We keep hearing this 'Know yourself/know thyself/knowing self' at every turn in spirutuality. What is this 'knowing self'? What do I/we mean by that? Why should I/we know about it? What do I/we get by knowing about I/self?
Let us first consider another set of question. "Know your body". What do we mean by it? By it we obviously mean how the human body is externally and internally; that is how the human body is as a whole. In short it can be said that the human body is present as vyaktha avayktham. That is as Vyaktham (external appearance/that which can be seen) it is with head, trunk, and limbs; as avyaktham (the part that cannot be seen) it is as internal organs. So, when one says know one's body what is meant is to know how the body is externally and internally; as a whole; vyakta avyaktham. Although we use words like "external and internal", in reality is there any line which will seperate these two from one another. the external and internal is humanbody. Actually there is no external and internal . These terms are only there for convience of talking. If people start fighting that only external exists as it is the thing that is only seen and if some say only internal is true and if both fight then is there any sense.
Similarly, by knowing self what is meant is to know how "I" is as vyatha avayktham. Its so called divisions. The human body has always been whole even before those names were given to its parts. Stone age people were using it as a whole thing and even they did not think of human body as a part. Similarly with the self. By knowing self, we are trying to know how it is vyaktha avyaktham ga. Even if one does not know the answer or even if one does not try to find the answer, one is always like that using one's various characteristics wholly.
Some say "I" is matter; some say "I" is intelligence; then there are learned (enlightened few) who told the whole answer that "I" is Intelligent matter (chidanu).
So, to know I is to know how I is as a whole (Poornam ga). What do we get by knowing this? Well, what does one crave for; what is it one searches for in every act one does; happiness. By knowing self we realize that there is no such thing as 'getting' happiness. One realizes that one's nature is silence/bliss/happiness. One realizes that the so called happiness/satisfaction one is deriving from various acts (work/play) is nothing but remembering/glimpsing one's nature. We work for happiness; the enlightened realizes that his nature is silence/happiness. So, unlike us they do not search or work for happiness.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Neti method
Neti method. Hm! where should I start? Not that u need to know about it from me and I am well aware that there are people who are experts at this method and who can tell about it in a much better way than I ever can. But then my intention of writing about this topic is not to explain its intricate details but rather to tell its end i.e., the end/goal/result of this neti method which is not negation but inclusion. Before I confuse u, let me go ahead into details.
The "Neti - Neti" method is the "Not I - Not I" method. This is a method of self-analysis where everything which is observed/known/or everything whose change can be perceived by "I" is negated and ruled out as "not I". 'As I observe the body, its changes, and as I say 'my body', the body is not me.' Thus, a conclusion is drawn that I am not the body. Similarly with mind, thoughts, feelings. As I perceive/observe them and as I say "my mind/thought/feeling", they are not me. Thus, a conclusion is drawn that I am not the mind/thoughts/feelings. The aim is to keep negating until there is nothing left to negate and say 'not I'; ultimately even the negater (the one who is negating) is negated out (by whom? the negater negates itself). When such an event happens, what is left? silence. This is calm/bliss/peace/happiness. This is the so called advatiaathanubhavam. All enlightened persons speak with this anubhuthi. This much everyone knows. But what I am trying to tell is that this is not the end of the Neti method. This is not the end of the education.
Most of the forums I went to and most of the dicussions I have witnessed and most of the so called proponents of Neti method (by proponents I do not mean the enlightened gurus for I have found that all of them[however few the number may have been that I have met] have spoken about Neti method in its entirety. By proponents I mean those who do intellectual gimmickery with and who just discuss about it) stop their discourse of Neti method at the end of the above para. That is not the end. The end of any education is inclusion. The end of neti method is inclusion not negation. The end of neti method is when what has been negated is included as self.
