Where is the I ?

Let's take an example and see if there is a "I" really

Statutory Warning: All the "I"'s in this post are merely mithya and have no real resemblance to anything Real  

            I am seated in meditation and I hear from outside "This is a wonderful movie" . So at first I hear this as simple perception. Then the next thoughts: "they are watching a movie"; "I miss it";"it is a wonderful movie thye say"; "what could it be?" ; "could it be my fav. movie?" ; "oh! that movie i always missed"; "CD is also not available"; "but i should not get up from meditation" ...

Please see the stream of thoughts carefully. This is a very subtle analysis. The first perception is pure perception... its called idam vritti, this thought. The next few thoughts have an "I" in them ... they are called aham vrittis or "I" thoughts. What is happening here? Clearly an aham vritti is not me. Coz, i outlive it. thought comes and dies that very moment. This is what happens. Please observe this carefully and i am sure it will really work wonders during the actual attempt to do self inquiry. so, aham vritti cannot be me.

For example when t he thought "I miss this movie " arises, is there any such "I" apart from the thought? IF there was such an "I" apart from the thought, then the experience of that "I" should have been in the absence of the thought also. Since there is no such "I", we need the thought "I miss this movie" to really miss the movie! Now, that thought arises and passes away! What remains before and after that ? Awareness ! and Awareness does not have any of this "missing" . And then the next thought "I want to see this movie" arises. How is this thought getting connected with the previous thought?

Lets take two consecutive "I" thoughts: "I like that movie" ; "i miss it now" ... is the "I" of the first thought same as the "I" of the second thought? They are parts of two different "I" thoughts. they have no commonality. Please see this. The first "I" and the second "I" are not same persons. they are two different entities. two different thoughts. its like a movie. a series of fast moving static pictures create the illusion of a movie. the first static picture and the second static picture are different. but mind does not see the gap. BTW, i am not suggesting that we should start watching gaps. that’s a good practise, but that’s not the point here.

The point here is that there is really no continuous entity between these "I" thoughts ... there are only sparks of "I" thoughts that come and die... but like a movie ... they create the illusion of a continuous entity called "I". the awareness which is uniform basis of all thoughts is continuous and its continuity is superimposed on the "I"'s which are disjoint. there is really no entity called "I" !! There is only awareness within and a few "I" thoughts happening like sparks and dying there and then. there is no continuity between them. Do we see this carefully ? Its really a mistery that momentary thoughts are able to create trouble. The lifespan of a thought is a moment! A series of such momentary thoughts create a feeling that there is a continuous "I" thats getting affected by the events !!

Where is an "I" thats affected by the perceptions ? There is nothing like that. Only a few "I" thoughts which arise and pass away. The Sense of "I" is only a illusion created by a series of fast moving "I" thoughts. On a static movie scree a lot of still photos are projected -- and when they are projected at a fast enough pace, it appears as if there is a movie! Really speaking the continuity of the screen is "superimposed" on the thoughts ! The thoughts are momentary, they pass away. This is what is meant by saying that its a maya! How strange, momentary thoughts are able to create a web called samsara for us !! Self inquiry breaks this illusion.

Self inquiry is merely to break this sense of continuity. What one is expected to do is not ask "who am i" and wait for an answer ... but to simply shift attention towards the "Awareness" which is like the screen of the movie of these "I" thoughts and remain there. so one remains as awareness seeing that there is really no "I" ... only static and disjoint "I" thoughts occurring like sparks. every time an "I" thought arises, it has the tendency to build the train of thoughts and create the illusion of a continuous "I" entity. So, Self inquiry simply breaks this ... by shifting attention away from that thought and remaining as Awareness.

We shift attention to the subject of the "I" thought. That is Self inquiry. The moment attention is shifted to the subject, the "I" thought continuity is destroyed. what this does is breaks the tendency to create a train of thoughts ... and breaks the possibility of the creation of an "I" notion... which is anyway an illusion as seen from above analysis. thus one remains as awareness or with the sense of "I AM" which is the "I" of the "I", i.e., the Subject of the "i" thought ... or the Awareness. This is Self inquiry ... to remain without an "I" notion within... that means: there is awareness within, which is pure witness and there is this physical body which is jada and has no knowing of its own ... and there is no "I" within to fight with happenings etc.

There is really no "I", Awareness within and jada body outside thats all an a series of momentary "I" thoughts arising! Knowing this and being thus, there remains none to react to a happening. What IS, simply IS.

Sri Adi Shankaracharya's Jaagrata Jaagrata

OM!
 
एक वृक्षसमारूढा नानाजाति विहङ्गमाः।
प्रभते क्रमशो यान्ति तत्र का परिदेवना॥



         This is a simple poem which is supposedly by Sri Adi shankracharya. These thoughts can be very useful for meditation, we can memorize these verses and meditate on their meaning to develop the attitude of vairagya. There are several such works attributed to sri Adi Shankaracharya which may not have been actually by Sri Adi Shankaracharya himself. May be some of these were by another acharya of the shankara parampara. However in this context the content of the verses is more important than the person who wrote them.


माता नास्ति पिता नास्ति नास्ति बन्धुः सहोदरः।
अर्थँ नास्ति गृहँ नाति तस्मात् जाग्रत जाग्रत॥

 जन्म दुःखँ जरा दुःखँ जाया दुःखँ पुनः पुनः।
सँसारसागरँ दुःखँ तस्मात् जाग्रत जाग्रत॥

कामक्ष्च क्रोधक्ष्च लोभक्ष्च देहे तिष्ठन्ति तस्कराः।
ज्ञनरत्नापहाराय तस्मात् जाग्रत जाग्रत॥

आशाया बध्यते जन्तुः कर्मणा बहुचिन्तया।
आयु क्षीणँ न जानाति तस्मात् जाग्रत जाग्रत॥

सम्पदः स्वप्नसँकाशाः यौवनँ कुसुमोपम्।
विधुच्चन्चचँल आयुषँ तस्मात् जाग्रत जाग्रत॥

क्षणँ वित्तँ क्षणँ चित्तँ क्षणँ जीवितमावयोः।
यमस्य करूणा नास्ति तस्मात् जाग्रत जाग्रत॥

यावत् कालँ भवेत् कर्म तावत् तिष्ठन्ति जन्तवः।
तस्मिन् क्षीणे विन्श्यन्ति तत्र का परिदेवना॥

... ऋणानुबन्धरूपेण पशुपत्निसुतादयः।
ऋणक्षये क्षयँ यान्ति तत्र का परिदेवना॥

पक्वानि तरूपर्णानि पतन्ति क्रमशो यथा।
तथैव जन्तवः काले तत्र का परिदेवना॥

एक वृक्षसमारूढा नानाजाति विहङ्गमाः।
प्रभते क्रमशो यान्ति तत्र का परिदेवना॥

इदँ काष्ठँ इदम् काश्ट्ःअँ नध्यँ वहतिसँगतः।
सँयोगाक्ष्च वियोगाक्ष्च का तत्र परिदेवना॥

This is an attempt to meditate on this wonderful text to see the Truth as explained in it.

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माता नास्ति पिता नास्ति नास्ति बन्धुः सहोदरः।
अर्थँ नास्ति गृहँ नास्ति तस्मात् जाग्रत जाग्रत॥
There is no mother, no father, no relationships nor any siblings.
No money or house. Therefore be alert, Wake up!

The whole idea in presenting such statements has to be very clearly appreciated. The idea is not to encourage us to condemn all our relationships. The idea is not to leave parents etc. The idea is to be understood in proper context. For this we need to explore these relationships with care. We will see its not exactly the relationship that is a problem. Never is a relationship a bondage. But we make all relationships into bondage. We will explore this very carefully, but what exactly is a relationship ?

