manomaya Kosha (mental sheath); none of us is unaware of existence of the mind. It entertains our doubts, joys and a variety of emotions, constantly erupting with non-stop flow of thought 'lava'! The mind can fly to things and places seen or heard and because of its' vast reaches, it is considered subtler than the preceding sheaths.

Vijnaanamaya Kosha (intellectual sheath); While the mind is the doubting element, the intellect is the determining factor in each of us. In Vedantic literature, the two are considered one and the same but defined separately due to still more subtle workings at the intellectual level. When our thoughts arrive at a determined decision or a willed judgement, they are called the intellect. It is subtler because not only can it venture to known places, but also reaches realms beyond the known, previously unheard and unseen (and which may never be). These are the realms of revelry and conquest, adventure and fancy - but also the places where what might be is first envisioned and formulated into something achievable. The mind and intellect together as known as the suukshma shariira.

Aananadamaya Kosha (bliss sheath); This, the subtlest of the sheaths, is made up of the ignorance (non-apprehension) that exists during our deep-sleep state of consciousness. It is considered blissful because, whatever be the condition of our waking consciousness, when once we fall asleep and regardless of our position in life, rich or poor or sad or happy etc, we experience undisturbed peace and bliss. We experience a state of pure non-apprehension, ie, absence of everything. This sheath is called the kaarana shariira as, from  non-apprehension arises mis-apprehension and thus misunderstandings of the gross and the subtle. It 'causes' an erroneous state of existence which we refer to as 'life'.

Aatman, the Life Centre, is subtlest of all and is the core (or pinnacle) of this five-sheathed structure.

All these together constitute the spirito-physical entity that plays as you and me. Consciousness exhibited by the organism depends upon the condition of its mental and intellectual sheaths. Stones have no awareness because mind and intellect are absent in them. According to Vedanta, plants have a rudimentary mind and intellect thus they live and grow and posses some awareness; the minds and intellects of animals are further developed, thus greater awareness than plants but still lacking in discriminative ability. That supreme development is reached in the human being. The purer the mind and intellect, the brighter are the beams of consciousness which radiate from the individual.  The saint or prophet is he who has the maximum awareness manifest within… ब्रह्मविद् ब्रह्मैव भवति /brahmavit brahmaiva bhavati - 'the Knower of the Absolute becomes the Absolute', roar the Upanishads. To realise pure awareness - aatman - is the goal of life, the culmination of evolution, the fulfilment of 'supermanhood'.

What Is This 'Dress'?

Hari OM

'Text-days' are for delving into the words and theory of Advaita Vedanta.

TATTVABODHAH.

[You are reminded that reviewing the previous week's posts will become essential as the meanings of the Sanskrit terms may not be repeated. There may come additional or alternative meanings, but all should be noted. As study progresses, the technical terms must necessarily become 'second nature' to the student. When the Sanskrit is used, the translation will fall easily into place - or likewise, if the English is used, the Sanskrit term must easily come forwards.]

Please revisit THIS post and chant the mangala-charana. Please use the TattvabodaH label to access all posts relevant to this text.

Flow of Text; as we progress now, we enter a question-answer session between shishya and Guru which may appear to be a leap, for the newcomer to such method. At this stage let it be pointed out that there is a 'hierarchy' of aphorisms and verses. At the very head of the text comes the Mangala-charana, which ought to be recited at the start of any session of study on the text. Next comes a tract which is a form of 'introductory summary'. The pratijnaya vaakya - a statement of the nature of the text and what the student might expect to receive from its study. (We saw that on 12th March post.) This pratijnaya encouraged questioning as to desirable personal disciplines and what is the nature of this enquiry. The query on 'tattva-vivekaH kaH?' referred to the aatmaa and immediately sparked questioning on 'aatmaa kaH?' The Guru's response at that time gave a list of descriptive factors and this formation created what is known as the वस्तु सङ्ग्रः वाक्य /vastu sangraH vaakya' - the governing statement. The questioning from then has been in relation to each point (and subsequent points which arose) in order. Remember that the aatmaa is none of these things, but in order to get back to what aatmaa is, we must first understand our current state and find logic with which to negate this condition and return properly to aatmaa.  Thus we have covered the gross, the subtle, the causal as well as some introduction to the material aspects of the embodied aatmaa.  Having covered the body in its most obvious makeup, the next part of the vastu was in reference to 'the five sheaths'.

