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This volume of our series the
'Letters of Guruji' contains letters of Poojya Guruji Sri Swami Atmanandaji
whose subject matter is as follows.
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Index of Volume – 3
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Letter No. 1
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Doubtless
knowledge
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Hari om !
Greetings
to you too after your trip. Your long silence made me think that you were
busy with your exams. Nice to hear from you. It is always a joy to go
through the mails of a sensitive & dedicated sadhaks like you. There
is indeed great joy in an indepth communication between two tuned up
people.
Even then I tried to ask
exactly the same questions!! I gave up because it is really a great
number of ways leading to the same summit, everyone has his own
descriptions of the way, but I happen to be going just exactly your way
you did.
Well ! I do not agree that there are different ways to the
summit. There is only one way and that is the one of Self-knowledge
undertaken by a sensitive & intelligent mind, rest is just going
round the circles or aiming for some other objective.
Could you please tell more
about your teachers, and teacher's teachers. I
read several of Swami Dayananda's books, and he is talking exactly the
way you do. Is it because you have the same lineage of teachers (it was
no introductions in these books, so I do not know by myself), or because
you share the same last name Saraswati? Who are the teachers of Swami
Chinmayananda, and why did you leave Chinmaya mission (if you did) ?
Sure. Here goes the fairy tale.
Yes, I am indirectly connected to Swami Dayananda. One, both of us have been given Sanyas by Swami Chinmayananda - thus
the common name of Saraswati. (He was given sanyas much earlier than me.
I am told that Sw D was initially inspired into spirituality by Sw Chin
alone, but after his initiation he went over to another Swamiji at
Rishikesh for his full fleged Vedanta studies. Sw Chin. in turn learnt Vedanta from one of the greatest
Vedantic scholars of his times - Swami Tapovanam, but was initiated into
Sanyas by Swami Sivananda Saraswati, Founder of Divine Life Society,
Rishikesh. Secondly, one of the desciples of Sw D namely Swami
Viditatmananda was my Acharya at the Ashram were I first studied Vedanta.
(Later I continued it with other Swamis too, but his impact was
greatest). Apart from that I respect Sw D's teaching and his logical way
of revealing the tenets of Vedanta. Very rarely we find Swamis truly
dedicated to the tradition of Vedanta as Swamis C, D & V. Sw D was
initially in Chinmaya Mission too but later left in 1982 to translate
into action some of his organisational priorities. I too left Chinmaya
Mission in 1989 to not only go for further studies to other Swamis in the
wild, but also felt it necessary to tread alone so that I directly see
the ups & downs of life and get an opportunity to test my knowledge
first hand. An over secure set up is not an ideal place to directly
discover the meaning of various things which are suppose to provide real
strength & security. Moreover this is basically the tradition of we Swami's that after our teachings and initiation,
when the student has gained necessary inner strength, we leave our Gurus
place to tread alone. Those who cant leave have
either not discovered enough strength or are pursuing some other goal.
Missions and organisations are modern phenomenon because the world has
become small, and suddenly we are exposed to lot more ideas & people
and also have new challenges. Every Swami is basically a loner and just
drifts around exuding the fragrance of knowledge to those around in his
or her own special way. It is a great ancient tradition which we have
& follow.
Last time we were talking about
operating presumptions and sense of individuality. I did not write for
long because was waiting for something to happen, until understood that
waiting for this is the same operating from the wrong presumption. i.e. like 'I am not that, but something should happen
and I will be it'. Wrong, is not it ?
Yes, it is wrong. You are not
only that which is revealed in a quiet mind but also that which is even
present right now - in all its glory. Yet awakening to a state brought
about by (1) conviction of your being the one non-dual Brahman alone, and
(2) the realisation of the objective world to be an illusion - is
extremely necessary. A doubtless knowledge & conviction of the above
facts is by itself a great experience. Look for no other experience. Aim
only for the understanding of the in-depth implication of the above facts
and subsequently the 'constant' retention of this awareness.
I also wrote that I got some
'glimpses' of understanding, which were here for a split second, and disappeared.
