Four Truths - Four

Hari OM

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

Nothing beats learning from a true Master. Today, the final link to talks by Swami Advayananda.   Please take the opportunity to listen attentively (shravanam).

Do not be tempted to race ahead and listen to all four. Instead, stick to the link given each week and then spend some time considering what it is you heard - and hopefully took notes for! - and work on some conclusions and deeper contemplation of the subject for yourself (mananam).

It is with the understanding and knowledge gained from proper shravanam and mananam alone that we can move forward into nididdhyaasanam - proper and thorough contemplation.

MAHAVAAKYAS PART FOUR.

Four Truths - Three

Hari OM

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

Nothing beats learning from a true Master. Today we reach the third of four links to talks by Swami Advayananda.   Please take the opportunity to listen attentively (shravanam).

Do not be tempted to race ahead and listen to all four. Instead, stick to the link given each week and then spend some time considering what it is you heard - and hopefully took notes for! - and work on some conclusions and deeper contemplation of the subject for yourself (mananam).

It is with the understanding and knowledge gained from proper shravanam and mananam alone that we can move forward into nididdhyaasanam - proper and thorough contemplation.

MAHAVAAKYAS PART THREE.

Four Truths - Two

Hari OM

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

Nothing beats learning from a true Master. Last week you were given the first of four links to talks by Swami Advayananda.  Today is the second of these talks. Please take the opportunity to listen attentively (shravanam).

Do not be tempted to race ahead and listen to all four. Instead, stick to the link given each week and then spend some time considering what it is you heard - and hopefully took notes for! - and work on some conclusions and deeper contemplation of the subject for yourself (mananam).

It is with the understanding and knowledge gained from proper shravanam and mananam alone that we can move forward into nididdhyaasanam - proper and thorough contemplation.

MAHAVAAKYAS PART TWO.

Four Truths - One

Hari OM

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

Nothing beats learning from a true Master. Swami Advayananda, (Yamini-amma's personal aachaarya) is one such. Today and for the next three Text-days, please take the opportunity to listen attentively (shravanam).

Do not be tempted to race ahead and listen to all four. Instead, stick to the link given each week and then spend some time considering what it is you heard - and hopefully took notes for! - and work on some conclusions and deeper contemplation of the subject for yourself (mananam).

It is with the understanding and knowledge gained from proper shravanam and mananam alone that we can move forward into nididdhyaasanam - proper and thorough contemplation.

MAHAVAKYAS PART ONE.

Sheep or Goat?

Hari OM

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

Yesterday, a reference was made to a Biblical text from which we could draw clear instruction about treating others with respect - including loving one's neighbour and being hospitable to strangers. Strong practical advice.

Another reference which came up in that bit of research was from the New Testament; Matthew chapter 25 verse 35-36.

The context, however, is better understood if one reads from verse 31 through to the end of the chapter. Here we find a more esoteric application of the same instructions of Leviticus. We are being asked to understand that in treating our friends, family and strangers with Love and Respect, we are honouring the presence of the Lord through them (in Vedanta, we would say 'within them'). We would be the Lord's sheep. Conversely, if we ignore the needs of others, we are disrespecting not just them, but the Lord also. We become goats.

Thus, in the New Testament, we find an understanding which more closely relates to the knowledge of Hindu philosophy. The practicality of social interaction is still present, but we are given the insight of what might otherwise be understood as 'karma' - of spiritual consequences for our actions. Not from the fear of punishment by a 'lawgiver' are we to behave more civilly within our community but from self-awareness and the need for taking individual responsibility. It also points to the element of the Divine to be found in all living things. We ignore this at our spiritual peril.

Monkey

Hari OM

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

Further inspiration from the Gita.

Still. Be still, oh flickering beast!

Monkey-mind, you flittering bird.

Steady yourself, come in, come in;

out there is of no consequence.

What matters is here, within, deep.

No! No! No dreams! Not to sleep!

Keep alert, watch the body breathe.