पञ्चअ-कोशाः /pancha-koshaaH - the five sheaths.

Note that here again, the Guru provides a number of items which will inevitably give rise to further questioning and thus this aphorism itself becomes a vastu sangraH vaakya.

पञ्च-कोशाः के

अन्नमयः प्राणमयः मनोमयः

विज्ञानमयः आनन्दमयश्चेति।

pa~ncha-koshaaH ke   ?

annamayaH praaNamayaH manomayaH

viGYaanamayaH aanandamayashceti.

"What are the five sheaths   ?"

"They are annamaya, praanamaya, manomaya, vijnaanamaya and aanandamaya."

Kosha means covering as in the manner in which a scabbard covers a sword; that is to say, the covering resembles the shape of that which it covers. By seeing the scabbard, we know it to contain a sword. The scabbard, though, is not the thing which it covers and ought not to be mistaken as such. Equally, the scabbard has no effect upon the sword - provided both are used as intended.

In such a manner, The Self has been wrapped in coverings of varying subtleness, as named here by the Guru. The fact that we can see, think, feel and so on, indicates the presence of an "I" who knows these things. The functions of the sheaths are proofs of the presence of Self, but at the same time they cover the True Nature of that Self.  Even though the "I" is essentially separate from them, it becomes attached to them - just as a sword left too long in the scabbard may rust and solidify with it. The rusted sword still is a sword, but it has lost its True Nature by having melded with the scabbard meant only for the carrying of it. Have we not all watched wonderful archaeological excavations, where a sword has been finally rediscovered and separated from its attachment?! With equal determination, care and skill, we must 'research' and 'excavate' to rediscover our True Self. To do this we must understand each of the sheaths.

What must be understood also, is that the more subtle the kosha, the more pervasive is its influence. (See last Monday's AUM-day post.) In Vedantic discussion, all explanations regarding the grosser existence is generally kept minimal, as the purpose is to raise the student's mind away from the body, up through the mental and intellectual bodies and through to the considerations upon the Highest. If we become too caught up on discussing the physical, we can still find that we remain ever in its thrall and never move forward in our spiritual quest. However, there has to be a point of reference, a place from which to start. Additionally, there are various levels of understanding which approach Vedanta and context has to be presented.

Thus the obvious question now is…

अन्नमयः कः

अन्नरसेनैव भूत्वा अन्नरसेनैव वृद्धिं प्राप्य

अन्नरूपपृथिव्यां यदिवलीयते तदन्नमयः

स्थूलशरीरम्।

annamayaH kaH

annarasenaiva bhuutvaa annarasenaiva vR^iddhiM praapya

annaruupapR^ithivyaaM yadivalIyate tadannamayaH

sthuulashariiram.

"What is annamayaH   ?"

"That which is born from the essence of food, grows by the essence of food and merges into the earth, which is the natrue of food, is called the food sheath - or gross body."

The word 'maya' (NB not to be confused with 'Maayaa' the illusory principle) in annamaya indicates 'modifications'. Anna means 'food'. Thus, the body is the result of modification of food. The food eaten is digested. Its very essence becomes the sperm in man and the ovum in woman. They combine to form the seed from which the foetus is formed.  It is nourished in the womb by the food eaten by the mother. At birth the child emerges from the womb and is nourished by the mother's milk. It grows up and develops in strength and size due to the food eaten. We consume mountains of food in our lifetime. Finally we die to merge into food - the earth is nothing but organic matter which is itself food and helps to nourish the higher level food which returns the cycle. Food is that which is eaten by beings and which eats beings.

We eat food and food in turn eats us. Many die by lack of food, or indeed, from over-eating. Also, the body gets eaten by many viruses and bacteria… when we are returned to the soil we join it to be further shaped into food.

This thing which is nothing but food is that to which The Self becomes attached and says "this is MY body; "I" am tall; "I" am fair" and so on.