All our relations are in the mind and they are all with reference to the body. When a child is born, the body is there, but no relations are there for the child. I may feel this child is my son or daughter, but the child does not feel any relationship. As the child grows, he is fed with memories and thoughts and out of those memories and thoughts certain relationships are formed. So now the child has a father , a mother, a relative, a friend, a brother or a sister etc. As the child grows up he picks up new relationships which are nothing but mental roles he picks up. The role is simply a collection of thoughts, ideas, memories etc which are all based on the body.

Lets take a simple example to see how relationships are formed. What happens is a teenager sees a girl and the first perception he has is a simple perception of the girl, nameless simple perception. Then the next thought, "she is beautiful", "I would like to befriend her" ... and very soon he is in love with her!! That relationship of a lover is simply a combination of his thoughts, ideas, memories etc.

And then the girl leaves him. The thoughts of the girl are there in his mind, but the girl is not there to relate to. And he is suddenly in intense suffering. When the thoughts of the relationship is there, but they cannot be expressed as the body itself is not available, the person is missed. This is exactly how we miss someone.

The thoughts of the related person along with the person's physical presence are both required to correspond. The sweet moments in any relationship are remembered and when the person cannot related there is intense disappointment and sorrow.

Now if the thoughts and memories related to a relationship are not there, where is the relationship ? the physical presence with no related thoughts would leave the person non-responsive. the thoughts without physical presence makes the person disappointed. Both are problems.

To add to all this, the relations themselves are built upon expectations. If I meet my mother and she does not speak to me and does not even care that I came home ... I feel hurt. She herself may be perhaps brooding over something else. So every relationship has lot of expectations in-built into the relationship. If those expecations are not met, the relationship gets into a very tense mode.

In Brhadaranyaka upanishad there is a beautiful verse that says "A person loves his spouse not for his spouse but for his own sake". Thats a very profound statement. When I love a person or an object, its coz that object gives me happiness. So all search for any object, any relationship, any idea is only a search for happiness. Through all our relationships we are seeking our own fulfillment. I feel I am fulfilled if i have a son or a daughter. The problem is not with the relationship but with the attempt to find fulfillment through that relationship. This attempt to find fulfillment through relationships surfaces as a set of expecations from that relationship. The expecations are all wrong ideas that when the relationship is in such and such a state I get fulfilled. since i feel i will be fulfilled through a relationship, I long for the relationships and have lot of expecations from it.

The relationships never bind, but the person is bound by expecations, which inturn are dependent upon the idea that I am unfulfilled.We get bound by our idea that "I am a lacking individual". Expectations also cannot bind us unless we feel that if those expectations are not met we are unfulfilled. So what needs to be worked upon is not the expectation, but the feeling that "I am a lacking individual who becomes fulfilled when the expectations are fulfilled". Thats why when I see myself as a fulfilled individual, life becomes a joy ride. The problem is, I see myself habitually as a lacking individual. We need to work on this because its habitual. Even when the teacher tells the student that "You are Already fulfilled", the student continues to abide in the sense of being a lacking individual out of habit. This needs to be worked upon. How ? One has to distinctly see oneself as totally unaffected by anything that happens ! this means to see no need for a strong expectation -- where a strong expectation may be called a binding expectation. A binding expectation is the feeling that in it I can find fulfillment. So cornered upon the understanding that "I Am fulfilled", one has to see through the tough situations and ideas : not identifying with the feelings and thoughts of the mind.
No relation gets the capacity to bind unless we depend upon it for our own sense of fulfillment. The relations act as a trigger for various expecations. Thats where the problem develops. The relationship triggers expecations , hopes and from then on, the person is caught in the relationship.  This asha or desire [expecation] develops because I try to find fulfillment from the relationships.

We can explore this further... Now why is the expecation there? Expectation is there because I am unaware of my own nature. Knowing myself as Ananda, I would no more depend upon a relationship to fulfill myself. Knowing myself as Ananda Svarupa is an absolute necessity and it cannot be postponed. If we look out of our windows towards a busy street, we find streams of automobiles moving in various directions. It might appear that there are so many different people seeking different things in life. But in essence  all of them are really seeking just one thing: Their own Fulfillment. Happiness.

Seeking happiness is various objects of the world is a disease. Seeking fulfillment through the relationships is what is being addressed here. But the idea is just the same for any object. Someone may not have much respect for relationships but this person is running madly after money ! He too is equally in trouble. Thats why the verse says artham na asti. Seeking fulfillment in the objects of the world or in relationships is a disease. It hides our own true nature which is really happiness and it also hurts us when the objects eventually leave us. Suppose I am deeply attached to my money and then I lose money. if i do not lose money, my ability to find fulfillment through that money will be lost. so when these are lost, there is suffering. why should i suffer all this superimposing happiness on the objects of the world. When i myself am the source of happiness, why should i torture myself by running after the objects of the world ? We need to ponder within. Of what avail are all these ?

A simple experiment can reveal to us that Happiness never comes from the object but from within.
Suppose there is an object which if i get i get happiness. and i am sleeping and i imagine that object is with me. i am happy.
Suppose again that the object is there by my side but i am dreaming that its lost. there is sadness!!

so its not the object itself ... but the mental idea of my possessing it that is giving me joy. which means that happiness comes from within!! never from that object. coz the object , if it has to give me pleasure... it has to become a part of my mind and i should mentally possess it!! that means pleasure is coming from within.

now, having understood this much, when the object can never make me happy ... why long for them ? Habitually we still continue to depend upon these. so the verse aims to shake of such a dependency... when those dependencies are shaken off one sees oneself as one is and so will be able to perceive that one is Ananda Svarupa. Thus remaining as oneSelf, one is Freed of all dependencies. Having freed oneself of dependencies one may continue to relate to everyone as one choses.

The basis for all relationships is this body. I relate through this body. I am the body idea is a base idea from which all these dependencies originate. The verse says mata nasti ... there is no relationship called mother. the idea is to see myself as independent of all relationships. the idea is to shake off the dependencies on the relationships.

The verse continues to say artham nasti. money is not there. the idea is to shake myself of the dependence on money.

so all relationships and related emotions, ideas, expectations and excitements are put at rest. coz i am not this body and therefore none of the relationships hold any significance for me.
and so too, dependence on money is set to rest.

Person is left without any expectations as there is nothing to expect from. The objects are dismissed. One has to see oneself thus... where no expecations are triggered from any objects. Thats how one sees oneself as a free person. These verses are wonderful verses for meditation.

The best way to "See" them is to see oneself as without body. Now no relations hold, no money or no house... thus waking up, one sees oneself as one IS and remain Thus.

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जन्म दुःखँ जरा दुःखँ जाया दुःखँ पुनः पुनः।
सँसारसागरँ दुःखँ तस्मात् जाग्रत जाग्रत॥

Birth is sorrow, aging is sorrow, spose is sorrow !
Samsara itself is sorrow, therefore remain awake! be alert!

Actually duHkha and suHkha are two terms that are used very often.
Basically Kha means space. And Duh -is bad; Su is good.
Either good (mental) space or bad (mental) space. [just mental space without any of these modification is awareness]

Meaning either comfortable situation or a situation of discomfort. We all face such situations in life. Take for example the general temperature. Some times the temperature is pleasant. Some other times its not pleasant.

The problem is when comfort is mistaken for happiness. The situation may be comfortable or uncomfortable. I need to maintain the calmness of mind and remain conflictless within. When the discomfort is carried into mind ... its called unhappiness. When the discomfort is at the physical level ... its simply discomfort.

Let me explain this more. I know a sanyasin who is a great scholar. I met him once and asked him "Sir, you speak of all this Aham Brahmasmi etc, can you remain happy if you are denied sleep for 10 days". He is such a nice person that i could take the liberty to ask such a question. He said "See... physically there will be discomfort. no one can deny that. But mentally there should be total acceptance"
an old woman ... who was hardly able to walk, was there in that meeting. she got up after a few minutes and said "you are speaking well [though she was speaking telugu and did not understand a single word of english]. I am very happy" and left. He said "Do you see this? Physically, do you think she is in any condition to feel happy ? Physically, her body is totally wrecked. she is totally discomfortable. but mentally small things can give happiness. one needs to differentiate between these two".

its such a learning.
Discomfort cannot be avoided. Happiness should not be sacrificed for anything.