That's it, now let go of it.

Feel not the blood as it rushes

and hear not the clattering dishes.

Let the dark space of night

turn into that burning light.

See that flame in the brow's eye?

Don't reach, don't turn, just sit.

Enter its blaze, head for the wick

know there's a place behind which

awaits for you an endless boon.

Keep going, you'll arrive. Soon.

© Yamini Ali MacLean 2019

Inspired by Bhagavad Gita adh.6;s.19

 

As a lamp in a spot 

Sheltered from the wind 

Does not flicker, 

So must be the mind of a yogi 

practicing meditation on Brahman.

>

A Glimpse More

Hari OM

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

For a short while, we will go into review mode. Always good to go back to basics!

To round off this brief review, please reread this post and also this post. You are, of course, free to review as much more of the TattvabodaH as you care to in order to solidify your grasp of the concepts!

Anatomy

Hari OM

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

For a short while, we will go into review mode. Always good to go back to basics!

We are reviewing the pancha koshas. Please now reread this post and also this post. After reading, focus on your body and the breathing and see if you can feel and relate to how this is described.

Return to Basics

Hari OM

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

For a short while, we will go into review mode. Always good to go back to basics!

Today, please reread this post and also this post. Not more than this. Ponder what you have read, look back at any notes you may have taken when we first went through TattvabodaH… if you have joined since and didn't read this text, don't fret; these posts will stand alone for learning about the production of our physical existence. Of course, you can always pick on the pertinent label and read the whole text again!

The End

Hari OM

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

We now explore the Sri Adi Shankara text, "SadaachaaraH". To obtain your own copy, click here.

The final shloka has arrived. In verse two the text told of the purpose of the text as a whole, which is to bring the reader to an understanding of Self Realisation. This last verse advises again, that with dedicated study, digestion and contemplation of the text, there is nothing preventing this goal from being achieved.

Sadacarimm< inTy< ye=nusndxte buxa>,

s<sarsagraCDIº< muCyNte naÇ s<zy>.54.

Sadaachaaramimam nityam ye'nusandadhate budhaaH,

Samsaara-saagaraach-chiighram muchyante naatra samshayaH ||54||

Those wise people who constantly practice this sadaachaara get liberated quickly from the ocean of transmigration. In this regard, there is no doubt.

In order to remove the grime of daily life, we bathe. In order to stave off hunger, we eat. To keep our breath sweet, we clean our teeth. Daily routines are an essential part of a well-ordered life. Thus, is it not the case that if we pay attention in an equally routine manner to our spiritual studies, that we can expect to be 'cleansed' and life ought to become lighter from it?

All the texts of Vedanta offer this possibility. The mind cannot help but be purified through diligent study of not just the scriptures, but advisory texts such as the SadaachaaraH. Study is not simply the reading and memorising of what has been read in order to regurgitate it later. It is to inculcate the lessons, to put into practice the exercises of mind and the few of the body in order to take ownership of the knowledge offered. If we do this well, Realisation is within our grasp.

Each and every day, let us resolve to read a bit more, to think a bit higher, to grow a little larger. Invoke the blessings of the Lord, of the Guru and of our own Divine Nature that we might make the best of all that we learn.

Om Tat Sat.

Times Of Your Life part two

Hari OM

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

We now explore the Sri Adi Shankara text, "SadaachaaraH". To obtain your own copy, click here.

Yesterday we saw the verses on dharma, now let's explore them.

It is considered, in Sanatana Dharma, that there are four stages of life, known as ashramas. The time of the student (brahmacharya), the time of the house-holder (gRhstha), the time or retirement (vaanaprastha) and the time of renunciation (sannyaasa).

The word ashrama itself means a place of rest (as in a physical compound) in the physical sense, but in the subtler sense refers to a state of being free of burdens. These four stages of life are called ashramas because the idea is that we find the optimal balance in each stage to live life fully and stress-free. Let us look at the first two of the ashramas. (Verses 50 and 51.)