The advaitaanubhavam experienced is nothing but what is experienced by everyone in deep sleep/sushupti. I am well aware that in this method "deep sleep is negated out as agyanam (ignorance) where the person when he gets up says 'I do not know anything about it' and hence it is said to be ignorance and the state is negated out as it is said that there is awareness of the ignorance. Hence, an observer is there; implies the deep sleep is not I". There are some things that have to be considered here. One analysis of deep sleep is done in wakeful state not deep sleep. Two the ignorance proposed by me in wakefulstate is the ignorance of self that I am experiencing at that moment but not that of deep sleep. If I were to know the nature of self in wakeful state then my answer for the question "what is deep sleep/what is there in deep sleep" would be "I am" All enlightened persons go to sleep, wake up, dream the only difference is that as they experience the advaitaanubhuvam (in fact they are the anubhuthi/anubhavam itself) in all three states for them three such states do not exist. Their answer for any thing is that "I am"; " I am experiencing myself". Three my emphasis is on what is experienced in deep sleep and not on what is there in deep sleep. I did not ask 'what is deep sleep?'; I asked 'what is it that you experience in deep sleep? or How is deep sleep'. I am talking of the experience/anubhavam. The anubhavam of deep sleep is the advaitaanubhavam that is experienced after negating the negater. Fourth the question of ignorance does not arise in deep sleep. No one asks in deep sleep what is deep sleep. In deep sleep there is no existence of anything to ask such a question. Simply, what is there is there and it is whole (Poornam) and even the question of what is experienced and who is experiencing it and how is deep sleep also does not exist. Experience is deep sleep. Anubhavam. Mounam (silence). By following the various methods of spirutuality (one of them being Neti), the disciple perceives the presence of silence and experiences the anubhavam. When the negater is negated (by the negater) then there is no one to observe. What is there? silence. Anubhavam. Experience. Tatvam. It is Paripoornam. The disciple understands that this anubhavam is present always in wakeful and dream states and deep sleep. That it is the nature of the self. When the disciple experiences this one without the second, the advaitaanubhavam (these are very wrong words to use for it brings out the question "was the disciple ever out of this experience!" I profusely apologize for it. This could be due to lack of complete command over language and at any rate this is the inability or deficiency that will exist when experience is being transcribed. All the experiences of the disciple have always been the advaitaanubhavam only.) then even the identity of disciple, or "I" does not exist. What is there is there. When he speaks with that anubhuthi then he is no more the disciple, he is guru. It has to be noted that in anubhavam there is no guru or sishya. There is no awareness in anubhavam.
Coming back to Neti method. The education continues in these similar lines. The person who experiences this advaitaanubhavam asks, as a result of this advaitaanubhuthi, what are the things that are negated? He asks 'If I am not them then what is it that links me to them? if it is maya, then what is it that links me with this maya?' 'If I am not matter, then what is it that links me to it?' "If I am not matter, why did I run after matter?" and such similar questions arise and are answered that they are nothing but self. That it is "I". That matter is not seperate from intelligence. This is what that has been said in vedas and upanishads by great masters as "chidanu" (chit = intelligence; anu = matter). He realizes his swaroopam as vyaktha-avyaktham. He realizes his swaroopam as chidanu (when we say 'anu' it means matter as well as the akasa that gives avakasa for the matter to exist). And he realizes that his nature/tatvam is Silence. Thus he realizes his poornatvam. He is Poorna sadguru.
This whole concept can be explained using a simple simily: Human body has two arms - right and left. There is a person who always thought that he had only left arm but he had a feeling that he is more than the left arm. so, he starts using the neti method and negated (in this case it would be not using it) out the left arm and suddenly he realized the presence of right arm. He realized that it was present always. Now if he were to say human body has right arm then his education and sentence are not complete. The left arm which has been negated to perceive the right arm should be include and then the answer human body has two arms - right and left becomes whole.
The aim of this writing is to bring clarity. Not that u do not know about it but if u do not and wish to know about it, know its purpose and end first. What I have written is no surprise to many but in the forums I came across every one talked about "what is not I" and in one blog I read "the fun in Neti method is not to worry about what I am but rather to enjoy what I am not"; seeing these I felt like saying these words and unless "I" is known wholly; its swaroopam known; advaitaanubhavam will not be grasped (it will and always is being experienced). If we keep on negating things and forget to negate the negater then we will not grasp the experience; it is like concentrating on the so called ignorance that is present in deep sleep rather than concentraing on the experience (anubhuthi) of the deep sleep but it should be remembered that the former (concentration on ignorance aspect) is great educating tool whose aim is the latter part (experiencing the anubhavam) i.e., the nature of self i.e., the advaitaanubhavam.