I think that now appreciation of that I really am is
pretty much here (I put 'I think' because not sure about final possible
extent of understanding). But it seems to work this way now - here is no
constant 'appreciation', I do not 'feel' or 'think' this way usually, but
it appears by conscious request from mind in case of obstacles, or a
possibility of obstacles. Like then everything is rolling on its own, I
do not need to remind myself to be separate from ego-sense, but then
there is a least possibility of acting or reacting from ego-point of
view, it comes to surface. So the question - is there a problem? Should
it be a constantly present kind of knowledge, or it is its natural state
then you notice it only when there is a problem you need to eliminate?
Constant awareness of ones
reality is extremely necessary. For fulfilling this objective problems
indeed become a great blessing. The moment we tend to forget the truth,
right then our earlier presumptions surface once again. It is like an
actor who can play any role, but deep down he is conscious of the truth.
Meanwhile, I went back to the
very beginning of our correspondence on the topic 'where to find ego'.
You wrote, 'you'll find this non-entity called ego behind all those
thoughts and emotions which not only bring suffering to you but also to
all those around you, you'll find it trying to peep through all
thoughtless reactions. That guy will be around when you get too excited
or depressed in any situation. Its presence will be felt when inspite of
being wrong you will not be able to accept your fault. It will be be this
fellow alone because of which you will be more bothered about 'your
happiness' and 'your securities' rather than thinking about the joys of
all those around you. It will be this very entity which will not allow
you to melt away in love and gratitude, it will bring about consciousness
of an individuality which would rather retain its identity and stand
apart, isolated and then try to find answers to its problem of limitation
and isolation.' Back then I promised to start with not being too excited
or depressed in any situations. Well, I kept the promise. Sincerely, I am
not finding the other pointers inside anymore, with some unclear doubts
on the extent of elimination of the last one about 'consciousness of an individuality'. Should it be now another, more
subtle checklist on the same subject?
The moment you know about whom
we are talking about you will be in a position to formulate a new
checklist all by yourself. If you do not still know about whom we are
talking about then the earlier checklist will still be helpful.
While I was away, I literally
had nothing to do one evening. The idea of doing nothing or watch TV did
not appeal at all. So, I opened a book on chemestry and read it. But
thought after that it possibly indicates a problem. Kind of if everything
is as good as I think, I should be equally happy
to do something or not to do. But I clearly preferred to do. I am a bit
confused if there was really a problem with this, but do you see
something to worry about?
Doing or not doing anything is
not a problem by itself. Freedom is not merely in not doing but also in
doing what you wish. The problem is when we want to escape from a state
of mind & self, which is feeling bored, alone etc. A wise person with
his wisdom should be able to rise above from such a state of mind which
prompts escape. Ability to just BE without doing anything is indeed the
goal and final test. First be free from all ego-centric compulsions of
success, failure, insecurity or escape and then do anything which your
situation, profession or interests demand. That is freedom. Even if you
have to do anything then first see & feel that 'This is my service to
a cause, for family, or the institution etc. May it grow & prosper. I
ultimately have no expectations.' Doing something in an intense &
loving way is a joy by itself. We just prefer to enjoy the very journey
rather than reaching some place.
And, connected with previous
one, I have a question about likes and dislikes. I read Swami Dayananda's
'Seeker and the Sought', and really enjoyed it (may be because we already
discussed many of the points he was talking about, and I was delighted to
see it confirmed again). The question is about pronounced and
non-pronounced likes/dislikes. What exactly is meant by 'eliminating
likes and dislikes'? Is it possible to eliminate them all? I have a
problem imagining someone acting ambivalent in regards to a dust piece in
his eye. Where is the boundary between pronounced and non-pronounced? I
do not seem to recall pronounced ones, should I concentrate on
elimination of the most pronounced of the non-pronounced? Will not it be
an endless pursuit? It is more of a theoretical math problem, since people
(Swamis including, from that I read) seem to have their own 'limits'.
I have not yet seen any such
book of Sw D so I will not be able to comment as to what exactly he means
by pronounced or unpronounced likes & dislikes. If you can send me an
excerpt of the section using these words then may be I will be able to
comment on them. More on likes & dislikes in my next mail. By the way
what are the limits of Swamis which you have read or heard
?
With lots of love & om
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Letter No. 2
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Self
Transcends the Mind
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Hari om !
The thing with letters is just
like with apples....