Brahmacharya; the word means self-control. This applies at all levels. We might think that children and youth are the least self-controlled. However, this is also the time of learning. The period of time is brahmacharya, but not until the lessons are inculcated can one be said to be a Brahmachari. This is the time to be deeply set in study, contemplation, mulling over the lessons, building sincerity of purpose, defining goals. Of course, the purpose of dharma is that this ought all, ultimately, be for spiritual gain such that we come to know The Truth.

In Sanskrit tradition, schooling was always with a guru (gurukula) and all the lessons required for life were given there, as well as grammar and scriptural study. The whole point of Sanatana Dharma is that spiritual life is not a separate component of physical life. To separate these two is to divide our personality.

Without a sense of the spiritual part of our being, we can find ourselves adrift in society. The human psyche always will look for meaning and this occurs most when we are in childhood. It is why fairy tales and fantasies make the greatest impact in that time. If the tales provided contain horror or have no basis in reality, how are the young minds to integrate what they learn there with the actual case of life? In our current time, youngsters are lost in video games with all sorts of unfounded storytelling. Many young folk go unsupervised and have no solid, positive role-models, so make up their own with populism and potential danger. Understanding this, Sanskrit has many, many tales of its own to capture young imaginations, but all of them come out of the scriptures and all are adored! All inspire! All lift the minds and hearts of young people. What is more, it all takes place in gurukula, where daily routine and service of the teacher instils discipline and humility.

GRhastha; the time of the householder is given an arbitrary marking of 25 years to 55 years, but of course it can be longer. It is the time when attachment is accepted as a part of the process of dharma. Majority of people will marry, have a family. All can attain employment status, a home of their own, have the opportunity to support others.

If the lessons in the time of brahmacharya have properly taken within us, then we can pass through the time of gRhastha knowing that we are not the body through which we act, through which we experience, through which we suffer. If we attach to it and think we are this body, we set up for ourselves all sort of strife! The wise man knows the doer is not he in this body, but That of which we are part. Most of us fail in that wisdom. The wise man will continue to grow in his studies on dharma and will be in a ready state for action but know when inaction is worthy. The fool seeks only to learn of the world and is constantly in a state of reaction. The wise man knows he owns nothing. The fool can never own enough.

...tbc...

Know Thyself

Hari OM

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

We now explore the Sri Adi Shankara text, "SadaachaaraH". To obtain your own copy, click here.

In doing all this study, we are often exposed to other people who claim to have had charismatic experiences and it is something we are all interested in. Fascinated by, in fact. No doubt there are levels of 'breakthrough' in awareness which can bring a state of euphoria. However, what is all this sensation about?

Éae´a sÅvgu[> zuÏae Éaegana< saxn< rj>,

ÉaeGy< tmaegu[< àahuratma cE;a< àkazk>.49.

Bhoktaa sattvagunaH shuddho bhogaanaam saadhanam rajaH,

Bhogyam tamogunam praahur-aatmaa chashaam prakaashakaH ||49||

The enjoyer is pure sattva guna and the instrument of enjoyment is rajo guna. The wise say that the object of enjoyment is tamo guna and the Self is the illuminator of these.

Remembering your reading in earlier texts with regard to the trigunas, it ought to immediately jump to mind that sattva is pure and calm, rajas is active and driven and tamas is indolent and lustful. Here it the triad is being applied to the components of the experiencer (enjoyer) as the individual self, the ability to experience is via the body and that all which is external to these two becomes the object of experience. Then it is made clear that the Consciousness stands apart from all of these but permits us knowledge of them, in the way the street lamp show us the pavement, the cars moving and cars parked and so on.

Thus we are to understand that the Self is present in all three. Cause pervading the effects.