Janma or birth is dukkam as there is discomfort. if the person is not alert, it gets converted into mental discomfort.
same with aging. As one ages, there are diseases, the person cannot enjoy sense pleasures the same way he or she once used to etc. there is discomfort which is unavoidable. But one should make sure to not get into mental level of discomfort.

Spouse  ... nothing against a wife or a husband as such. But attachment breeds problems. A house holder is fine as long as he or she does not become house held. We get entangled in relations , emotions, ideas... the ideas , emotions or relations are never a problem. We use them to entangle ourselves and then are found helpless. There is a nice story ...

A student goes to a guru and says "Sir, This worldliness is not leaving me. Can you please help me get rid of it?"
The teacher says "Ok, come with me for a walk" and so they were going for a walk and then the guru simply starts walking faster and soon moves away from his sight. and then the student hears a shout "help! Help!" ... upon tracing the source he finds that the teacher is holding onto the tree and shouting "help! help! this tree is not leaving me"

"how can you say that the tree is not leaving you sir, its you who are holding onto it", the student said.

The guru simply smiled and said "Thats exactly the point with your worldliness. Tell me which part of the world is holding onto you ?"

Thats exactly how we create problems where there are none. And we do it almost unconsciously. When its said that samsara, this worldliness is a problem ... the idea is not that the world holds our neck and tortures us. As even, if i am a diabetic... no sweet would force me to gulp it up! I, due to my excess attachments, feed myself with sweets and then I say "The sweet is bad". the sweet is bad, as i am not alert and I have an unconscious tendency to get attracted towards them.

The same thing with our worldliness as well. Shankara says in Bhaja govindam : Yogaratho va bhogaratova sanga ratho va sanga vihina. yasyah brahmani ramate cittam, nandati nandati nandati eva"

"Whether the person is in yoga[totally non-indulgence] or bhoga[indulgence]. Whether the person is amongst people or in seclusion. The one whose mind revels in Brahman is Ever Blissful."

Thats why its important to Be Alert and  Awake to the reality.
This sloka says that worldliness is a breeding ground for sorrow, if one is attached. therefore one needs to detach oneself from worldliness and revel in Brahman. Thereafter the person does not run after pleasures ... what comes his way due to prarabdha karma , if it is dharmic, he enjoys it. and what ever painful situations present to him due to prarabdha karma , he patiently bears it. he remains ever reveling in happiness without making the discomforts in situtations into mental disturbances or unhappiness.

So one needs to bring this to mind again and again and see how we are creating troubles in our lives through each of these means. We do not shun he means, but we just see how we are creating problems in our own lives by excess attachments and placing conditions upon ourselves. How we are creating troubles for ourselves using our own expecations and desires. We need to see that clearly within. Thats when we will naturally leave that and remain with ourselves.

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कामक्ष्च क्रोधक्ष्च लोभक्ष्च देहे तिष्ठन्ति तस्कराः।
ज्ञनरत्नापहाराय तस्मात् जाग्रत जाग्रत॥

Kama (desires), Krodha (Anger), Lobha (Greed) are like theifs in this body who steal the jewel called "Jnana" [Self Knowledge]. Therefore be alert! Be Awake!

Friends, lets explore Kama, Desires first. We will clearly see how we ourselves create the whole web and get stuck in it. Lets see.

Kama means desire. Desires are there because we think we become better by getting a "particular object". We feel unfulfilled and incomplete within and then if we get something we will become complete and fulfilled. Therefore we desire that object which is a means to make me complete.

And we constantly feed our mind with this desire. How were these desires developed in the first place? By constantly thinking of an object we develop desire for them. In Bhagavad Gita its said "By meditating on objects, we develop association with them and from that association we develop desires, from desires (when they are unfulfilled) we grow anger and when in anger we forget all the teachings etc and thereby our Buddhi and all understanding goes waste. Thus we fall"

Its such a clear description of the entire mechanism. We "meditate " -- please see the usage of the word ! We meditate on the objects and develop association with them. First time I see some object its just an object. Then we constantly think abt it and develop ragam -- attachment. This is how desires are born. Thus, in order to undo this process, we should stop meditating on the objects  .

we should develop the habit of not giving too much mental place for any object. Even when seeing things ,we should not see the objects with too much attention ... we need to develop this attitude of looking at the world like a passing cloud. This overall attitude eases the conflicts in mind.

Lets also take a look at how we create these conflicts within. First we meditate on the objects of the world and develop lot of associations . And now suppose a religious person comes to us and says "you should not have desires" and perchance we agree with him ... then there is an inner conflict. We have fed the mind for a long long time that objects make us happy. The mind is fed with various thoughts about the objects as well. And some memories too! so now suddenly when we feed the mind "Leave everything there is no joy in objects" ... there are two conflicting ideas in mind. And what happens ? Some times one of these wins and some other times the other idea wins. And if we observe how we have fed the mind with the objects... suppose we pick a particular object ... say pleasure in sexual activity. We have lot of memories of sexual activity = happiness. We have these memories in the brain and they act as testimonials .  its in-wired in our memory.

Now suddenly this new suggestion "You are Happiness, Sex is not going to make you better" ... its too meek to counter the other idea. So we have to put in force to make this work. This is inner conflict and pressure. When the conflict is entertained in the mind ... pressure starts to build up and one is really in tough situations.

One has to handle all this intelligently now. One cannot simply go on a headon fight. Conflict is unavoidable. The previous wrong vasanas or wrong notions have to be countered. But  intelligently. One needs to have a proper strategy. The basic strategy is as follows:

a) Avoid adharmic pleasures totally. : By force. This itself is a tough thing to do. But then, a student of vedanta needs to do it. This is also very important to practise. Dharmic lifestyle means telling the truth and non adultery mentally etc. Its not really all that simple. One needs to practise this virtue. Simple things like coloring the facts to gain some advantage is adharma. One needs to be very careful.

b) Now with Dharmic desires. These also need to be ultimately undone. But, one cannot straight away do away with them. So what one does with dharmic desires is :
        b1) Develop Viveka :
                Throgh Shastra sravanam, study of works of Ramana, Ramakrishna , Chandrashekara
                 saraswati ji etc. which act as mananam and then meditating on our true nature.
       b2) Develop Vairagya:
                 Contemplating on the transient nature of the world and seeing things of the world as
               projections of mind -- like a dream. Reading yoga vasishta etc and contemplating on their
              meaning would be useful if the student had the good fortune to listen to a teacher on
              mandukya or the texts themselves.

This way, slowly the inner vasanas are reduced and we will be able to really own up the desirelessness.

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आशाया बध्यते जन्तुः कर्मणा बहुचिन्तया।
आयु क्षीणँ न जानाति तस्मात् जाग्रत जाग्रत॥

We are [The animal -humans are also addressed as animals here]  bound by Expectations: various activities and excess thinking. so much so that we do not recognize the ebbing away of life. Therefore be awake! Be Awake!

This is a beautiful line to meditate upon. What binds us is always our own expectations. An expectation is a mental or physical destination - which is seen to provide us with a sense of fulfillment. We need to understand that we are already fulfilled and nothing can alter that state. We predecide upon the destination we want to reach and then onwards we are constantly working to reach that destination. Constantly thinking as to how we can reach that destination.

What binds us is not really the activities, what binds us is not the thinking itself. what binds us is the "fixed" and very strong attachment to a destination. Our own expectations bind us, because its based upon a wrong premise that ' i am unfulfilled or lacking'. Fullfilment is already given to all of us we need to simply own it up by countering the wrong habit patterns which drive us to think the other way. The activity does not have a capacity to bind us, we give it a capacity to bind us by first fixing an expectation-- by granting the idea that "i am a lacking individual".