I always look upon myself as a
trainer of gardeners, and the whole process of sadhana as a process of
gardening. So well aware of the whole process we wait patiently, no
rushing. I did have an inkling that the gardener is at work, and I
believe giving all the time to the gardener. I have reasons to believe
that if the gardener knows his job well, the blossoms do come.
But I thought that the
Self-knowledge is a summit itself....
Summit is just 'to be' & revel in your
'being', and Self-knowledge is the means to eliminate the veil of
ignorance on your divine Self. Knowledge of anything is brought about
only by proper enquiry and nothing else, so there are no different ways
here. It is just an open, unconditioned, deep enquiry - going into even
your operating presumptions. None of the things which you have mentioned
above are means for Self-knowledge. They are all basically means to help
bring about the right state of mind with which enquiry is to be
conducted. There is indeed lots of ignorance about the end & means
(the Sadhana & Sadhya).
So, it is a long path....
No, there is no path as such to
follow. In the process of enquiry, understanding and living what you
believe to be the truth, you just take measures which are specific to
handling your conditionings. You subsequently know what path has to be
followed by you.
I regret to say, but I recently
left the Upanishad class which I attended in Chinmaya Mission. I cited
physical difficulties attending, which was partially true.
Follow your intuition. Even
scriptures give out the requisites of a right teacher. Listening by
itself is not the answer, it HAS to be
convincing & inspiring. But always be on a lookout for some company
with whom you can talk, discuss or even learn about these things. Meeting
such people is however rare.
I think here is a very little
problem left for me with bringing about the awareness of self-reality,
but is a big problem with mind drifting away. What is the way to overcome
this obstacle? Is it only insufficient contemplation? It is getting
better, but very slowly, like I can not see a difference on day-to-day
basis, but only after about a month. Is it a really slow process of
'mastering' the mind, or I am not employing all the opportunities? So
far, I usually just bring it back then I notice it is not there again.
What else can I do about it?
I must congratulate you that
you have started seeing change in yourself at least on a monthly basis.
Impressions & feelings are very deep rooted things, and do take time
to change. The difference is never seen on day to day basis. Having clear
deep-rooted convictions, and also the ability to let these convictions
sink down in our minds is a time consuming process. The gardener has to
be very patient. Basically mind is not our enemy,
it goes only to that place where you wished it earlier to go. We draw a
circle with our aspirations and the mind faithfully goes around while
faithfully remaining in its limits too. After years of watering when the
sprouting has begun the gardener suddenly wants to have different
flowers, the driver not only wants to change tracks but wants to rather
reverse. You are the driver so everything from changing tracks to
reversing etc is very much possible, but please be considerate to your
own mind. It has to first slow down, get a feel of the new plans and then
change gears.
I thought it was called
Ignorance?
The checklist pertains not to
the non-apprehension of truth, but that which is subsequently brought
about - an imposter.
But I did miss my family while
I was away. Where is the border between non-problematic missing and
problematic feeling alone and bored ? What are
the objective criteria to distinguish 'being free' and tricking yourself
into feeling free, while in reality not ?
There is a fine distinction
between the two. Missing a beloved one reveals a state of mind of
egolessness, while the feeling of being lonely reveals a state where 'I'
the individuality is fully crsytallised and is feeling suffocated. The
former has no personal insecurities while the latter is insecure about himself. One is at peace with himself
and aspires for the all-round well being of his/her kith & kin, while
the other still has various subjective problems.
It seems to require an external
monitor, apart from myself ... How you can verify beyond any doubt you
are already in a 'problem-free' zone?
Company of some enlightened one
is always the ideal solution, but that is indeed very rare thing to get.
Next best is your books & intuition. Doubtless verification of being
in a problem-free zone is possible only when you have clearly seen what is the meaning of egolessness and a state of
crystallised ego.
It may sound with no basis, but
i used to doubt everything too much. Then I was a kid (5-7 years), i was
tortured for several years by stupid questions. Something like "how
do we know that the color we call 'green' is really green, and not red?
May be someone once mistakenly / intentionally identified 'red' as
'green', ... and I am following the same common mistake calling something
red or green'. The haunting conclusion from such ideas was that now it is
impossible to find out the truth, and seems will never be.