This is another way of explaining the knower, the knowing and the known. It is a lesson which is repeated throughout Vedantic texts and with each revisit, we, as the saadhakas who have diligently applied ourselves (--is it not so?!--) will find something else to take from the equation. No building can be built without the materials of construction. With each time we go to make another building, we will have become more familiar with the materials and how they work together and how we might adapt them - but they always remain as bricks and mortar, wood and nail.

These concepts are the building materials of Vedantic philosophy. Never tire of them and playing with them and making them your own. Keep doing so until the become a part of your own fabric. Do not just know the materials, let the materials merge into your being. Become vijnaana and create that final building in which is the door to the Ultimate Truth. As the Bhagavad Gita declares, 

"One who knows the Supreme Self beyond the three qualities attains Me."

Two Knowings part two

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


We now explore the Sri Adi Shankara text, "SadaachaaraH". To obtain your own copy, click here.


Picking up from yesterday's presentation of the seven shlokas, let us explore them a little more. We will take the first four today and the remaining three next week.


42. As has been mentioned - and you have surely experienced - in the deep sleep state, the world is absent from our mind. Generally, when we remember in our waking state that there was this world-free state, we refer to it as bliss. The purpose of working towards samaadhi is so that we might experience this very state even as we are awake. This is the state of Realisation - knowing a condition of existence/ consciousness; the condition of sahaja samaadhi is to have this Knowledge yet still be in a state of perception of this world of objects. When we have jnaana, we know of the facts that there is a seer and the seen, but we have yet to combine these two things within ourselves. Vijnaana is the advanced state of Knowledge where we as the seer understand that we are also the seen - or that all which is seen is nothing but this seer. This mergence results in a wiping away of all multiplicity.


43. To engage with experience there must be one of the triads of the philosophy; the experiencer, the experiencing and the experienced. The body is to be experienced and the individual (jiiva) is the experiencer. What the two encounters together is experiencing. However, not only the body but the entire world of objects and situations is available for the experiencer to gain experience. This is jnaanam. When the jiiva takes on the understanding that it is but a reflection and actually belongs to One Homogenous Self, it becomes apparent that field of experiences and the experiencer are nothing but one and the same - a play within the Supreme Reality.


44. As we read here, we are gaining the level of knowledge which is categorised as jnaanam. It is that knowledge which brings an intellectual curiosity, inquiry and then conviction of given facts under study, in this case, Vedanta. All worldly knowledge falls under this grouping. Everyone can attain jnaanam. However, it is not until we can integrate knowledge of Truth with the experience of Truth in a state of Realisation that we can be said to have attained vijnaanam.  In jnaanam we can be aware of Truth and develop a longing for it; in vijnaanam, we are The Truth.


45. One of the four mahaavaakyas (great statements) of Advaita Vedanta is "Tattvam asi" - That thou art. When we are in the jnaanam stage of understanding, we have a very clear grasp of the 'thou' because we are all the time self-aware in the ego-condition. It is in this place that the question "Who am I?" arises and generally starts us on the path of research to gain understanding. In that search, almost every philosophy will point to there being a level of understanding which is not about the individual at all. This will likely prompt the question most related to this, "Who is God?" In Vedanta, the search will lead to the That portion of the equation and the understanding of the thou having all the time been That.


...tbc...

Storm

Hari OM

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

We now explore the Sri Adi Shankara text, "SadaachaaraH". To obtain your own copy, click here.

Can we work our way through the trickeries of Maya to reach the Truth? Yes! Use those very same 'trickeries' as a path.

sdanNde icdakaze mayame"StiqNmn>,

Ah<ta gjRn< tÇ xarasarae ih yÄm>.40.

mhamaehaNxkare=iSmNdevae v;Rit lIly,

tsya v&:qeivRramay àbaexEksmIr[>.41.

Sadaanande chidaakaashe maayaameghas-tatinmanaH,

Ahantaa garjanam tatra dhaaraasaaro hi yattamaH ||40|

Mahaamohaandhakaare'smin-devo varshati liilayaa,

Tasyaa vRshterviraamaaya prabodhaika-samiiranaH ||41||

In the sky of Consciousness which is of the nature of Existence and Bliss, Maya is the cloud, the mind the lightening, the ego the thunder and verily the downpour is inertia.