Like, driving a car is absolutely fine. But if I have a destination pre-fixed: I must reach my office in 5 mins. Can we imagine the kind of tension and troubles it can create ?Just driving the car does not have the capacity to bind us or create trouble for us. But if we have set a destination "I want to not drive the car but go home and sleep", now ? Suddenly the activity becomes troublesome. The activity becomes a bondage.

So we all get bound by expectations through various activities and lot of thinking. The activities are not themselves binding but when we have huge expectations they become a bondage. and similarly thinking. When my thinking is centered around a set of expecations, it creates tension.

And in all these tensions and worries, as we are running after different destinations in life, suddenly we recognize that the life itself has passed away!!

Suppose we ask "Why these expecations?", the answer is obvious: "When i reach there, i will be happy"
Even if i reach any destination in life [success, career, family life, possessions etc], that happiness comes from within and never from without. It has always been compared to a dog chewing a dry bone. The dog chewing a bone thinks that the blood is coming from the dry bone, while the blood is oozing from its own injured jaws. Thats how it is. Happiness always comes from within. Its a pity that we have to depend on an external situation or circumstance for our happiness. And all our expecations are based on the false premise that happiness lies in some external destination --- some  external situation would make me fulfilled.

So if we just drop the expectations. No where to go, nothing to do!
Absolutely Here, and no where to go!!
what else to do ?

And suddenly we see that we are very relaxed, blissful, lite etc!
now no matter what activities we involve in ... its absolutely fine.

We can even draw a few artificial destinations ... knowing pretty well that those destinations are just fancy destinations created for the purpose of a game and just move about in life. Just as , when we play a game of cricket, we create a boundary. the boundary is only to make it a game. We can also have losely held destinations, knowing fully well that We are the source of all Bliss and there is no where to go , nothing to do. Then, those lose destinations of life become simple lines of the boundary in a cricket or a football match. They do not bind us anymore.

Dropping the idea that I am a lacking individual and disbelieving it once and for all is liberation!

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सम्पदः स्वप्नसँकाशाः यौवनँ कुसुमोपम्।
विधुच्चन्चचँल आयुषँ तस्मात् जाग्रत जाग्रत॥

All possessions are like what are seen in a dream, youthfulness is only for a short time , like a flower's lifetime. Life passes away like a lightening therefore be alert!

When we dream, we might possess a lot of valuable objects, but the moment we wake up all the objects are gone. In a dream if we say "This object should not go", that very idea will create lot of anguish. The dream objects cannot be held onto. This world that we experience is just a dream. Nothing more.
There is absolutely no difference between a dream and this world that we experience. Things come and they go. Any attempt to "Stop the Flow" is really stupid. Nothing can stop it.

What are possessions ? I posses a gold coin, say,  does the coin feel that its mine ? I feel its mine. the coin does not have any such feelings. So when a thief comes and takes it away, i cry that "my" gold coin is leaving me! But the coin never says "See i am his coin, u cannot take me".
When we see this with respect to a gold coin, we feel its very trivial, but when we see our body in the same light ... we see ... the body ages. And the body does not have any complaints abt it!! We complain about the body's aging. The body simply flows. I may be worried that the body is aging, as i have projected an idea that this body is mine! But the body does not feel so.

If we observe carefully ... the whole world is simply flowing away. The stream of life does not stop. Its flowing constantly. Suppose we are sitting in a train, we clearly see the motion. we clearly see that everything is moving away. No scenary lasts long. The journey of life is no different. All this is passing away.

Like a lightening, our life is passing away. So swift. unfortunately, being a part of it, we miss the motion. We try to hold onto everything and trying to stop everything from moving . By the very nature of things, the possessions shall pass away. They are like sceneries we see when we are sitting in a train and watching outwards. This journey of life is like a burning candle. its constantly burning away. Every moment I live is like another step I have taken towards death.

This is just the  same as a dream. We have created a marked separation: this is waking life and this is a dream. But in reality, both are just the same. Everything is simply a dream. We need to recognize this fact and drop any attempt to hold onto anything. Coz things , by nature, pass away in a dream. One cannot stop a dream object from moving away.

Lets just do a small experiment. Suppose in my dream, I am dreaming all this, I left my home to office and right now i am in my office. where is my house ? In a dream, what ever i see is what is. My seeing and the objects being ... they are mutually dependent. I see my office, therefore it is, and the office is imagined and therefore i see. Thats the nature of maya. Everything is mutually dependent. When i am seeing my office ... in my dream ... where is my house ? No where !!
However, when i drive back to my home ... the home appears where it is ... how ? Merely based on memory! This is how it is in dream and thats exactly how it is in waking also.
This moment alone is!

 when we see this, and release our mind of all the attachments for the objects of the world... we remain free!! We are naturally Alert, coz we have no burdens in mind. We are here, now! Thats what is Jagrata jagrata.

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क्षणँ वित्तँ क्षणँ चित्तँ क्षणँ जीवितमावयोः।
यमस्य करूणा नास्ति तस्मात् जाग्रत जाग्रत॥

Money, memory and life are all momentary.
Lord Yama, the lord of death, does not show any mercy. Therefore be awake!!

Often we waste most of our lives accumulating more and more possessions and the moments of death draw near, thats when we recognize that it has been too late. We have spent all our times trying to accumulate objects of enjoyment, but have actually forgotten to live life!
Yama is just time... time does not show mercy on anyone. One cannot say "Oh! Please wait one more moment, there are a few more things to achieve"
Time does not give that sort of a flexibility. And no one knows when one shall simply fall and pass away.
Its like that and when I say this, I am not being pessimistic here. This is just the truth as it is.

This life is simply a journey. We are as if sitting in this vehicle called body and holding onto one or the other object along the way. The objects pass away, the vehicle is moving. i have no choice and i cannot even make the vehicle not move. and so , the vehicle is constantly moving and now I am constantly trying to hold onto the objects and cry every time an object leaves. And even the vehicle is slowly waning away! thats the kind of journey. Obviously the journey is a burden, coz of my attitude towards it. I do not accept it as a journey, I treat it as a permanant residence  and therefore I suffer. This attitude needs to be changed. When we change our attitude and look at life as a flow, nothing to hold onto ... and we start living our life like a holliday thats when we start to enjoy it. We need to look at it like a pleasure trip: with pleasure always coming from within. Everything is beautiful, but the joy is really coming from within ... so everywhere, everytime I am at joy with myself. Thus reveling as self, this flow just goes on! no worries, no sorrows, no troubles : just present in the moment, in this moment alone... the past moment is gone never to be back again and the next moment has not yet come. Therefore revel in this moment.... being here, now!

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यावत् कालँ भवेत् कर्म तावत् तिष्ठन्ति जन्तवः।
तस्मिन् क्षीणे विन्श्यन्ति तत्र का परिदेवना॥

As long as their karma lasts so long we see the animal here, the moment the karma is over, the animal is gone. what is there to brood over this ?

Karma theory is one of the most interesting vedantic models. A model, as in science [atomic mode for example] is not proved. It explains the happenings and we can use the model to predict what happens when we do a particular action. As long as the experiments do not show proof against it, the model remains valid.

Richard Feynman says in his Physics lectures: this is like a game of chess being played by the Gods. We are only allowed to watch the game and we form rules based on our observations. Every now and then we see a new move and we have to change the rules to accomodate that rule.

Thats how scientific inquiry goes. Karma model is the set of rules that govern the our actions and the results. Its a wonderful system. When its clearly understood, it resolves lot of mental conflicts by itself. coz there is clarity of vision it brings about . Let us see...

There are a few fundamental axioms of karma model :
a) Every action has a result.
b) The result takes shape only when the time is ripe.