The aim is also to tell that the matter-bashing (that is the tendency of intellectuals to negate matter and shun it and the use of the word maya at our convenience and saying everything is illusion etc) is wrong. The purpose of neglecting matter (the vyaktam- the expressed) is to experience the avyaktham (the unexpressed) part of self. The end is the integration of both. Vyakthaavyaktam. Matter is not our enemy. Our lack of understanding of the end and knowledge is.
Thank you for reading.
The "Neti - Neti" method is the "Not I - Not I" method. This is a method of self-analysis where everything which is observed/known/or everything whose change can be perceived by "I" is negated and ruled out as "not I". 'As I observe the body, its changes, and as I say 'my body', the body is not me.' Thus, a conclusion is drawn that I am not the body. Similarly with mind, thoughts, feelings. As I perceive/observe them and as I say "my mind/thought/feeling", they are not me. Thus, a conclusion is drawn that I am not the mind/thoughts/feelings. The aim is to keep negating until there is nothing left to negate and say 'not I'; ultimately even the negater (the one who is negating) is negated out (by whom? the negater negates itself). When such an event happens, what is left? silence. This is calm/bliss/peace/happiness. This is the so called advatiaathanubhavam. All enlightened persons speak with this anubhuthi. This much everyone knows. But what I am trying to tell is that this is not the end of the Neti method. This is not the end of the education.
Most of the forums I went to and most of the dicussions I have witnessed and most of the so called proponents of Neti method (by proponents I do not mean the enlightened gurus for I have found that all of them[however few the number may have been that I have met] have spoken about Neti method in its entirety. By proponents I mean those who do intellectual gimmickery with and who just discuss about it) stop their discourse of Neti method at the end of the above para. That is not the end. The end of any education is inclusion. The end of neti method is inclusion not negation. The end of neti method is when what has been negated is included as self.
The advaitaanubhavam experienced is nothing but what is experienced by everyone in deep sleep/sushupti. I am well aware that in this method "deep sleep is negated out as agyanam (ignorance) where the person when he gets up says 'I do not know anything about it' and hence it is said to be ignorance and the state is negated out as it is said that there is awareness of the ignorance. Hence, an observer is there; implies the deep sleep is not I". There are some things that have to be considered here. One analysis of deep sleep is done in wakeful state not deep sleep. Two the ignorance proposed by me in wakefulstate is the ignorance of self that I am experiencing at that moment but not that of deep sleep. If I were to know the nature of self in wakeful state then my answer for the question "what is deep sleep/what is there in deep sleep" would be "I am" All enlightened persons go to sleep, wake up, dream the only difference is that as they experience the advaitaanubhuvam (in fact they are the anubhuthi/anubhavam itself) in all three states for them three such states do not exist. Their answer for any thing is that "I am"; " I am experiencing myself". Three my emphasis is on what is experienced in deep sleep and not on what is there in deep sleep. I did not ask 'what is deep sleep?'; I asked 'what is it that you experience in deep sleep? or How is deep sleep'. I am talking of the experience/anubhavam. The anubhavam of deep sleep is the advaitaanubhavam that is experienced after negating the negater. Fourth the question of ignorance does not arise in deep sleep. No one asks in deep sleep what is deep sleep. In deep sleep there is no existence of anything to ask such a question. Simply, what is there is there and it is whole (Poornam) and even the question of what is experienced and who is experiencing it and how is deep sleep also does not exist. Experience is deep sleep. Anubhavam. Mounam (silence). By following the various methods of spirutuality (one of them being Neti), the disciple perceives the presence of silence and experiences the anubhavam. When the negater is negated (by the negater) then there is no one to observe. What is there? silence. Anubhavam. Experience. Tatvam. It is Paripoornam. The disciple understands that this anubhavam is present always in wakeful and dream states and deep sleep. That it is the nature of the self. When the disciple experiences this one without the second, the advaitaanubhavam (these are very wrong words to use for it brings out the question "was the disciple ever out of this experience!" I profusely apologize for it. This could be due to lack of complete command over language and at any rate this is the inability or deficiency that will exist when experience is being transcribed. All the experiences of the disciple have always been the advaitaanubhavam only.) then even the identity of disciple, or "I" does not exist. What is there is there. When he speaks with that anubhuthi then he is no more the disciple, he is guru. It has to be noted that in anubhavam there is no guru or sishya. There is no awareness in anubhavam.