It is a great quality to
question those fundamental things which everyone takes for granted. All
human problems indeed arise because of taking things for granted without
proper enquiry. This is what I had indicated by using the word 'operating
presumptions'. I am happy to know that this quality has been in you right
from your childhood. The strange thing about answers is that - as long as
you dont know the answer, they appear almost impossible, but the moment
you know the answer it becomes the most simple thing. The journey from
question to the answer is undertaken with a deep rooted faith that 'I
know that there is a way out'. That alone keeps us going.
Now, I do not entertain such
ideas... But my own mind have a reason to trick me, because that I am
trying to do is to take autority from it. So, mind and senses are not to
be trusted. And then i think I 'mastered' the mind,
it can easily be another of its tricks. What can I rely on if I process
information by a machine, in which mistakes can be introduced on each
step?
Dont fear the mind, it is
basically your friend. Ability to enquire and live as per your conviction
alone is required, after that let the child play. Don’t rely on the transitory
experiences brought about by this intrinsically fault-susceptible
machine. Look out for that which is changeless and exists even when the
mind is not there. That is the truth.
I do not know if it does make
sense to be skeptical down to these points. Deep inside I may not be
completely convinced that 'I am', but IF 'I am', then I am not this body,
senses, mind and intellect, etc (AND it is possible to go to a conclusion
'I am that'); and IF 'I am NOT', I am even more sure I am not these
things, but the conclusion could be different from classical texts (AND
it is impossible to conclude anything now).
It is good to enquire into all
aspects but always remain confident that there is always an answer to
every solution. Vedanta is a time tested ancient science which has been
providing answers to all possible concieveable questions. Continue with
its study and you will get all the answers.
Oops..
it was 'The Sadhana and The Sadhya (The Means
and The End)'.
Likes & dislikes do fall
into two categories. Those which we are conscious of,
and those about which we are not conscious. The moment you develop the
ability to live as per your convictions that very moment you take away
the sting out of L's & D's. They are thereafter no more any problem.
But that they want to do, i
think, is the expression of their likes / dislikes, however
non-pronounced they are. Everyone 'likes' to be free, and no one 'likes'
to be bound. Is the total elimination of likes / dislikes possible, or
only to extent they are not problems / limitations?
Nothing is a problem by itself,
but anything whatsoever can become a problem if it obstructs our freedom
to enquire, understand and subsequently live as per our convictions. It
is a relative term. Mere wanting to do something is not a problem, but to
feel that without that 'It is the end of my road' is indeed a problem.
With love
& om
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Letter No. 3
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Self-Knowledge makes Responses Sharp
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Hari om !
Regarding your question about the
possibility of ones responses becoming poor. Well !
If at all this is the case then it will & should be only a temporary
phase. Ultimately there is no reason why should the responses become
poor. The bottom line is that you are that, complete. All what is
expected by this is the elimination of the sense of limitation and
bringing about of love and selflessness. Love being the best motivator
the responses will ultimately become very sharp & good. So know the
present phase only to be temporary.
With lots of love & om
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Letter No. 4
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Ego is neither BMI nor PFT
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Hari om !
Sh. S… in his nice in-depth
reflections wrote :
But the question that is being
addressed also includes "Does ego exist in the present" - As I
understand - ego is the identification that I am only this and this -
with only the limitations of this and this automatically superimposed
along with 'this'. This and this constitute the upaadhies - the BMI - where
MI include the notions of what I think I am.
The question whether the ego
exists in the present indeed calls for an understanding of what is
exactly meant by the word 'ego'. Is the 'conditioned consciousness' ego,
or the erroneous presumption that 'I am this conditioned consciousness'
is ego ? As long as the glass-like BMI complex
will remain so long the reflection-like 'conditioned consciousness' will
exist. The moment I know that 'I am not this', then I am not really
bothered with its limitations. Looking at this 'upahita-chaitanya' - the
conditioned consciousness, we come to realise that the moment it comes
into being, the dimension of time & space becomes a matter of our
experience. Further more, there is 'subjective time' as well as
'objective time'. The former comes into being the moment there is dwaita
of seeker & sought. During moments of joy, unconsciousness or
deep-sleep this dwaita is not a matter of our awareness, yet the
'objective time' ticks by, the hairs continue to turn grey. As long as upadhi
will remain, the time will exist, and so will the 'conditioned
consciousness' with its continuum of time & space, yet I may still be
untouched by it all - by this understanding that 'I am not this alone',
and later 'I am not really this at all'.