In this pitch darkness of deep delusion, the Lord rains sportingly. For the cessation of this downpour, Self Realisation alone is the wind which disperses the clouds.

To assist us in our saadhana, Adi Shankaraacharya now points us to nature. Space is empty and accommodating of all with it, with being affected in any way itself. On our planet, we experience 'weather'; rain clouds gather and the sky darkens. If this happens at night, we experience like pitch, not even the moon can be seen. There may be lightning or thunder, depending on how heavy the storm. The air might be funnelled becoming a frightening wind. Rain will fall, sometimes so hard it causes damage, by the weight of its fall or by the floods which result once it has landed.

Making a comparison, we are told that the Sat-Chit-Aananda is the 'space' in what all else sits. The clouds which arise are Maya/ignorance. The thicken and swirl and cover the sky, obscuring S-C-A/'space'. This would be the layer of vaasanas which are then manifested in our minds and, with lightning speed, we are caught up in all the small, ridiculous storms they create. Sometimes it is overpowering. Our egos take up the storms and rage with them, becoming the thunder and adding to the ignorance by claiming everything as our individual own - "I/my". The 'rain' is the doership, the body identity and also qualities such as sattva, rajas and tamas. Ignorance fully rains upon us.

Just as the wind ensures the clouds do not stay for long, so it is that we can turn the mind upon the 'rain' and start to eliminate it, working our way through to the pure 'space' once again.

All This

Hari OM

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

We now explore the Sri Adi Shankara text, "SadaachaaraH". To obtain your own copy, click here.

Connecting, now, to Pure Knowledge;

mnaemaÇimd< svR< tnmnae }anmaÇkm!,

A}an< æm #tyahuivR}an< prm< pdm!.38.

Manomaatramidam sarvam tanmano jnaanamaatrakam,

Ajnaanam bhrama ityaahur-vijnaanam paramam padam ||38||

All this is nothing but the mind. That mind is of the nature of Knowledge. Ignorance is called illusion by the wise and Pure Knowledge is the Supreme State.

This is a significant tenet of Advaitic philosophy. The world that we think we know is nothing more than an illusion, a trick of 'light play' upon the Pure Knowledge which is the true, supreme state of all.

It confounds most to think of this as a possibility. Everything feels so real. Yes - but can the same not be said for dreams? Even if, at some deep level, we know we are having a dream, while we are in it everything feels real. Sometimes we try to get out of a dream because we know it is not real and we may be frightened or threatened or just tired of the scene playing out. If we are at the point of accepting that there is a Universal Consciousness, though, we must also start to at least consider that same consciousness may be conjuring us up in dream play - the grand illusion, aka Maya.

Currently, we believe the world around as real due to the impressions received via the mind. All the world is perceived by us only in our minds. When we shut our minds off at night, the world disappears. Okay, but what about before we were born and after we die; does not the world exist either side of us? Yes, if we believe our minds…

What about what others tell us of memories and existences? You are receiving that information via your own mind only, is it not? Everything about life is a thought perception. Just as in the dream state we can feel anger, hatred, touch others or experience pain or joy, this 'waking' existence is created in our thoughts. What gives existence to them, though? What provides the 'knowing'? That is the Pure Consciousness at work.

Due to the work of Maya, we remain in ignorance of our True Self, the One and Only, and are only concerned with our ego-self, the individual, one of many. As this is done through reflection, like the sun on the wall or the colour in the crystal, we are never actually separate from the Pure Self but the truth of this is hidden from us due to the power of Maya.

Colourless

Hari OM

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

We now explore the Sri Adi Shankara text, "SadaachaaraH". To obtain your own copy, click here.

Continuing in efforts to understand our mind;

icÄ< icCc ivjanIyaÄkarriht< yda,

tkarae iv;yaXyasae jparagae ywa mpaE.36.