Coming back to Neti method. The education continues in these similar lines. The person who experiences this advaitaanubhavam asks, as a result of this advaitaanubhuthi, what are the things that are negated? He asks 'If I am not them then what is it that links me to them? if it is maya, then what is it that links me with this maya?' 'If I am not matter, then what is it that links me to it?' "If I am not matter, why did I run after matter?" and such similar questions arise and are answered that they are nothing but self. That it is "I". That matter is not seperate from intelligence. This is what that has been said in vedas and upanishads by great masters as "chidanu" (chit = intelligence; anu = matter). He realizes his swaroopam as vyaktha-avyaktham. He realizes his swaroopam as chidanu (when we say 'anu' it means matter as well as the akasa that gives avakasa for the matter to exist). And he realizes that his nature/tatvam is Silence. Thus he realizes his poornatvam. He is Poorna sadguru.
This whole concept can be explained using a simple simily: Human body has two arms - right and left. There is a person who always thought that he had only left arm but he had a feeling that he is more than the left arm. so, he starts using the neti method and negated (in this case it would be not using it) out the left arm and suddenly he realized the presence of right arm. He realized that it was present always. Now if he were to say human body has right arm then his education and sentence are not complete. The left arm which has been negated to perceive the right arm should be include and then the answer human body has two arms - right and left becomes whole.
The aim of this writing is to bring clarity. Not that u do not know about it but if u do not and wish to know about it, know its purpose and end first. What I have written is no surprise to many but in the forums I came across every one talked about "what is not I" and in one blog I read "the fun in Neti method is not to worry about what I am but rather to enjoy what I am not"; seeing these I felt like saying these words and unless "I" is known wholly; its swaroopam known; advaitaanubhavam will not be grasped (it will and always is being experienced). If we keep on negating things and forget to negate the negater then we will not grasp the experience; it is like concentrating on the so called ignorance that is present in deep sleep rather than concentraing on the experience (anubhuthi) of the deep sleep but it should be remembered that the former (concentration on ignorance aspect) is great educating tool whose aim is the latter part (experiencing the anubhavam) i.e., the nature of self i.e., the advaitaanubhavam.
The aim is also to tell that the matter-bashing (that is the tendency of intellectuals to negate matter and shun it and the use of the word maya at our convenience and saying everything is illusion etc) is wrong. The purpose of neglecting matter (the vyaktam- the expressed) is to experience the avyaktham (the unexpressed) part of self. The end is the integration of both. Vyakthaavyaktam. Matter is not our enemy. Our lack of understanding of the end and knowledge is.
Thank you for reading.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Enlightenment / Advaitanubhavam / Anubhavam
'Enlightenment' We keep hearing this word every where in spirutuality. What is enlightenment? Whom do we call enlightened?
It is commonly said Enlightened person is one who knows self/Brahmam/Atma/Paramatma। If we examine the upanishads, we will come across several verses defining/explaining the above names: Notably, there is this verse :"Aanando Brahma" = आनंदो ब्रह्म = Aanandame Brahmamu = Happiness/peace/calmness is Brahmam.
Enlightenment is nothing but calmness/peace/bliss/happiness. It is experiencing what is experienced in deep sleep/susupthi. In deep sleep, there is no second. There is no awareness of the existence of the self. When there is no "I", there is no "other than I"; i.e., no existence of two (dwandwam). What is there is there. Everyone agrees that deep sleep is pleasant. Everyone yearns for it. We have doctors prescribing drugs for insomnia. We have patients flocking hospitals if they cannot sleep properly. Why this obsession with sleep? Sleep refreshes both body and mind. By sleep what do we mean? sleep filled with dreams or dreamless sleep? It is the deep dreamless sleep that we yearn for. Because it is pleasant/bliss/happiness. Enlightenment is experiencing the same bliss/happiness in wakeful state and dream state.