From The Gross...

Hari OM

Monday is AUM-day; in search of meditation.

Meditation & Life, with Sw. Chinmayananda (Gurudev).

We are now exploring the writings of Gurudev on our focus subject of Meditation. The book is a thorough treatment of the subject and extends to over 170 pages of closely printed text. No attempt is intended, here, to present the text in its entirety. However, important paragraphs and quotes will be given, within a summary of each section. You are encouraged to use the links on sidebar to obtain a copy for yourselves from CM publications.

Please remember that each of the posts under this title is part of a thought flow and it is important to go back and read the previous post in order to refresh and review the context.

4: Spirit Enveloped in Matter

"For the superman to emerge from a frail mortal, a scientifically complete and philosophically true investigation into the subject is unavoidable. We find the clearest and most extensive inquiries into this subject in Vedanta...the Rsis declared that each person is not merely a physical structure, but also a four-forked entity consisting of four distinct personalities; the physical, the mental, the intellectual and the spiritual."

Our Multiple Personalities.

Are you the clothes you wear? Is she the jewels which adorn her? Is that child the toy with which they play? No. These are accoutrements, matter envelopments which are adjuncts to the body which uses them.  We can comprehend these are extraneous to the 'truth' of the body. Similarly, the Rsis understood - and any who follow their line of enquiry - that the naked body consists of several layers of matter, in the core of which is the spirit. The comprehension being that all matter is extraneous to the 'truth' of our being.  When life, clothed in layers of matter, walks out fully clothed in the extra material to face the climate and a world of plurality, it is said to be a human being.

Gurudev now makes an observation which is so very pertinent in our current world state; "The modern world, in all its activities - domestic, communal, social, national or international - is at best feeling its way through the immediate darkness to reach still greater darkness when the government planners draft manifestos of human rights under the false conclusion that each individual is but a mere physical structure.  Materialism served by science can come only to the conclusion that more food and clothing, better shelter, more leisure and entertainment, and probably a little more education, will ensure happiness for everyone.  In short, people are considered not much different from mute animals who are aware only of their body existence. However, if we analyze the human being into three personalities in addition to the body, we can find out how these four act and react with each other, and how they can be developed and integrated through the process of divine contemplation and devoted meditation."

It is not difficult to understand that the gross body is nothing with the spark of live within it.  It is matter. All matter is inert until such time it is given some form of energy to enliven it. No sooner has life flown from the body, than it falls and starts decomposing into the very elements from which it was formed. Thus, the 'life centre' in each one of us is the sacred spot from which all activities emanate.  With that factor, even the mind and the intellect are nothing.

In Vedanta, the 'life centre', the Divine Spark of Life, is called the आत्मन् /aatman. The various envelopments are progressively more gross. The outermost 'envelope' being the body; which we call 'ours', so identified with it are we. To rise to a full understanding of even our intellectual selves can be a challenge; how much rare it is, then, to find those who can identify with the aatman within. There is much discussion in modern thinking as to whether mind is inert matter, or nonmatter having full consciousness. One wit has been quoted as saying "It does not matter if mind is matter and never mind if mind is not matter, for all that matters is that it does not matter!"

All schools of philosophy in India accept that the mind is made up of subtle matter and the body is gross matter. Aatman presides over both and is the subtlest of the subtle.

In the diagram, OM represents the aatman; our Self, our True Nature, omnipotent and omniscient. The drop into matter is represented by the panchakoshas, the five sheaths of matter from subtlest to grossest. You see that aatman, then, stands above and is not actually part of the matter-stuffs; it has no attachment to these things, but it is only because of its presence that the matter becomes aware or active at all. Whilst the two dimensional diagram shows this to be a pyramidal structuring, it ought to be taken more as an ever more internal process. From the body inwards to the lungs, inwards to the mind, inwards to the intellect then to the vital spark...yet this is also rather inadequate. It is simply about the subtlety of each matter layer. The more subtle the sheath, the more pervasive it is. An example might be a cube of ice. As ice it has defined shape and size; as it melts it returns to water, which of course can move into other spaces which the cube could not; the water when boiled becomes steam and thus can enter where even water could not and so is the subtlest form of water, whilst still remaining in the field of matter. For us, the body is the grossest and least pervasive. The praana (vital airs) can occupy not just the body but the space around the body, this is more pervasive. The mind can go places the body and the praana cannot - it is thus more pervasive again. The intellect can visualize places which even our mind could not, thus subtler still. Subtlest of all, and therefore the most pervasive, is aatman. It has the ability to be in and through all matter, but no matter can be in It. It is all-pervading, all-seeing, all-knowing, declare the Upanishads.