Suppose i water a plant. The plant gives fruit only when season is ripe. just coz i acted now, i need not get a result immediately.
so when i act, there is a result. but the result may come now or may not come now. if it does not come now, it means it waiting in the backlog for appropriate time!!

What a clear model this is !
So someone works very hard, and fails in an exam. And then after a few years, he writes one more exam, and here he passes with very little effort ... why ? The previous preparation took shape here!! So the previous result which was waiting in queue too shape here !!

what a simple but clear model !!

so now ... when a particular result thats awaiting in the queue starts to take shape ... its like an arrow released from a bow! it started already ... its called prak-arabdha ... already started result. that is prarabdha karma.

this body is a result of prarabdha karma. we got this body as a result of some prarabdha karma. if my previous karma was bad, i would have got an animal body perhaps! so this body is a result of prarabdha karma ... given to us for the purpose of undoing some prarabdha karma ... through this body we get the result of some of the actions we did . and when the purpose of this body is done, it passes away!!

so the coming of the body and its passing away, all the results that we accure in between ... all of them are a result of prarabdha karma and the moment the karma is completed, the body is taken away ...

thats how its designed .
what is there to worry about all this ? whats there to brood over this ? every one is just going by his or her prarabdha ... thats the meaning of the verse .


The idea in presenting the karmic model is not to create a theory out of it.
These verses are to be meditated upon. Meditation, in this context, means to remain with their meaning.
When we do that, our excess attachment towards the objects of the world eventually reduces.
We need to bring this again and again to our mind and see things in that light.
These verses are true as they are. They are simple and very correct.
What one needs to do is just remain with the meaning and see things as they are.

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ऋणानुबन्धरूपेण पशुपत्निसुतादयः।
ऋणक्षये क्षयँ यान्ति तत्र का परिदेवना॥

as per the debts of prarabdha karma, relations are developed in this world. animals, wife or children, they are all forms of debts of previous life. when the debts exhaust temselves, all these pass away, what is there to brood over this ?

Debts of prarabdha karma lead to various types of relationships. When two people come together, they come with their own bags of prarabdha karma and then their coming together is a way the prarabdha karma unfolds. Eventually as that particular karma gets exhausted, they separate away. Thats how the whole dynamics is. nothing can be changed in this -- just as the law of gravity cannot be modified. one just appreciates this fact and what ever errors in understanding exist in the nook and corners of our mind, we need to use this understanding to eliminate it.

So in every relationship, one needs to see that we people are together as there is some karma thats common between us and thats now unfolding. when this is done, we shall separate away. one needs to take this idea and see all relationships in that light. we are together because of karma runam the debts in karma. and when thats done we shall separate.

When we do this, our attachments reduce, we know that the relationships are short lived, so we spend the time we are together very comfortably. Each other's errors are forgiven, coz we know that karmas are unfolding differently.
indeed we all are travelling on different directions and different routes, we meet in between and then separate again!

So when this viveka, this understanding, is taken into the mind and we start looking at life as a flow we clearly see how this togetherness is only temporary; we develop vairagya. If we still remain attached and want a certain relationship to last longer than it is ... it means the understanding has not sinked in. There is no choice in this. in the flow of time we have absolutely no choice. we cannot chose to stop our travel in time. This needs to be clearly seen , do not really have any sort of choice over this and therefore any struggle against the flow of time is futile.

such understanding brings in lot of calmness are reduces conflicts of mind. it brings in acceptance.

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पक्वानि तरूपर्णानि पतन्ति क्रमशो यथा।
तथैव जन्तवः काले तत्र का परिदेवना॥

As Even the ripe leaves of a tree drop one after the other
even this animal shall drop off, what is there to brood over this ?

These are really verses for meditation. The leaves of a tree drop and so also it is the case with this body, it shall also drop off.  One needs to start looking at life thus. The aim is to completely accept that things shall all pass away long before the things actually pass away. When we develop that attitude we tend to look at life as a constant flow. Yesterday is a leaf that has already fallen away. Today is a fresh leaf and by tomorrow this shall pass away. This is how life is configured. This is how things are all going on.
If we brood over it , its only due to non-acceptance. We do not accept, coz our "identity" seems to depend on it.  Since i do not know my true nature, I associate my identity with the objective world. The objective world seems to define me. Suppose I ask myself, who am i ? and the answer is  a name, a degree, sex, religious beliefs etc --- what does it mean ? Am i the name or do i have a name? am i the degree or do i have a degree ? am i the body or do i have a body ?


To mistake what i have with what i am is a fundamental mistake that is the cause for all sorrows. I have a body, i am not the body. Do we see the difference betweeen saying i have a dog and i am a dog ? People may not say that openly, but thats how they feel inside. Someone's dog is dying and this person needs to meet a psychiatrist. If we ask him "Why do you have psychological problems if your dog is dying", his reply would be "what am i if the dog is not there ?"


Thats how we define our identity with objects of the world. The objects dont make me. I AM, and everything else follows. But somehow i tend to identify with the objects and then the objects seem to define me... and as the objects die, we seem to worry and brood over it. To see the objects of the world as dying is the first step in losening this excess dependence on the objects of the world. We need to meditate on these verses and actually start seeing the world in this light. We need to see how leaves of this world are falling every moment. This is an attitude change. We need to develop this attitude and when we look at the world as a flow, we clearly see how beneath this flow is a changeless reality... the True ME, independent of all the changing entities. Thats when we no more try to hold onto anything - neither try to enforce something, nor try to stop something from happening: just pure witness. We now do not "be witness", we just "Are Witness", there is no choice in "being it" or "not being it". We are that witness and how else can we be that "Just Be"

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एक वृक्षसमारूढा नानाजाति विहङ्गमाः।
प्रभते क्रमशो यान्ति तत्र का परिदेवना॥

Assembled on the same tree, birds of differed feathers.
as it dawns, they all leave one by one, what is there to brood over this ?

We are all like sojourners. We have our own paths and for a short period we come together in this journey and when the sojourn is over, the paths separate and we move away. The moment we forget that we are sojourners, we get attached to the people and events in life. Neither the people nor the events are going to last for ever, infact even as we see them they are moving apart constantly. And we suffer as we do not want it to change. Whenever we suffer, we can ask ourselves this interesting question: "What is it that we do not want to happen". We suffer means there is something happening an we do not wish that it happens. We are colliding with the events/ happenings. Thats when there is suffering. Whenever we find ourselves suffering, this is an interesting question we can put to ourselves " What is it that i am colliding with ?" "what is it that i do not want to happen ?" and what ever that is, we can stop going against it. Thus when one stops colliding with anything that happens, one stands liberated. The tendency to collide with what is happening is there because we do not understand that there is no point in collision. Something is moving away, something else is coming towards, in both the cases there is no need to conflict. This attitude is called acceptance and is very essential for a sadhaka.

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इदँ काष्ठँ इदम् काष्ठँ नध्यँ वहतिसँगतः।
सँयोगाक्ष्च वियोगाक्ष्च का तत्र परिदेवना॥

This and that corpse are flowing together in a river.
They remain together for some time and then separate, what is thre to brood over this?

So what is really there to brood over this? Who is together and who gets separated in reality ? The Self is not at all touched by anything , whatsoever. And The bodies do not have a sense of togetherness. So who is getting seperated in reality ? From the standpoint of the bodies, there is no separation. From the stand point of the Self, there is no possibility of separation. Then who is getting separated ? Mind is doing this linking. How does it do that ? Please see... The body does not "Know", its a mere corpse. its floating in the river of time and when two corpse come together they do not "Feel" togetherness. When the corpse separate , they do not miss each other. Thats how they are. The Awareness which is the basis for all knowing is itself changeless and remains totally still and motionless. In that, there is no change possible. Awareness Just IS, it does not care whether these corpse come together or go away. A tsunami happens and millions of people die... Awareness is changeless still... not the least trace of movement. Such is awareness. Now mind associates the two and creates a sense of separation and togetherness and thats where all trouble starts.