An enlightened person is one who is always in that experience and who in fact is that experience because in state of deep sleep or when experiencing the bliss there is no seperate existence of "I" or "other than I" (I apologize for the choice of words like state but right now I cannot think of any other). This is the advaitanubhavam that is talked about. The enlightened person, as he is experiencing the calmness/peace/bliss without the second (advaitaanubhuvam), sees the whole universe as one; as self. He is the constant unchanging observer and at the same time the change (Just as our body and mind (thinking/thought process) undergoes change yet we are still unchanged). He is the expressed (vyaktam as anu roopam; as universe) and unexpressed (avyaktam as akasam/space). He is gyanam (pure consciousness). He is mounam (silence).
You may wonder from my explanation how a person experiencing the advaitanubhavam sees the whole universe (the vyaktha - avyaktham) as self. The answer is by the simple experience of the experience. Due to his anubhavam, he realizes the fact that there is no question of "I" or "other than I". What exists exists and what exists is not sepearate from the one who is experiencing the existence. Hence, he sees all as self. When a person realizes that everything (vyaktha - avyaktham) as self then what will he do. He will be silent. When some one approaches him and asks him about self or some related things, then he will speak. Why will he speak? Why should he tell any one for he has realized all is self? then to whom will he have to tell this for to acknowledge the existence to someone seperate means that all is not self? and you are right to ask all these questions. The answer is simple. You know that your whole body is you, right!. Now, if there is a feeling of itching in the leg and you use your hand to scratch it or you neglect it, either way, are you or is your arm doing a favor to your leg or does scratching mean that you have acknowledged a seperate existence of leg and identified it as not your body.
Simply, for an enlightened person, he is experiencing himself.
When people see an enlightened person, they see the calmness/bliss/happiness in spite of his physical condition. So, they go to him and ask, "we have money, job, house, family. we are happy and thankful for what we have but in spite of all this when things go wrong or circumstances are not favorable we feel sad and depressed. But how can you be happy always? what is it that you know that makes you so?" and so on. Then the enlightened person will say, "I know myself. I know that my nature (tatvam) is calmness/Peace/bliss. I know that the nature of anything is silence/peace/bliss/calmness." Thus it goes on and thus is born a guru and a sishya.
In short, enlightenment is silence/calmness/peace/bliss/happiness/advaitaanubhavam/that which is experienced in deep sleep/without second. Enlightenment is knowing one's swaroopam (one's self; how one is). By knowing swaroopam (self) its nature becomes self evident.
I hope this article has some clarity in it. I apologize for any confusion. Always examine any truth told in terms of ones experience. Only then can the true meaning of the words grasped. To understand an enlightened person, examine your behaviour towards your body and mind. To understand the enlightenment/oneness, examine and understand the oneness that you experience with your body and mind and the oneness that is present in dream, wakeful and deep sleeps.
Thank you for reading.
It is commonly said Enlightened person is one who knows self/Brahmam/Atma/Paramatma। If we examine the upanishads, we will come across several verses defining/explaining the above names: Notably, there is this verse :"Aanando Brahma" = आनंदो ब्रह्म = Aanandame Brahmamu = Happiness/peace/calmness is Brahmam.
Enlightenment is nothing but calmness/peace/bliss/happiness. It is experiencing what is experienced in deep sleep/susupthi. In deep sleep, there is no second. There is no awareness of the existence of the self. When there is no "I", there is no "other than I"; i.e., no existence of two (dwandwam). What is there is there. Everyone agrees that deep sleep is pleasant. Everyone yearns for it. We have doctors prescribing drugs for insomnia. We have patients flocking hospitals if they cannot sleep properly. Why this obsession with sleep? Sleep refreshes both body and mind. By sleep what do we mean? sleep filled with dreams or dreamless sleep? It is the deep dreamless sleep that we yearn for. Because it is pleasant/bliss/happiness. Enlightenment is experiencing the same bliss/happiness in wakeful state and dream state.
An enlightened person is one who is always in that experience and who in fact is that experience because in state of deep sleep or when experiencing the bliss there is no seperate existence of "I" or "other than I" (I apologize for the choice of words like state but right now I cannot think of any other). This is the advaitanubhavam that is talked about. The enlightened person, as he is experiencing the calmness/peace/bliss without the second (advaitaanubhuvam), sees the whole universe as one; as self. He is the constant unchanging observer and at the same time the change (Just as our body and mind (thinking/thought process) undergoes change yet we are still unchanged). He is the expressed (vyaktam as anu roopam; as universe) and unexpressed (avyaktam as akasam/space). He is gyanam (pure consciousness). He is mounam (silence).