What "I" Am Not...

Hari OM

'Text-days' are for delving into the words and theory of Advaita Vedanta.

TATTVABODHAH.

[You are reminded that reviewing the previous week's posts will become essential as the meanings of the Sanskrit terms may not be repeated. There may come additional or alternative meanings, but all should be noted. As study progresses, the technical terms must necessarily become 'second nature' to the student. When the Sanskrit is used, the translation will fall easily into place - or likewise, if the English is used, the Sanskrit term must easily come forwards.]

Please revisit THIS post and chant the mangala-charana. Please use the TattvabodaH label to access all posts relevant to this text.

The enquiry into Truth was begun with a simple 'what is it we are researching again?', to which the answer was 'the nature of Self'. Then arose the next logical question; 'what is this Self about which you speak?'  The Guru gave a compact and precise answer. Self is nothing that you think you know now - (that is to say, nothing of the physical world, nor of the various states of consciousness) - but is, in fact, the witness of those things and is that very Consciousness itself, which is also the nature of existence and therefore blissful…

As the individualists we currently are, we continually identify ourselves according to 'me' and 'everything else' and thus we tend to labelling as 'mine/not mine'. This even includes our body, mind and intellect. We are conditioned to it due to the various envelopments which hide the truth of 'all being me', the upaadhis, which give a property to each thing. The Self is like the crystal sitting on a coloured cloth; which by its proximity, takes on the appearance of that colour, but can never actually be that colour. When taken away from any such influence, we can experience the purity and clarity of that crystal, it is experienced 'as it is', separate from all the influences. Thus if Self could be experienced 'as it is', we would find no colouration from any of the physical influences such as those described in this response.

The /shariira-traya, three bodies, refers to the physical beings. All of us consist of these. An important range of new terms are being added now (note books at the ready -what? Had you forgotten your little work books??? This  is an active-learning blog, please remember &*>)

स्तूल शरीर /stuula shariira is the gross body. It is the one with which we interface with the world, the one we see, touch, smell and so on. It requires nourishment in the form of other gross bodies being sacrificed for it. It can be damaged, become 'rusty', perform all sorts of task… but not of its own accord. The stuula shriira is nothing but a lump of matter, whatever its form. Only when it is activated by the सूक्ष्म शरीर /suukshma shariira, the subtle body of mind and intellect, can it be said to be alive and active.  It is the suuksma shariira which identifies with the matter which carries it, calling it 'my body'. It is the suukshma shariira which knows that the stuula shariira requires fuel - 'I am hungry' … but even the suukshma is not really 'ours', for it springs forth from the कारण शरीर /kaarana shariira, the causal body, the seat of all the inherent tendencies and talents, called as वासनाः /vaasanas. These may be considered as the 'operating system' of the mechanical parts of creation called as 'personal beings'.

None of these, the Guru pointed out, is the Self - no, not even the kaarna shriira, for that is still an identifiable component of single units. To clarify how the human being is but a manifestation of the Self in physical form, we now learn about the 'clothes', the layers of being-ness, called as the पञ्चकोशाः /paNchakoshas, the five sheaths.

अन्नमय कोश /annamaya kosha is the food sheath. This is another definition of the stuula shariira - for what is it but food itself once it has finished consuming other food? "From dust to dust"… the dust is the earth, to which we return and thus become inclusive in the food chain.

प्राणमय कोश /praanamaya kosha is the vital air sheath.  It is that which informs all our physiological activity. Without breath, all the complexity which is the physical machine would be nothing; when praanamaya is imbalanced, the stuula suffers in one way or another. Praanamaya, whilst its presence is physically understood, cannot actually be perceived other than by movement of the gross body, is therefore considered as part of the suukshma shariira.