I am this body - Here I am not
only identifying the gross matter - but most importantly also with the
knowledge of the body. 'I am hungry' - It is the awareness of the
reactions of the body it its present state - that knowledge is reflected
as "I am hungry" similarly 'I have back pain' or 'I am sick'
etc., - I am best baseball player - It is the knowledge of the my skills in baseball play at my MI level. Hence
'this' that I am identifying - 'idam vRitti' and 'aham idam vRitti' - or
more correctly 'aham idameva vritti' in contrast to the knowledge of
'aham Brahmaasmi'.
It is a fact
that all our statements like 'I am so & so' do have some
reference to our past, but attainment of a state where there are no
reference to past whatsoever is neither possible nor desirable. Try any
thought or statement, some direct or indirect reference to past will be
discovered in it. Even though excessive dwelling in past is always
counterproductive, and denies us the present moment which alone is, yet
references to past does not really matter, as long as you know that it is
the 'dreamer-like mithya entity' which is being referred to.
Hence jiva is a notion that 'I
am this PFT alone' - this perceiver, this feeler and this thinker 'alone'
- is the ego too - Although perceiving, feeling and thinking etc. happens
in the present alone, what is perceived, felt and thought is a past
stored as memory. Now do I identify my self as this PFT - with relation
to the perceiving in the present or to the perceived up to the minute
second past, feeling to felt and thinking to what was thought - This may
be mute or too subtle or splitting the second - but seems to be related
to the question related to Ego - pertains to Shree CW point of
discussion.
As the word 'present', being a
relative term itself, has no existence apart from 'past' or 'future', so
we can not really divorce the present from past, and thus our erroneous
identity, of taking ourselves as the PFT, is both with reference to our
past & present, and also an extended ideal somewhere in the future.
Purity of mind implies relatively greater living in present. This ego,
the experiencer, has to be first taught the lesson of giving importance
to present, rather than what has gone by or is yet to come. Such a person
who can turn greater attention to what is 'here & now', has not
transcended the ego, but is considered the right adhikari to discover
that which pervades this ego yet transcends it too. Thereafter, even
though the eyes may be illuminating some forms, yet I dont limit myself
by saying 'I am the perciever' of these forms. Just because I am writing
something right now, my real identity does not become that of a 'writer'.
Let those who see the writing call me what they like, but I know that
this word doesnt really describe me. If just by writing something I start
taking myself as writer, then indeed I have identity problem, and all
problems which follow baseless presumptions. He alone is the PFT, the
ego, who just because of percieving some objects starts taking itself as
this alone, who just because of playing some game, takes himself as this
alone. So it is not really the perception which matters but the
subsequent conclusions. As long as conditioned consciousness is there so
long time, space, limitations all will be inevitably be there, yet I can
be free from all these by greater in-depth understanding, is the thunder
of the Rishis.
Love & om
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Letter No.5
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Ignorance & the Blowing up of the Top !
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Hari om !
I appreciate & encourage all
sincere enquiries about life, so in a way I was happy to receive your
mail. 'In a way' because even though I do see in u a some desire to know
the meaning etc of life & human birth, but it is not really a sincere
endeavor, the enquiry doesnt seem to be objective enough. You appear to
be in a hurry, you appear to come to conclusions pretty soon, so there
appears a conditioning operating in you rather than real inquisitiveness,
and thus you seem to be imagining things rather than seeing facts.
I understand that in the
process of understanding the meaning of life etc. we may get occasionally
frustrated, but to discern that if I am confused then everyone will also
be like that is what 'jumping to conclusions' imply. I am happy that you
have some guts to write clearly what you feel, however stupid &
baseless it may be. That is a good quality.
As you yourself say that you
dont want any answer, so I am not writing to you my detailed perceptions,
but I do not subscribe to various things you write. My response to the
specific points you write is :
1.
Man is not an 'object of life'
but 'life' itself.
2.
Man is an embodiment of
perfection.
3.
He has infinite capacity &
potential
4.
He is perfect.
5.
He can transcend time &
space
6.
He can attain a state which
transcends happiness & sorrow
7.
To say that 'Books that he
writes are just a collection of his confusion' is just exibiting your
confusion
8.
He is not mistaken to think
that he is someone special
9.
Man is greatest piece of art
& perfection ever possible
10.