You may wonder from my explanation how a person experiencing the advaitanubhavam sees the whole universe (the vyaktha - avyaktham) as self. The answer is by the simple experience of the experience. Due to his anubhavam, he realizes the fact that there is no question of "I" or "other than I". What exists exists and what exists is not sepearate from the one who is experiencing the existence. Hence, he sees all as self. When a person realizes that everything (vyaktha - avyaktham) as self then what will he do. He will be silent. When some one approaches him and asks him about self or some related things, then he will speak. Why will he speak? Why should he tell any one for he has realized all is self? then to whom will he have to tell this for to acknowledge the existence to someone seperate means that all is not self? and you are right to ask all these questions. The answer is simple. You know that your whole body is you, right!. Now, if there is a feeling of itching in the leg and you use your hand to scratch it or you neglect it, either way, are you or is your arm doing a favor to your leg or does scratching mean that you have acknowledged a seperate existence of leg and identified it as not your body.
Simply, for an enlightened person, he is experiencing himself.
When people see an enlightened person, they see the calmness/bliss/happiness in spite of his physical condition. So, they go to him and ask, "we have money, job, house, family. we are happy and thankful for what we have but in spite of all this when things go wrong or circumstances are not favorable we feel sad and depressed. But how can you be happy always? what is it that you know that makes you so?" and so on. Then the enlightened person will say, "I know myself. I know that my nature (tatvam) is calmness/Peace/bliss. I know that the nature of anything is silence/peace/bliss/calmness." Thus it goes on and thus is born a guru and a sishya.
In short, enlightenment is silence/calmness/peace/bliss/happiness/advaitaanubhavam/that which is experienced in deep sleep/without second. Enlightenment is knowing one's swaroopam (one's self; how one is). By knowing swaroopam (self) its nature becomes self evident.
I hope this article has some clarity in it. I apologize for any confusion. Always examine any truth told in terms of ones experience. Only then can the true meaning of the words grasped. To understand an enlightened person, examine your behaviour towards your body and mind. To understand the enlightenment/oneness, examine and understand the oneness that you experience with your body and mind and the oneness that is present in dream, wakeful and deep sleeps.
Thank you for reading.
Balance
I bow to the lotus feet of my guruji, an enlightened/self-realized avadhoota, poorna sadguru, Swami Nirguna Chaitanya.
My guruji always says that there should be balance in what one says. By balance, I hope I have explained properly, what is meant is that a sentence should not contradict its succeeding or preceeding sentences and words in a sentence should not contradict one another and each sentence/para/essay should be whole and present an idea clearly and completely and should present what is being presented with clarity. This blog is meant to provide clarity. Any inabilities are mine and mine alone and I apologize profusely if I failed (and I am sure I have and I am sure that this very paragraph has not fulfilled it) in this main condition.
My guruji always says that there should be balance in what one says. By balance, I hope I have explained properly, what is meant is that a sentence should not contradict its succeeding or preceeding sentences and words in a sentence should not contradict one another and each sentence/para/essay should be whole and present an idea clearly and completely and should present what is being presented with clarity. This blog is meant to provide clarity. Any inabilities are mine and mine alone and I apologize profusely if I failed (and I am sure I have and I am sure that this very paragraph has not fulfilled it) in this main condition.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Guru
Guru is a poorna sadguru (and in human form guru is an enlightened/self-realized person) who is the advaitaanubhavam (the anubhavam (experience) where there is no second) itself. I bow to his feet. He is nirguna chaitanyam (laking gunas [characteristics] pure consciousness). He is vyaktha avyaktham (the expressed and the unexpressed i.e., vyaktam (expressed) as the anu roopa (anu is the smallest possible material [particulate matter] which is the building block of any structure and roopam is appearance/shape) universe and avyaktham (unexpressed) as the akasam [space] (akasam is one which gives avakasam [one which allows] Allows what? the expressed). He is shishya himself.