Chittam cichcha vijaaniiyaat-takaararahitam yadaa,

Takaaro cishayaadhyaaso japaaraago yathaa manau ||36||

When the chitta is without the 'ta', know that chitta is itself the Chit (Consciousness). The 'ta' represents the superimposition of objects just as in the crystal, the colour of china-rose is superimposed.

A very clear definition is provided here. Chit = Pure Consciousness, ta = modified thought/object. If we recall earlier lessons on antaH-karana, we know that there are four components of the human mind. ManaH is what we are very familiar with as thought process, Buddhi is the intellectual and analytical process, Ahangkara is the ego "ownership" and individualising process and then there is Chitta. Often described as 'memory', as we advance in our understanding we find that it is actually our doorway to the Universal Self. Yes, it connects the jiiva with their vaasanas and karma 'account', hence the memory aspect, but it is also the clue to our being much more than the physical body to which we are so attached.

Pure Consciousness, we are told here, reflects upon the objects and ideas of the world and leave an impression upon our thoughts in the same way that a crystal, when held in a certain way against a certain colour (here given as 'China rose') will take up an appearance of that colour for however long it is there. The crystal is ever pure and colourless, but able to 'modify' according to reflection and refraction of light. The aim of a saadhaka is to drop all reflection and refraction and return to the pure, colourless state.

In saadhana, then, we can offer all that we see and do to the Higher, live life simply and with self-discipline, tune ourselves into nature, develop an attitude of acceptance and seek out the company of souls who exhibit the levels of devotion, spiritual practice and knowledge that we ourselves desire. We can reduce our attachments to the material world and to the thoughts generated by it. We can work on sitting in our 'unmani'.

All And Nothing Else

Hari OM

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

We now explore the Sri Adi Shankara text, "SadaachaaraH". To obtain your own copy, click here.

Having established process of knowing, the difference between this and Pure Consciousness is to be explored.

v&iÄVyaPyTvmevaStu )lVyiPt> kw< Évet!,

SvàkazSvêpTvat! isÏTvaCc icdaTmn>.34.

vRttivyaapyatvam-evaastu phalavyaaptiHkatham bhavet,

Svaprakaasha-svaruupatvaat siddhatvaachcha chidaatmanaH ||34||

Since the Self which is of the nature of Consciousness is self-effulgent and self-evident, there can only be thought pervasion. How can there be pervasion by reflected Consciousness?

As seen in the example at the end of yesterday's post, there can be no such thing as reflected light without there first being a source for the light and something upon which that light can reflect.

Ignorance is removed by thought modification (bouncing of light to show up the wall marks), and the individual as the knower then claims "I know this…" In that knowing, there will also be an awareness within the individual that there is a separation between the "I" which knows and the object which is known.

It is the "I" which knows that can become a goal of knowledge. The seeking of Self-Knowledge is what Vedanta is all about.

In our present state, we are limited to self-knowledge; limited by physical attributes and perception of 'this is my body, my mind' and so on. We think of ourselves as the doer of actions and thinker of thoughts. If we decide to embark on Self-Knowledge, however, it is possible to bring about the highest level of thought modification to finally realise the Infinite Truth of Self. We have to purify and make more subtle our intellect and ponder deeply and intimately upon the teachings of the Rsis, meditating upon OM in order to attain the level whereby that final thought modification can take place.

It is not that Consciousness can become known because it is already the knower. That final modification is to realise that no modification is required. The reflecting medium, the reflection itself, become absorbed back into the source of the light.

It would be the equivalent of residing upon the sun. Where would remain the need for reflective medium when all is nothing but light itself?

In The Light

Hari OM

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

We now explore the Sri Adi Shankara text, "SadaachaaraH". To obtain your own copy, click here.