Who is really this "I" which is really troubled or happy about these movements of the corpses ? If we see, the body does not know. Awareness does not care. Inbetween the body and the Awareness there are a few thoughts, but they come and they go that very moment !! However what happens is , a series of fast moving thoughts create the illusion t hat there is a real entity called "I" which is happy or unhappy with the events. There is really no "I" -- just the Awareness which is the "I" of all relative "I's". God alone is. None else. Hence no one to brood over all this! Just Be!

OM! Sri Guru charan arpitam astu! OM!

Types of Samadhi - Drk Drishya Viveka

There are six types of samadhi that a student is asked to practise in Drk-Drshya-Vivekam. The verses corresponding to these are basically taken directly from a upanishad called Saraswati-Rahasya-Upanishad.
Drk-Drshya-Vivekam itself is probably only a commentary on Saraswati-Rahasy-upanishad, as there are lot of verses picked verbatim.

Samadhi is Firm abidance as "I AM".

1. There are two kinds of Samadhi: Saviklpa and Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
2. Savikalpa-Samadhi is further divided into two types: internal or external.
3. With eyes open its external and with eyes closed its internal. [explained shortly]
4. Both internal and external samadhis are further divided into : drshyaanuviddha-savikalpa samadhi and shabdaanuviddha savikalpa samadhi.
5. Drshnyanuviddha savikalpa samasdhi is when a "Drshyam", is used as a "means" to remain as "Aham Asmi".
    External Drhsyanuviddha savikalpa samadhi is, for example, I see the Space ... and meditate on myself as
    space like "Presence" . Ultimately one lands at Aham Asmi, but then starts with the idea "Brahman is Like
    this space, in and through all objects".
   
    Internal Drhsyaanuviddha saviklpa samadhi is when The "External Space" is replaced by the "Mental Space"

6. Shabdanuviddha savikalpa samadhi is when a "Shabda" is used as a means to remain as "Aham Asmi". For
    example chanting Ribhu Gita. External, when this is done with eyes open. Internal when its done with eyes
    closed.

7. With eyes open means, the eyes are open, but the attention is totally turned inward and one remains as "I AM". This is also termed Shambhavi mudra [I think its an expression used by Patanjali maharshi somewhere. I am not sure].

8. When these are practised for sufficiently long, it is said that one gets into "Nirvikalpa Samadhi". Nirvikalpa Samadhi also can be with eyes open or eyes closed, but it hardly matters. As Ramana/Ramakrishna describe, this is said to be like a salt doll getting into ocean to measure its depth.

9. In all forms of Samadhi, its important to recognize that "I am neither going into samadhi nor  coming out", "I am that which is changeless", which is beyond all mental modifications. The practise of samadhi is to firmly abide as the one that does not undergo any change... "Aham Asmi" ... and not to say "I got into samadhi and now came out of it".

10. In internal drishyanuviddha savikalpa samadhi, when thought arises, attention is turned towards the one who recognizes its presence... meaning "Aham Asmi". This is Self enquiry as practise in my opinion.

11. Drk-Drshya-Vivekam says that when a person practises these for sufficiently long , this is what happens:
dehabhi mane galite vijnate paramatmani |
yatra yatra mano yaati tatra tatra samaadhayaH || (drk-drshya-viveka: 30)

the identification with body disappears and one remains as the Brahman.
And where ever the mind is, that itself is Samadhi.

I think this is sahaja stithi. This verse is also taken directly from Saraswati Rahasyopanishad [66 verse].


:) Lets also briefly note what Ramana has to say about Samadhi...

POST 17

Here is a conversation between annamalai swami and Ramana , pg 234 of Living by the words of bhagavan.

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"Does Samadhi mean that one is unaware of everything ?" , I asked.
"No," said Bhagavan. "Mediation will go on without our effort. That is Samadhi"
"Then what is Sahaja Samadhi ?", I asked.
Bhagavan answered by saying , " In that state meditation will always be going on. In that State the thought , 'I am meditating' or 'I am not meditating' will not occur".

I then asked Bhagavan about periods in meditation when I was only aware of an all-pervasive blankness.
"Sometimes nothing is seen", I said. "Is this good?"
Bhagavan did not seem to approve of all these states, "In the beginning", he said, "It is good if meditators meditate with Self Awareness".

The state of Sahaja Samadhi contined to intrigue me. A few weeks later I asked him another question about it, "Can one practise sahaja samadhi right from the beginning?"
Bhagavan replied by saying that one could.
"But how to practise it ", I asked. "And how does one practise nirvikalpa samadhi ? How many different kinds of samadhi are there ?"
"There is only one kind of Samadhi", Said Bhagavan , "not many kinds. To remain temporarily subsided in the reality without any thought is nirvikalpa Samadhi. Permanently abiding in the Self without forgetting it is Sahaja Samadhi. Both will give the same happiness"

Mandalasa Upadesha

Title: Madalasa Upadesha

In Markandeya purana there is this lullaby called Madalasa Upadesha. The story is that Madalasa was an enlightened Queen. When her child cried, instead of diverting the child's attention with various toys she chose to introduce him to the Truth and that truth is sung in the form of a sweet lullaby which is called madalasa upadesha or madalasa putra upadesha.
The mother's name is said to be "madalasa" which literally means one who has won over alasa or laziness. One may take it to be the Mother Sruthi teaching all of us. A child is someone who cries for toys. We are all children because we cry for the various objects of the world. Lets try and observe . when a child cries, its because it feels unhappy about something. Here the mother is not trying to divert the child's attention by showing it a few toys. She directly teaches it the Truth which is really a joy to listen to. As we see the teaching, we will also try and see how the teaching is really an aid for us to "Just Be". This teaching, friends, is exceptional to say the least.

As we study this lets Relax into the Self !

Title: Re: Madalasa Upadesha
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 10, 2012, 06:29:09 PM

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Verse 1:


शुद्धोसि बुद्धोसि निरँजनोऽसि
सँसारमाया परिवर्जितोऽसि
सँसारस्वप्नँ त्यज मोहनिद्राँ
मँदालसोल्लपमुवाच पुत्रम्।

Suddhosi bubbhosi niranjanosi
samsara maya parivarjitosi
samsara svapnam tyaja moha nidra
mandalasollapamuvacha putram

Madalasa says to her crying son:
"You are pure, Enlightened, and spotless.
Leave the illusion of the world
and wake up from this deep slumber of delusion."

In this context, as I already mentioned, we are all children. A child is one who cries. So as long as we cry for the various objects of senses or for the various objects of security -- we remain children. And we need to "Relax" into this teaching. The mother says "You are already Suddha", Pure. Pure means I am there and none else IS. I and I alone AM. Thats what Pure means. When I say "Pure Milk", what does it mean ? There is milk and only milk - no water. So thats Suddha. When The child sees itself as Suddha, it means that there can be no external cause that can trouble it !

And then the child is "Niranjanah", Spotless. We are all spotless. We cannot be improved upon. Nowhere to go. Nothing to do. So Just Be. Here, now. Just Remain. Because we know we are spotless and unimproveable. That is to say we are already  Englightened. Nothing new to gain!

Thats what the mother is stating in the very beginning! And when that is said, various questions can arise. The child may ask "Oh Mother, you say i am spotless, but i see myself to be full of limitations and errors", the child would cry. And that means the child needs to be not just told that it is Spotless, but needs to be revealed to the child. This lullaby is for that very purpose alone!

as I said, the mother simply reveals the truth in such simple and straight forward words that we will find ourselves reveling in this truth as we mull over this teaching. I will continue this thread in parallel to the main thread on Bhagavad Gita , Shankara Bhasyam ... the progress will be slow but every step will be a joy ride.