मनोमय कोश /manomaya kosha is the mental sheath. Here we find all emotional activity. This is why, in Vedanta, it is understood that mind is also heart. The physical engine of the body has no power of thought - it is as much gross matter as the rest of the body. What happens though, when there are intensely affecting thought processes? These thoughts have a physical effect and it is these which are referred to as 'feelings'; the reactions are nothing but thoughts but we 'feel' those thoughts due to chemical stimulation which arises from them. Manomaya, then, is still very much in the realm of the physical, the gross, yet due to not being seen, because we cannot actually perceive the mind itself, it is referred to as being suukshma.

विज्ञानमय कोश /vijnaanamaya kosha is the intellectual sheath. The part of us which does the "I"dentifying and drives all action according to effects which may affect the "I" which it perceives. Whilst we may perceive the effects of the intellect (ie the resultant words and deeds which it commands), we cannot at all 'see' the intellect and it is therefore of the suukshma shariira.

आनन्दमय कोश /aanandamaya kosha is the 'bliss' sheath. It is alternatively referred to as the kaarana shariira - it is our personality, still an identifiable entity separate from the Whole, and contains all the history of the जीव /jiiva (individualised spirit, also referred to as the आत्मा /aatmaa, soul), but exists whether or not there is currently a physical presence to carry it. When this history remanifests in a physical body, it identifies with that and becomes blinded to its whole existence. The influence of that ethereal existence, though, provides the drives and motivations in the current existence. It provides a cause from which arise the effects of daily life, this it is referred to as the 'causal body'.

Remember at this point that the student has, essentially, enquired as to 'who am "I"' by asking for a definition of the Self. At first the Guru advises what this "I" is not. Fine, but the question is about what "I" am, and not what "I" am not!  To which the response is that there are three states of consciousness, the अवस्थात्रय /avasthaatraya. These encompass the whole range of experiences that the jiiva undergoes.  What are the three?

 जाग्रत अवस्था /jaagrat avasthaa; the waking state in which we know we experience, through which we perceive and interact with the gross world.

स्वप्न अवस्था /svapna avasthaa; the dream state, pertaining purely to mind and our own self-interaction.

सुषुप्ति अवस्था /sushupti avasthaa; the deep sleep state in which we experience the absence of the other two, where we are free of action, emotion and thought. (It is the state which - after we wake up - we think of as 'blissful', but actually cannot even be that as this implies presence.  In deep sleep nothing is no such awareness.

Again the Guru says that these are not the Self - for then he goes on to say that the "I", the True Self, is nothing more than the साक्षी /saakshii, the witness of even these most subtle of states. Thus nothing that we know (or think we know) now, is any way to understand True Self. Our search, as saadhakas, is to bring all our individualised selves back into the presence of the Whole, which is further told to us now as being of the nature of Existence-Consciousness-Bliss - सच्चिदानन्द स्वरूप /sacchidaananda svaruupa. सत् /Sat is the state of existence which cannot be negated, thus 'sat' is also translated as 'truth', it is the final, undeniable, very essence of presence. Who can negate the negator? This is the "I" which ever exists.  चित /chit is consciousness, the knowledge principle, through which all else is illumined, which understands all the trappings and conditionings and aids Sat in the negation of them. आनन्द /aananda is the bliss of awareness without conditioning. The ultimate sense of freedom, knowing no beginning or end.

When we come to not just read these things, not just intellectually 'know' these things, but actually experience yoga (union) with That, we are said to have attained मोक्ष /moksha, liberation. This striving for Self-Knowledge is the entire purpose of Vedanta. Therefore, we must delve ever more deeply into the things discussed here, little by little performing self-excavation. So, the ever alert student of our text now picks up questions on each of these things...

Grasping Steam

Hari OM

Application - that is what 'Workings-days' are about!

We are now undertaking basic technical discourse on Vedanta. The text forming the basis of these posts is 'Kindle Life'.