Gurudeva Pahimam Gurdeva Rakshamam
"Nityaanandam paramasukhadam kevalam gyanamurthim
Dwandwatheetam gaganasadrusam tatvamasyadi laksyam
Ekam Nityam vimalamachalam sarvadhisaakshibhutam
Bhavaatheetam trigunarahitam sadgurum tvam namami "
"Mouna vyakhya prakatitha parabrahma tatvam ..........." - Guru Dakshinamurthy slokam.
"Manogyana saakshi moolam
sadaa swayam saakshi roopam
kevala swami nirguna chaitanya sadgurum tvam namamyaham "
The meaning of the above slokas go something like this (this is not an exact translation but gist of the meaning):
first sloka: "Nityaanandam ... " It means I bow to the feet of the sadguru (enlightened master) who is eternal bliss (nityaanadam), highest comfort (paramasukhadam), one (kevalam), knowledge/awareness/consciousness in a form (gyanamurthim), beyond duality (dwandwaathetham), similar to sky (gaganasadrusam), the aim of the sentence thou art that (tatvamasyadhi lakshyam), unity as in one (ekam), eternal (nityam), pure(vimalam), immovable (does not move) [achalam], always the observer (sarvadhi saakhshi bhutam), beyond thoughts (bhavatheetham), lacking the three gunas (triguna rahitam; the three gunas are saatvikam, rajas, tamas).
second line: "mouna .... " is the first line of the Guru Dakshinamurthy stotram. The meaning of this line is "By silence is expressed the nature of the Parabrahmam/Brahmam/One's swaswaroopam.
Gurudeva Pahimam Gurdeva Rakshamam
"Nityaanandam paramasukhadam kevalam gyanamurthim
Dwandwatheetam gaganasadrusam tatvamasyadi laksyam
Ekam Nityam vimalamachalam sarvadhisaakshibhutam
Bhavaatheetam trigunarahitam sadgurum tvam namami "
"Mouna vyakhya prakatitha parabrahma tatvam ..........." - Guru Dakshinamurthy slokam.
"Manogyana saakshi moolam
sadaa swayam saakshi roopam
kevala swami nirguna chaitanya sadgurum tvam namamyaham "
The meaning of the above slokas go something like this (this is not an exact translation but gist of the meaning):
first sloka: "Nityaanandam ... " It means I bow to the feet of the sadguru (enlightened master) who is eternal bliss (nityaanadam), highest comfort (paramasukhadam), one (kevalam), knowledge/awareness/consciousness in a form (gyanamurthim), beyond duality (dwandwaathetham), similar to sky (gaganasadrusam), the aim of the sentence thou art that (tatvamasyadhi lakshyam), unity as in one (ekam), eternal (nityam), pure(vimalam), immovable (does not move) [achalam], always the observer (sarvadhi saakhshi bhutam), beyond thoughts (bhavatheetham), lacking the three gunas (triguna rahitam; the three gunas are saatvikam, rajas, tamas).
second line: "mouna .... " is the first line of the Guru Dakshinamurthy stotram. The meaning of this line is "By silence is expressed the nature of the Parabrahmam/Brahmam/One's swaswaroopam.
'Advaitam' - oh! boy what a topic.
"Advaitam" = No dvaitam = No second/without second. But then so many of us know so much about Advaitam that you do not need a person like me (whose knowledge of sanskrit is limited to a few verses he memorized) to explain its meaning. Go to any spirutual community and you will find "vedantins" or "advaitins", I apoligize if I got those names wrong, discussing it left and right and where the observer is seen with his mouth open, mosquitoes flying around, scratching his head, wondering what the hell is being discussed. As a great yogi (who did tapas and is self-realized and whom I had the great fortune of meeting) once said, "these days everyone is in a hurry to become a guru (teacher/master), just like any other field so also in spitutuality, that they do not have the time to be a shisya (disciple)." Then what the hell am I doing here. I guess the same, trying to play a guru. Hm!! Man, I am not as smart as I think I am, just as dumb as others.