Earth is a realm of beauty and to
be able to get this experience is blessedness
11.
We are not a 'mass of
nothingness' but divinity itself.
12.
Meditation is neither forcing
peace into yourself nor suppression of thoughts.
That's why I say you are in a
hurry and are jumping to conclusions. I would have considered that as
more sensible and a meaningful dialogue if you had expressed your desire
to see my point of view, and the reasons why I have come to them, instead
you just come to some conclusion, just because you have stuffed some
information into yourself by reading A B or C. With such an attitude you
will certainly find no answers. By myself I am not interested to prove my
perceptions & convictions. I can initiate a dialogue, only when I
find a deep rooted sincerity to know and humility to accept that you dont
know. At present you are simply exibiting an arrogance
by coming to some conclusions even without even initiating an enquiry.
On one hand you arrogantly
reveal your conclusions, state that you dont need an answer, imagine
baseless things about meditation etc, accuse me of escapism &
suppression etc, yet want an 'acknowledgement' from me whether you are
right or wrong ! Why ? Why do you need an acknowledgement ? and, Why
should I give you an acknowledgement ? with such
a outlook, how do you think that you deserve one ? Please dont think that
I am getting angry or am reacting due to personal accusations. I am
simply trying to reveal some inherent contradictions & negativities
in you. I sincerely believe that only when a person approach's the portal
of truth with an inherent purity & truthfulness then alone the gates
are opened.
Love
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Letter No.6
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What is
Maya ?
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Hari om !
I am happy that in the process
of asking questions you are getting some answers by yourself. This all
the more shows that the moment we start going deeply into the secrets of
life then this very enquiry starts opening the doors.
Not everything is quite clear for me. If I think of God
with form,I do not have problems thinking of Maya as his power. If I
think of God without form, then Maya stands apart from Him, who is
unmoving, and is like a separate entity, creating some duality. But they
should merge, shouldn’t they?
It is certainly good in many
ways to start with the God with form, but still when you have problems to
understand the formless God with Maya, then turn your attention to the
wind, to the gravity, to the intelligence and various other so powerful
yet formless things and you will get the answer.
Can you tell me more about
Maya, how it works and how to think of it ? Is
it possible to tell at which point it intercepts our understanding is it
at the level of primarily senses or at the higher level of
interpretations, or it is impossible to tell because everything is
riddled with it ? I think if I understand Maya
better, I will better understand Brahman.
Maya is that power which
presents something even when it is not there, like a magician presenting
something which is not there. Think of Maya as that which continuously
changes. Know the entire expanse of the beautiful nature we see around as
Maya. It is beautiful but it is also changing every moment. It is
ephemeral. A 'form' is Maya, it is there yet has
no independent existence apart from its basic material. Take away the mud
from the pot and you don’t have anything whatsoever. So also take away
the very conscious existence from a being and you don’t have anything
left. This conscious existence is Brahman and the ephemeral forms are Maya.
Scientists tell us that all matter is merely energy. They have definite
reasons to say so, yet how strange that this one energy is presenting
itself in such a variegated forms & variety. This is what we call
Maya, the incomprehensible & beautiful power of God. Understanding
Maya helps, but let me warn you that no matter how much you know Maya
this will not really facilitate your understanding of Brahman. Maya is worldly, Brahman is just out of the world, yet in
& through everything in the world.
what are
conditionings at the cosmic level?
Maya is the upadhi(conditioning)
of God, while ignorance is the upadhi of Jiva.
Today is our famous festival of
lights - the Deepawali. My best wishes and blessings to you to awake to
that divine light within you and thus make your life a joyous
celebration.
With lots of love & om
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Letter No. 7
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The First
& Last Text Books
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Hari om !
GG wrote : Sending you a question off-line
on teaching methods. I saw the brief interchange about the Tattva Bodha
being appropriate for beginning Vedanta instruction, or not. According to
the teaching of Swami Dayananda and the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, it is the
first text studied. I'm not sure what is the final text
for them, but for the Chinmaya Mission, the final text is the Mandukya
Upanishad. Is this the usual course? What is the reason for this? I had
heard an explanation as follows. That over several years of instruction,
perhaps more than a decade, the teaching proceeds from a richer, more
element-laden metaphysics, with more complex creation stories -- to a
simpler model and the ajata-vada creation theory. Each simpler teaching
sublates the notions in
the more complex teaching until the student is left with Brahman alone.