We have been looking at the 'material' structure of our existence through the panchakosha-s; the five sheaths of substance ranging from the gross through to the subtle. We are at the Aanandamaya kosha.  The Bliss Sheath.

This is the most subtle of our material 'envelopes' - remember we are discussing here the physical manifestations of the Great Self when it takes form and the "We" is the expression of that Self in its state of maya (delusion). This is why each kosha has 'maya' attached at the end of its name, to remind us that none of these conditionings is, in fact, Reality. In terms of this pyramidal illustration, bliss is the closest in form to the Self, or in other diagrammatical representations it can be thought of as the innermost part of our structure. (Neither illustration is the full picture of course!) Aanandamaya can be a hurdle for the spiritual seeker because it can lead to false samaadhi.

Aanandamaya is not the Self but gives us a sense of the possibility of existence beyond the physical. It is actually made up of  आविद्य/avidyaa, ignorance. This is ignorance of the True Self and is associated with the deep-sleep state of consciousness. Every single one of us, regardless of who or where we are,  has experienced a level of deep sleep which, on rising back through dream into waking state we shake ourselves off and declare "oh that was blissful!"

In the state itself we know nothing so cannot say that we are in bliss whilst experiencing it, but the memory is there of having 'known nothing' and that it brought relief from the turmoil of life, thus we consider it blissful.

Nevertheless, aanandamaya is still a condition in which our vaasana-s lie and therefore it is governor of our intellect and, by default, all other sheaths. Therefore [technical note!] whenever reference is made to the following, know that all are but synonyms for aanandamaya kosha;

• वासनाः/vaasana-s - the tendencies, habits, motivational drivers
• आविद्य/avidyaa - the condition of not knowing, i.e. ignorance
• आभावन/aabhaavana - non-comprehension (or non-apprehension) of the state of things; if one doesn't know what to look for how can one see it?
• कारण शरीर/kaarana shariira - causal body
• तैजस/taijasa - deep sleep state.

All these terms are interchangeable, yet each has its own quality also. These words are used often, so it pays to learn the Sanskrit terminology; you will find with each level of learning that another dimension of understanding is added yet the names remain the same. Rarely does a Sanskrit word have a solitary co-responding translation.

आत्मन्/Aatman is at the core (or the pinnacle) of the sheaths. It is not itself a kosha, but is the separated part of the whole which puts on the sheaths, as if they were clothing. The clothes we wear are not us (though there are some who would have society believe otherwise!). Equally, the sheaths are not the aatman.

By describing the aatman as being 'within', subtlest of the subtle, it can seem as if we are describing something infinitely small. Far from it! Aatman is the most expansive of all. It is Everything. It is that which pervades and informs everything that we perceive and is, in truth, that which governs all. It is the very subtlety which permits the pervasiveness. The example given by Gurudev in our text is that of ice (solid and restricted in where it can go), water (subtler than the ice which it was and pervasive but only at certain levels) and steam (subtler state which can pervade levels that water cannot)… all are water in different and ever more subtle states. From this we extrapolate that the annamaya kosha is restricted and cannot expand (beyond its skin); praanamaya pervades all of annamaya but also can extend into the space around annamaya; manomaya contains the ability to 'travel, and is therefore unrestricted by annamaya, yet is still contained within fields of perception and what is known; vijnaanamaya can then use what mind has given and go one step further, postulating something beyond the known, flying into the realms of imagination; aanandamaya moves around and within all these yet can also go where they cannot - into nothingness. Aatman, though, is separate. It exists even when these matter envelopes do not.

On the pyramid image, we can see reference to shtuula shariira and suukshma shariira. The gross is clearly related to annamaya; however it can also include praanamaya, though not shown thus here. We shall explore more on praanmaya and why there can be this confusion of whether shtuula or suukshma are applicable to the vital airs. The mano and vijnana sheaths are easy to understand as being suukshma. The reason aanandamaya is called as 'causal' is that is consists of vaasana-s and these 'cause' our misperception and control our actions. All of these envelope the aatman, which is the Consciousness, or the Life Principle.