Title: Re: Madalasa Upadesha
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 10, 2012, 06:31:32 PM

When we function in the world, various incidents and various happenings will make us feel "little". We are physically limited and even intellectually we are limited. So when we compare with someone else, we might find that this person is better than me in certain aspects. This creates phobias and complexes. Vedanta or this teaching is not a psychology lecture. However, it takes the student to a totally different dimention where one is able to see oneself as "Spotless". When I am Spotless and Pure, where is the question of feeling "little".

The idea is to replace the feeling of "littleness" with a feeling of "Fulfilledness" and more importantly to do it in such a way that it cannot be troubled ! So a liberated person is a "Ever Fulfilled Person". A person who is ever Satisfied with Himself as He is [i will use "He" one may replace it with "She". This discussion is far beyond the bodily differences]. Here madalasas is literally taking the child to that state of Total Satisfied Living. That is liberated living. I do not feel "I Lack" anything and therefore I remain happy. One may ask "How can I say I lack nothing? There seems to be always something thats missing in my life! Without a few things I will always remain unfullfilled. How can you say I am ever Fulfilled ?" and this teaching is really an answer to that!

We look at ourselves as Spotless with all the limitations of the body and the mind !

Title: Re: Mandalasa Upadesha
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 11, 2012, 11:41:25 AM

The mother says, samsara is maya. Maya literally means Ya Ma, that which is not there. But then, if it is not there, then why would anyone discuss about it ? We do not discuss about the horns of a hare [sashasringa] or the child of a barren women [vandhyakumara]. We do not discuss these because they are not there at all. They are not there and more importantly they do not "Appear" to be there also!

However when we see a ghost in a shadow, that ghost is not there and yet it "appears" to be there to the person who is seeing it. Samsara is maya in this sense. And when we say this we should be able to really see how the world is indeed maya. The text itself explains in later posts why samsara is maya. Knowing the world as maya, give it up! This is an interesting statement. This world cannot hold us. We hold onto it with all our might.  The shadow does not come and announce to us that it is a ghost. We have imagined a ghost in that shadow. So what are we supposed to do ? We are supposed to give up this imagination. thats the suggestion.

Tyaja moha nidra, give up the slumber called delusion. Its slumber because we are not alert and we do not have clarity that its our own projection! This samsara is such a projection.

There is a story that a student goes to a guru and says "Sir please help me get rid of this world". The guru hears the request and says "Ok, follow me" and walks into the forest [perhaps he was living in an ashram in the forest :)]. The guru walked rather swiftly and very soon the disciple could not find his guru. Just then the disciple heard a cry from the guru "Help! Please Help!". He ran in the direction of the cry and to his surprise he found his guru holding onto a tree and crying "Help! This tree is not leaving me! Please help!"
The disciple said "Sir how can you say the tree is not leaving you when you are holding onto it and the tree is not holding onto you?"
The guru said "My son, thats what is my question to you. Please tell me , which part of the world is holding onto you ?"
:)

One of the aims of study of a scripture like this is to also see how the world does not hold us in its grip. Its we, with our imagination and ideas, that hold onto the world and then feel caught. I am not able to escape from the clutches of this worldliness , we complain. But those clutches which appear as the mandibles of death are really our own mental projections! We need to recognize this and undo those projections. We need to recognize this and leave our hold onto he tree called world that we are holding onto. And that sets us free, because we are all always free!

The Mother says "Leave your hold", as even Swami Vivekananda says "Let go thy hold, Sanyasin Bold, say OM TAT SAT OM"!
Thats the kind of suggestion. Leave your hold and wake up! Wake up from the slumber of self created imaginations. We will clearly see in the next few verses how its self created. The way in, also explains what the way out is.

We first meditate on the objects of the world and create "Attachment" and then we say we are attached. The first time I hear a name, I have absolutely no "attachment" towards it. For example what kind of attachment would anyone have for sdswwsds ? Nothing! When I heard about a flavor of icecream for the first time, there were no feelings. But when my friends say "Thats a must have", slowly I develop a craving for the item. And then I eat it and slowly the craving develops. So we develop our cravings and attachments my meditating on the objects of the world.

Even as: in courtship what does the man do ? He sends her flowers and writes a small poem on a piece of paper. The girl sees all that and starts "Thinking" about the boy and slowly "Love" is developed. Attachment is formed by constantly harping on something. if I do not "harp" on the objects, they have no power to make me feel attached.

Lets explore these ideas further as we progress with these verses and see where they lead us to.

Title: Re: Mandalasa Upadesha
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 11, 2012, 12:34:14 PM

This is really a lullaby, it first soothes the anguished hearts by saying "You are blemish-less, pure and enlightened".
"But then  ...", even before any objection could be raised, all the suffering is dismissed as "Maya" -- like a shadow imagined to be a ghost.

When I see that the world is maya, like a dream ... it no more haunts me. Its capacity to create worry, tension, trouble etc is gone. So I am naturally relaxed.
All blemishes I imagine upon myself or all the impurities others try to point out in us : they are all really like the ghosts imagined seeing shadows. Nothing more. So we relax -- no where to go! Nothing to do! Here and now, we are free. And we will see how this is so.
This is not to say Sadhanas are not needed. Sadhana itself is to "relax" into the lap of God now! thats sadhana!Sadhanas need not be a troture. Sadhana is to see that nothing can torture me! Its "Relaxing" into Just Being Again and again.

In the next verse, we will see that the mother introduces Self inquiry :).  LOL! As I said, the whole journey is a relaxed joy ride! Sadhana is relaxing into the moment. Self inquiry is relaxing into the "Being" that is I AM. The vocabulary via which the Mother introduces Self inquiry in the next verse is also very interesting.

I will share that tomorrow. This sharing is beautiful and a joy, friends. As even hearing this , reading this or learning this -- they are all like a joy ride. Life is indeed a holliday trip when everything I do , I do it "Just Being" :)

Title: Mandalasa's Self Inquiry
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 12, 2012, 12:07:32 PM

Quote

शुद्धोऽसि रे तात न तेऽस्ति नाम
कृतँ हि तत्कल्पनयाधुनैव।
पच्चात्मकँ देहँ इदँ न तेऽस्ति
नैवास्य त्वँ रोदिषि कस्य हेतो॥

My Child, you are Ever Pure! You do not have a name. A name is only an imaginary superimposition on you.
This body made of five elements is not you nor do you belong to it. This being so, what can be a reason for your crying ?

Gently and coaxingly the mother introduces the child to self inquiry. Its a child so the introduction should be very gentle. She says "Oh Child, You are Pure". When such words are heard one feels little happy. That also introduces us to the power of words. Words create various ideas and emotions in us. We can clearly see this when we observe our own self talk. What kind of vocabulary do we use when we are feeling sad, worried etc ? Please see within. We will clearly recognize that words create various emotions!

The mother says "You do not have a name"! Usually mother introduces the child to a name, here the enlightened mother is first telling the child "You are not a name"! And then she says "A name is only a temporary superimposition: a kalpana, imagination". For transactional purposes we need a name. unfortunately our whole life story becomes a "web" of words ! If we look at our own life story "I am udai, studied so and so subject, this is my qualification, this is my nature...." every thing is a word and this entire web of words is built around the name "udai".
When someone says "udai is unintelligent"... that "Conflicts" with the word web already present in mind !

We will see this very carefully and slowly. With nice examples as we proceed with this discussion.

Title: Re: Mandalasa's Self Inquiry
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 12, 2012, 01:00:19 PM

Words create various emotions and ideas in us. Lets take a few simple situations and see how words have this potential to create lot of emotions:

Case 1:
       There is a dish before me, which I do not like at all. What is the first perception? A nameless dish. And then from the form we see and get its "name" and with the "name" all its related ideas. And then the thought "I hate this dish", "yacc" [incidentally its the name of a compiler generator. but its also a common expression expressing dislike for dishes". And so on...now suppose I do not stop there. I intentionally force myself to "eat" it. what happens ? Please observe the vocabulary within. "This taste is very bad" , "Ah, I cannot bear this".