However, the reason I am doing this is to record the thoughts that are going around [damn! just saw one fly away and I did not grasp it yet; hm! I know and I am sorry for these deviations and aimless ramblings (dont blame me for trying to make u laugh althought the jokes stink)], and wanted to do it in a public medium where if it helps someone then it has served its purpose and if it does not "blame it on the information technology" and I do hope it does not add to the confusion that already exists and most importantly I am doing it because I have the great fortune to have a self-realized avadhoota as my guru and who because of his infinite love gave me the "advaita anubhavam" i.e., "swaswaroopaanubhuthi/anubhavam" and if the words that follow does not clarify advaitam and advaitanubhavam/anubhuthi then I am solely to blame for my inability to transcribe the anubhuthi into correct words.
There, the legal department is happy with the above words and assure me that I have nothing to worry but I wonder if that solely responsible stuff is really necessary.
Have you ever gone to spirutual communities and have found people debating left and right, proposing explanations, 'vadam-prativadam' (argument and counterargument), and you are left wondering what the hell is happening! I have enrolled into several communities and found threads extending into thousands of messages where the original question is lost somewhere and the latest message and the original question does not have a link and if by any chance you happen to answer or extend the original question ..........bang...... appears a message saying "Intruder alert, trespasser, etc", and that they have extensively discussed the extension or the answer proposed and hence, no point in repeating it and you think what the hell? If they have discussed everything then why are they still discussing.
The object of any discussion is to clarify something and the object of any spirutal discussion is to give spirutual experience and that of advaita discussion is to give advaitanubhavam. All enlighterned persons are called enlightened only because of this anubhavam and as they speak with this anubhuthi. Discussions should lead the person discussing to question 'why discuss'. silence is the anubhavam. A Monk in RKM once wrote that one of the biggest pitfalls for any student of spirutualism is the pride that he knows something which will usually be seen when he discusses it with a new entrant to the path. That monk wrote that every aspirant should guard himself/herself against it. Discussion only leads to intellectual knowledge. It is when the discusser (dont know if such a word exists) realizes the futility of discussion and sits calmly then will he perceive the calmness that is inherent in him, that is his tatvam (nature) and will realize the presence of silence and that it has always been present.
Thank you for reading.
However, the reason I am doing this is to record the thoughts that are going around [damn! just saw one fly away and I did not grasp it yet; hm! I know and I am sorry for these deviations and aimless ramblings (dont blame me for trying to make u laugh althought the jokes stink)], and wanted to do it in a public medium where if it helps someone then it has served its purpose and if it does not "blame it on the information technology" and I do hope it does not add to the confusion that already exists and most importantly I am doing it because I have the great fortune to have a self-realized avadhoota as my guru and who because of his infinite love gave me the "advaita anubhavam" i.e., "swaswaroopaanubhuthi/anubhavam" and if the words that follow does not clarify advaitam and advaitanubhavam/anubhuthi then I am solely to blame for my inability to transcribe the anubhuthi into correct words.
There, the legal department is happy with the above words and assure me that I have nothing to worry but I wonder if that solely responsible stuff is really necessary.
Have you ever gone to spirutual communities and have found people debating left and right, proposing explanations, 'vadam-prativadam' (argument and counterargument), and you are left wondering what the hell is happening! I have enrolled into several communities and found threads extending into thousands of messages where the original question is lost somewhere and the latest message and the original question does not have a link and if by any chance you happen to answer or extend the original question ..........bang...... appears a message saying "Intruder alert, trespasser, etc", and that they have extensively discussed the extension or the answer proposed and hence, no point in repeating it and you think what the hell? If they have discussed everything then why are they still discussing.
The object of any discussion is to clarify something and the object of any spirutal discussion is to give spirutual experience and that of advaita discussion is to give advaitanubhavam. All enlighterned persons are called enlightened only because of this anubhavam and as they speak with this anubhuthi. Discussions should lead the person discussing to question 'why discuss'. silence is the anubhavam. A Monk in RKM once wrote that one of the biggest pitfalls for any student of spirutualism is the pride that he knows something which will usually be seen when he discusses it with a new entrant to the path. That monk wrote that every aspirant should guard himself/herself against it. Discussion only leads to intellectual knowledge. It is when the discusser (dont know if such a word exists) realizes the futility of discussion and sits calmly then will he perceive the calmness that is inherent in him, that is his tatvam (nature) and will realize the presence of silence and that it has always been present.
Thank you for reading.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)