SAADHANA

We shall continue this analysis next workings-day. Do remember to utilise the little book which will become your best friend for referring to the technical words. If you have them noted down, when they appear again, you will not have to page back and search wildly through posts to ascertain meaning. Just as, if you go to a biology or anatomy class, you are expected to learn the language components which pertain only to that discipline, so it is that there are certain terminologies within Vedanta which cannot be escaped!  

one of Yamini-amma's many notebooks!

The River and its Banks

Hari OM

Application - that is what 'Workings-days' are about!

We are now undertaking basic technical discourse on Vedanta. The text forming the basis of these posts is 'Kindle Life'.

The key points thus far;

There is aatman, the governer of all, within all, separate from all, pure and everlasting.

There are material conditionings in which the aatman becomes wrapped

These consist of three bodies (shtuula, suukshma and kaarana shariira-s)

Each of which relates to one or more of the pancha kosha-s, the five sheaths (annamaya, praanamaya, manomaya, vijnaanamaya and aanandamaya)

We took an overview of the first three of these.  Now let us pick up from the intellectual sheath विज्ञानमय कोष/vijnaanamaya kosha, in which we explore how this differs from 'mind'.

Referring to the diagram, it will have been noted that as we rise up the pyramid, each kosha is 'in charge' of the koshas below it. We all have a concept of intellectual pursuit being of a higher purpose and requiring 'braininess' - but we often forget that we are all built with the capability and what matters is how much exercise we give our intellectual 'muscle'. The Rsis worked hard at defining the different functions of the 'mind' and the 'intellect'. Here are the five basics;

Mind is the receptacle for stimuli presented by the indriyas. Stuff comes in, it gets sorted into its relevant categories and is passed on to the intellect for assessment and makes decisions as to responses. Gurudev likens the mind to the receipts and dispatches clerk in an organisation; it is not his job to take decisions on what is received, it is only his task to stamp, deliver and issue.  The boss makes the choices and the boss is the intellect. This often works at lightening speed. We can very often not be aware that we have given any thought to something because the response has been so rapid. When we are driving for example. The rabbit running out in front of us is seen (input), the mind forwards the input to the intellect, which knows from experience and learning that something in front of a forward moving vehicle is not a good thing, so needs to make a decision in order to avoid damage to the object in front; in doing this it may advise the mind to double check for other hazards (walls, bushes, oncoming vehicles…) before deciding on the ultimate response which may be any of swerving, braking or just keep going as there is no other optimum choice. [NB we are not looking here at whether right or wrong, but the process of each component, mind versus intellect.]

Secondly, remember that mind is a continuous flow of thoughts. Here, again, we are reminded of the river analogy. Each thought is like the drop of water in a river.  Many drops gather together, flowing on and on and soon build up a force to be reckoned with. When there is no barrier, no control on the flow, things turn to mud, to mayhem and varying degrees of inconvenience or disaster. The key barrier to a body of flowing water are the banks against which it must run. The intellect forms the banks of our mental river. Here we find the memory stores of experience and knowledge which can guide the flow of thinking.

Thirdly, the mind is the seat of our emotions and tends to sit in the small picture of our life, whilst the intellect can take a wider view and develop ideas, come up with solutions in order to ease the emotive quality, thus tempering the drain of excess feeling.

The fourth point is to understand the operational stance of each.  Mind can only operate within the realm of 'the known'.  Intellect, however, can work additionally in the realm of 'the unknown'; it can investigate and quantify, coming up with something other than what is physically present. It can contemplate concepts and work in the abstract. Mind simply does not have the capacity to move beyond the physical whilst intellect can travel to the far reaches of imagination.

Lastly, and related to the fourth, the quality of each differs. Due to the river of thoughts, mind is always in a state of flux. This toing and froing, instability, lends itself to doubt, fear and such. However, intellect is stable, it takes thoughts and gives them purpose. If we are in a state of indecision, we are allowing mind to govern; but the  minute we make the decision we become more secure. Decision is intellect. Getting to the decision is mind. Thus we can see that intellect can be disintegrated into mind again, if a stronger intellect is met and arguments put forward which question the decision. This is how we learn!

The last of the sheaths is the bliss sheath and we shall look at this plus more about the shariira-s next week.