If this is true, I can see the great wisdom in it.
The basic purpose of all
Vedantic teachings is indeed to lift the student from his delusory plane
of taking the transactional or perceptual plane as real, to a plane of
appreciation & awareness where he or she also is not, Brahman alone
is. 'Brahmavit brahmaeva bhavati'. The means of knowledge for this
'journey' is unanimously taken by all teachers of Advaita Vedanta as the
Upanishads. Each Upanishad is complete in it self and thus equally
authoritative too. However the state of mind of student varies, and this
alone has to be slowly uplifted or unfolded. We all have the blessed
privilege of having an almost mountain load of scriptural litrature, and
the teachers have a choice to start with any of them as per their
discretion and the level of their students. However the thrust will
always be to prepare proper grounds to facilitate their entry into the
portals of Upanishads, which alone is the objective of prakarana granths.
If this is the line of the teaching of Arsha Vidya etc. then we
share their convictions & systems, otherwise they are not part of the
tradition of which I represent & follow. I am not a spokesman of any
institution and thus will not like to comment on them.
The reason of taking texts like
Tattva Bodha in the beginning is very evident. These so called
'prakarana granths' provide basic definitions of the words which are
commonly used by the Vedic masters to expound this subjective science.
Prakarana granths present the basic philosophy without going into any
dialectics. However it would be erroneous to think that the introductory
texts profess a system or vision which is later contradicted by the other
texts. The so called 'first' text of vedanta says that 'Brahman alone is
real, and all else is Mithya', and the 'last' text also reveals the same
fact. Nothing can be or has been added thereafter. The evolution is not
in the facts revealed by the Upanishads, but only in the mind of the
student. The significance trickles down slowly. Prakriyas have secondary significance, their only objective is to communicate
facts, which remains same.
As you must be aware, that the
basic format of Vedantic teaching has been established by the Upanishads
themselves. I refer to the famous statement of Yagnavalkya in Chandogya
Upanishad that 'Atma va Aare
drystavyah, shrotavyah, mantavyah, niddidhya-sitavyah'. Meaning, 'One
should 'see' Atma, by sravana, mananan & niddidhyasana'. Sravana,
manana & niddhidhyasana are for elimination of the asambhavana or ajnana(ignorance), samshaya (doubts) & viparit
bhavana(habitual errors) respectively which exist in the minds of
students. All methodologies of teaching vedanta follow this sequence
alone, nothing else. Sravana is said to have been completed when one has
discerned the true purport of the scriptures. Completion of Manana is
indicated by absence of any doubts regarding the message of Upanishads,
while Niddid.. is said
to be complete when even habitually you dont take yourself as the jiva
any more. This alone is the criteria, rest is flexible. I may prescribe
Tattva Bodha as the first text to someone, while recommend Mandukya to
the other. This is relative and who should be prescribed what is the discretion of the teacher after his discernment
of the level of the student. He is the best judge, just as a doctor is
the best judge to tell what medicine a particular patient should take.
Some may be even asked to study texts like Tattva Bodha, many times over.
What is important is to see whether communication has taken place or not.
In the Gurukula system of
education there is no course as such, neither is there an
time limit, it is one to one relationship between student and teacher.
When however the teachers go out to educate the masses and are compelled
to follow the 'modern' systems of education that necessity
of having a course and things like that arise. So we look upon
these things as secondary. Let different institutions devise their own
'curricula', we are only interested to see whether in & through their
efforts, sravana etc. has taken place or not. By taking Tattva Bodha on
the List I am not only targetting our various new members, who are not
yet familiar with the various terms of Vedanta, but also present a birds
eye view of Vedanta without going into dialectics. The same thing will be
revealed later, maybe in greater details when we take some other 'higher'
text. I will take this opportunity to express my satisfaction at seeing a
good number of our list members taking good advantage of these lessons.
My love & blessings to all.
With love & om
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Letter No. 8
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Standing Apart, Learning
Flowing
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Hari om !
I was reading Sri Ramana Maharshi few days before where he
talks about Atman as a light surrounded by the wall of ignorance, so, it
could be something like 'monkey read - monkey do'. What do you think
about his ways? Could I continue to read it, or it would be too easy way?