Yesterday we saw that Pure Knowledge is what makes us who we are and it is in becoming fully Aware ourselves, reconnecting the 'Universal Electricity', that we can free ourselves of the bondage of our individual lives. It is the Knowledge of knowing, not the bits and pieces of information, that is referred to with the capital 'k'. The next verse explores this.

àmata c àma[< c àmey< àimitstwa,

ySy ÉasavÉasNte man< }anay tSy ikm!.32.

Pramaataa cha pramaanam cha prameyam pramitistathaa,

Yasya bhaasaavabhaasante maanam jnaanaaya tasya kim ||32||

By whose effulgence, the knower and the means of knowledge and the object of knowledge and (finally) the knowledge of an object, are all illumined; for knowing That (Knowledge), what need is there of a means of knowledge?

Remembering that this text is about saadhana - practising and making practical the teachings of Vedanta - this concept is one which is revisited again and again in the prakarana grantha (preparatory texts). It is a basic tenet of all philosophy and must be fully grasped. Even with experience, it can be easy to forget that everything revolves around apparently simple things.

We can only refer to 'knowledge' because we have become aware that there can be a state of ignorance. If we are in ignorance, we have no understanding or awareness of something.

First, there has to be the one who can experience learning - gain knowledge. We call this the 'knower' (pramaataa). The knower will have a level of awareness of individuality and make a claim of "I"ness.

Then there must be something to be known - this we call the 'object' (prameya), which may be a physical item, but can be pure information also.

Knowledge can only take place when ignorance is removed. This process of replacing ignorance with knowledge is referred to as the 'means of knowledge' (pramaana). That is to say, a route from the object to the knower. This can be through perception (pratyaksha), inference (anumaana), or spoken/written word (shabda). For example, holding of a book or reading from a screen are pratyaksha, the observance via the eye is anumaana, and that which is observed/read are shabda.

Applying the means is referred to as 'knowing' (pramiti). The experience of gaining knowledge. It takes the form of thought modification as a result of pramaataa, prameya and pramaana coming together and 'turning on the light' of knowledge.

That which observes this - enables this to happen at all - is Pure Consciousness as reflected in the individual (chidabhaasa). The physical body may be present, the object may be present, but the knowing can only take place with the power of consciousness - 'life'.

That which observes, however, how to know that? Is there a 'means'? Let us think about this - does the sun require a lamp to see itself? Do we see the sun better for shining a torch at it? No! The sun is self-effulgent. How much more so, then, is Pure Consciousness. It is self-shining and self-knowing. There is no greater illumination than that Universal Self-Awareness and, in the light it sheds, all else is known. It is one and one alone.

Self Delusion

Hari OM

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

We now explore the Sri Adi Shankara text, "SadaachaaraH". To obtain your own copy, click here.

There was a question asked last week. In effect, it sought the 'quick fix' version of the Vedantic remedy to life's sorrow - and Vedanta says there IS a quick fix. Recognise the folly of "I"ness and free yourself of its bondage. However, as with all 'quick fixes' most folk don't get results. Why?

}anmek< sda Éait svaRvSwasu inmRlm!,

mNdÉaGya n janiNt Svêp< kevl< b&ht!.30.

Jnaanamekam sadaa bhaati sarvaavasthaasu nirmalam,

Mandabhaagyaa na jaananti svaruupam kevalam bRhat ||30||

The One Pure Knowledge always shines in all the states of experiences. The unfortunate are not aware of their Real Nature, which is homogenous and infinite.

The vast majority of us are, quite simply, too caught up in our "I", our ego selves and the world which is projected as a result. The answer has been given, but, like tourists who have gone all the way to Nepal in order to see Mount Everest, we say 'oh it's there', click a selfie, then return to our home and nothing changes from that experience.

Seeing and knowing about Mount Everest is one thing. Climbing is quite another. Only a very few people in the world even attempt it. Far fewer succeed in the attempt. It is not for the faint of heart, the casual traveller.