Should I have been scared? I felt like I could jump in, but I was like
taking notes on where I am, and was so somewhat separated.
The experience which you got is
a positive yet a normal indication of the state of mind. There is nothing
to be afraid of. Just go along with the flow. That which is imperishable
will never be touched by anything, while that which gets effaced is that
which is a product of mind. Know yourself to be
that which is conscious of this entire gamut of experiences. Even though
the word 'light' is used for Atman, but it is not this worldly light
which is being talked about, it is the very consciousness which illumines
everything every moment. Atman is the light of all lights. It is because
of consciousness alone that we even know about the various worldly
lights. Experience of any other light or sometimes some sound is a
product & projection of our mind. You have freedom to stand apart or
even to flow along with these experiences. Try out both,
both have their place & importance. Get experiences which come your
way and then later learn from all of these experiences. Vedanta simply
helps us to learn from our various experiences. No experience will
liberate you. It will be the lessons learnt after or about the various gamut of experiences will alone redeem us.
Sri Ramana Maharshi talks of no
different or easy way. He talks only about the importance of enquiry into
the self. He himself prompted the people to study Upanishads. People who
say Ramana is talking something different neither know what he is talking
about nor do they know what upanishads are all about. He provided the
direction, Upanishads provide the details.
And my first reading in
Sanscrit being Upanishad stanzas! I am just scratching my head on ways
the things work.
Take it easy. Consistency will
pay.
With lots of love & om
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Letter No. 9
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Emotions
& Rationality
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Hari om !
P.. wrote : A truly wonderful
story. Thanks R... I wanted to ask regarding the story, how many of us
ever do this ?? Whenever i see them there's a
current in me which asks me to get up and get such people what they want
but that impulse in my is suddenly suppressed by rationalism, my this
mind who says "If I help them today ? They'll do the same tomorrow, let them work out a way to exist".
The feeling of compassion is
indeed something divine, it is indeed worth having & inculcating, but
the reins of rationality are a must. Emotions & rationality are like
the two blind & lame friend. One cant see & the other cant walk, together they are
mobile & capable once again. The path in which our emotions flow
should always be illumined by our rational intellect. Otherwise we will
do more harm than good. We are surprised to see that there are beggars
who have taken to begging as their profession. They just thrive on the
unreined emotions of the faithful or thoughtless people. Such people are
in fact responsible to create a breed of people who are without any
drive, creativity, hard work or self-respect. If we are really concerned
about the well being of people then we should preferably find out a way
because of which the very problem of beggary or things
like that are 'rooted out'. Help them to be independent &
self-sufficient. If we have limited resources then pool the resources and
let your compassion flow intelligently.
This i believe is the truth but
the fact remains that they remain poor and my conscience bites coz when i
question myself "Have I worked for my existence
?" I have no answer for that. There is no reasoning behind the
fact that i was born with a silver spoon and he was'nt.
Whether we know it or not there
has to be a cause for every effect. The creation is too orderly to have
any effect without a cause. This is the basic scientific spirit. The
intelligent ones just try to discover that inevitable cause. Another
thing also appears obvious, that this cause has to do something with the
very person who is experiencing that effect. This guy obviously has the
freedom to either bring about either kind of effects. If that freedom has
not been positively exercised earlier then the best way out is to
motivate him to exercise it now. Is that person really ready &
desirous of exercising that option even now ?
The exercising of that option
has to include a great desire to know the facts of life, availability for
real hard work, capacity to keep aside our pleasures aside till we
fulfill our goals, not losing our confidence, enthusiasm or equipoise
under any circumstances, a heart which can even feel for others, an
outlook which motivates us to even die with our boots on, rather than
live like parasites on others. If such an education is given to anyone, I
am sure that with such a will everyone will find a way. Anyone can try it
out. There is nothing mysterious about it.
Well ! you may not know it today, but
the 'effects' of having a silver spoon in your mouth today does reveal
that the above 'cause' were there or even are there today. The proof of
this fact is to see the efficacy of the above outlook even now. The above
outlook is guaranteed to bring about a virtual revolution in the life of
anyone. Lets help the world to bring about such
positive outlook & values, then alone we really help anyone,
otherwise we just help sustain the incapacities & dependence of
ignorant ones and maybe fatten our ego's too. Right knowledge alone
redeems.
Love
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