Vedantic philosophy, indeed any spiritual pursuit to the highest level, can be equated to an attempt upon Everest. Just getting to the foothills and setting up base camp is an achievement in itself. Yet, even this much, most people are unwilling to do, because it means surrendering their creature comforts. Never mind unplugging from our online sublife. We might, good heavens, have to go without a shower for some time and bathe only with snow-melt! Our food will be simple and limited, designed for the fuel it provides and not for gluttony. There will have to be discipline and teamwork.

When we go to a movie, we are so enamoured of the moving illusion, we forget all about the substratum upon which it plays. Without that screen, there could be no film for us to see.

This shloka bemoans the fact that we go around in life not seeing The True Self upon which all this plays out. We are nothing but dream elements to that Total Consciousness, and even when we intellectually become aware of this fact, we still deny ourselves the chance to walk fully into that light, so entrapped are we by the delusion and allure of individual existence. The Srimad Bhagavatam (c1.ch1.t10) even laments "mandaaH sumanda-matayaH manda-bhaagyaaH hyupaddhRtaah"… 'Oh learned one, in this Iron Age of Kali men almost always have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.'

Be Better

Hari OM

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

We now explore the Sri Adi Shankara text, "SadaachaaraH". To obtain your own copy, click here.

In having summarised the schools of philosophy, the question might be asked, "is there a simple way to understand the concepts of bondage and liberation?" such as is described by Vedanta.

Ah< mmeTyy< bNxae nah< mmeit mu´ta,

Banxmae]aE gu[EÉRit gu[a> àk&its<Éva>.29.

Aham mametyayam badho naaham mameti muktataa,

Bhandhamokshau gunairbhaati gunaaH prakRti-sambhavaaH ||29||

This bondage is of the nature of "I" and "my". The negation of "I/my" is liberation. Bondage and liberation appear because of the gunas and the gunas are born of our innate nature.

We use "I" all the time, we lay claim to stuff continually as "mine" or define it is another's. So in tune with "I"ness are we, that we may not even notice when it is absent… throughout all your reading here at AV-bloggy, the personal pronoun has only ever been used in examples such as are required for this shloka, and only then, in quotation marks. At no time (other than the bio pages) will you have seen the writer refer to themselves in the first person singular. It takes practice, but it can be done!

Possessiveness is the root of this "I" obsession because the ego all the time makes us define things in terms of me and mine. We see ourselves as being the title we have at work, or the role we play at home. When we are asked 'who are you', we tend to respond in terms of 'what'; "I'm an engineer/doctor/ husband/wife…" It is our 'prkRti', our intrinsic nature.

This is represented here as bondage. Attachment to the material form of our existence. It results in feelings of loss and grief or anger and spite when our attachments are broken forcibly or against our desire. This is the bondage - that we see ourselves tied to these things. Therefore, to free ourselves of such bondage would be liberation. How to do this? Negate the "I"… and how to do that?

• Consider everything as God's
• Share all that is 'mine' with others

• Realise that 'my'ness causes sorrow and develop compassion

• Understand that 'my'ness is an effect from our mind and is not itself an object; it is subjective, changeable and cannot, therefore, be real, in absolute terms
• Understand that things and beings arrive and leave according to praarabdha - a result of prior actions - and are temporary. To grasp onto them, therefore, is foolhardy, but neither should we reject them entirely. All beings are in this together so can work together to get out of it. Khalil Gibran said it well; "Love one another, but make not a bond of love."

PrkRti is Maya at work. The illusion is the causative factor and 'nature' is the result. It has three qualities, sattva, rajas and tamas. These are endlessly mixed and matched to give each of us various levels of them. The qualities themselves are not made up of matter, as prkRti is, but the results they create are. Everything we are, the way we think and act, arises from a base of one or more of the trigunas. Given that we must work with them, then it makes sense to work hard to engender the nobler of the three (sattva) and do our best to tame our excess nature (rajas) and to quell our base character (tamas). The closer to sattva we come, the weaker becomes the ego and therefore "I"ness.