What if I eat it without allowing "words". I do not name the dish at all ! I do not "name" the sensation that is in my mouth. I do not use any words for my "reaction on the sensation". What happens ?

If I do not know the name of the dish , I cannot ask for it. Does knowing the name necessitate that I have to "use" it and all the related "words" ?

Case 2:
      I have failed in an endeavour. And whats the kind of vocabulary that goes on in the mind ?

Suppose the following train of thoughts happen : I have failed, I have lost all opportunities, I am doomed. What a waste of life. I cannot do anything !

And lets say another train of thoughts: I have failed, but I am not going to let myself down! I will fight ! I will not let these failures make me meek.

Please see the usage of the words and how they affect our mental states!
Its just that the mental states are affected by the words and vocabulary we use.
we both torture ourselves and pamper ourselves with internal vocabulary.
 

Title: Re: Mandalasa Upadesha
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 12, 2012, 02:43:35 PM

That words create various emotions is very interesting to note. Let us now try to see this more carefully so that we understand why the Mother is trying to introduce is to namelessness.

We can easily understand when we get into the practicals. In this kind of learning we are not divorced from practicality. Let us now take a simple case study and see how things are really working.

Let us say on a holliday, I decide to "Simply Sit". This simply sitting, provided there is someone who gives the food and i already had enough sleep ... if i decide to Just Sit, and do nothing else. Frankly, its a wonderful test for ourselves. What happens if we simply sit. Various reactions can take place. But before that there are various questions:

1. Thoughtlessly, can I move from the place ?
2. If there is a thought "Lets move from here" , does it mean I have to move? Can I ignore that ?
3. Can there be a thought without words ?
4. Without the thought "I am bored" , can I feel bored ?
5. Without the thought "I want to go out", can I feel as if I am missing the fun outside  ?

Title: Mandalasa: You are Already Enlightened
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 12, 2012, 05:03:56 PM

The Answer to all the questions are a big "NO".

Here, in this text, Mandalasa does not say "You need to become enlightened". She says "buddhosi, Shuddosi" -- meaning you are already that!

The crying is "self created". Even when we hear "you are nameless" : thats already a fact. A name is "given" to me. I have a name - I am not the name. And more importantly, the whole universe is really nameless. In my previous article I tried to express that words are a major source of conflict. Thoughts are made up of words and all mental conflicts are really a set of words colliding with another set of words!!

the moment I resolve names, there are no mental conflicts. So I can use names and yet resolve them when not needed: never for a moment getting caught in the trap of this maya created by "words".

All bondage is really self created. All crying, is a self creation. If we stop we are done. Thats why Bhagavan said "Just Be".
We will continue with this discussion.

Title: A Just Be Game For Kids :)
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 13, 2012, 10:41:25 AM

Friends,
     When we were kids we used to play an interesting game. Someone would shout: "Statue" and we would stand like statues in what ever pose we were. And then after some time the person would shout: "Relax" and we would get a chance to move :).

As I grew up, I started to feel that this game was boring ! and now as I take a re-look : it is perhaps the most interesting game :)! I started playing it again :).

Lets now play this game in the mandalasa / Ramana style :).

Here we tell ourselves statue... which means we let the body "be" where it is. Mandalasa says "you are not of the body and the body is not of you". The body is left where it is. Its made up of what ? Its made up of the pancha-bhutas like earth, water, fire, air, space ! now none of these are cognitive :). In the presence of awareness they "seem" to be cognitive. So the body is left like a "dead" log of wood where it is.

And we remain.

The body is here ... seated or lying or even inclined the way Ramana sits :).

Totally still. We make sure its "Relaxed" so that none of the parts are "very stiff". :).

this game is pure fun. AS mother said: this body is not mine, i am not of the body. Lets "imagine" this is "realized". :) Infact even as we imagine we tend to see it as it is ... clearly. The body lying or sitting there has no demands. If I see a beautiful girl, the eyes do not demand that i sould keep seeing her! If a misquito were to be on my nose, there is just a sensation... who forces me to scratch ?

:) now the body is just there... movement less and i take away the attention from body and remain as "Awareness". The Mother has given a wonderful clue for this as well: You are Nameless ... and so is the world [next verse says this explicitly]. What has happened now ? I do not use any words at the mental level ! And Remain seated as awareness.

And this we can do anytime, anywhere :). This game, as i call it, is just fun. As one plays it one becomes an expert in it. One just is! The body is motionless. Mind is wordless. Awareness just is. I like another way of describing this... The body is like a room. Awareness is like the space within and there is nothing inbetween : no words. So the body , like the room is still and dead. The mind is dead as there are no words. And awareness just IS. One just needs to divert attention away from all words, need not be worried about a few words that may still pop up. But as and when one notices a few words, one simply withdraws attention and remains as awareness. wordless.

And then even during the day to day activities one remains the same nameless Awareness even while there are words and the body is moving :).

I know I have left a lot of things unsaid... and infact One has to "See" for oneself. It cannot be explained further. This game is so simple and yet the most powerful one for meditation. Zen people often observe breath for some time to make sure mind is not getting into words. And they call it zazen. In Hinduism there is what is called Shambhavi maha mudra that resembles this [not the one taught by isha yoga for sure]. And then this is also Being as "I AM" if one can see it that way :)

The mother has shown this to the child. The body is not urs and you do not belong to the body. ITs made of the five elements none of which are cognitive and then you are nameless and a name is simply a superimposition on you! What a simple and straight teaching! and yet with such child-like simplicity.

Harih om!

Title: Mandalasa Upadesha: The Who Cries, Self Inquiry :)
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 15, 2012, 05:53:08 PM

Quote

Verse 3:
न वै भवान् रोदिति विक्ष्वजन्मा
शब्दोयमायाध्य महीश सूनूम्।
विकल्पयमानो विविधैर्गुणैस्ते
गुणाश्च भौताः सकलेन्दियेषु॥

The essence of the universe does not cry in reality. All is a maya of words, oh Prince! Please understand this. The various qualities you seem to have are are just your imaginations, they belong to the elements that make the senses (and have nothing to do with you).

The mother sweetly introduces the child to itself through its own crying. She says "You feel bad and cry, please tell me who is it that is crying ?" When we cry, we clearly see that the whole universe is as if unconcerned! Lets take a look, the trees, the mountains, the sky, the air, the earth, water: none of them have the least concern! So the universe does not cry, nor does it invoke a cry. Suppose two empty boats hit each other - there is no cry! But if there is a person in both the boats, then they shout at each other. It is always the individuality that cries. And here, the mother is showing the child that there is no individuality in her characteristic coaxing way.

Lets take the example of gold. Suppose I have a lump of gold with me. I may be attached to it. It has no feeling that "this person is my owner". thats why if a theif picks it up, it does not have any protest. While I protest, because here there is a "individuality". In gold there is none. The 5 elements that make this body are all like the gold. None of them have any individuality. Please see this. The body is nothing more than these 5 elements. When in the presence of Awareness, it appears as if "alive". When it cannot "Express" the awareness, its no more than a log of wood. Viveka here is to recognize that even when the body is alive, its no more than jada. The body has no "cry" of its own!
And Awareness never cries!
so who is left ? Whence is this cry arising ? when we say "I feel bad and therefore I cry" who is this "I" ? Whence is the sense of "I AM" arising ? The sense organs dont have any sense of "me". they are "dumb". When i am hungry, the stomach sends a simple singal -- nameless signal. The mind interprets it. And then the stomach does not ask for specific food. What ever eatable stuff I dump in, the stomach is ok. Its the mind that demands specific food. isnt it ?
The Body has no demands. If I like chocolates and I see some ... the body does not demand. The awareness within does not demand either. And Neither of these have any worry or problem if chocolates are not available. Neither of them "cry" for anything !

The mother says "This crying is really a imagination", "This crying is a maya of words". Thats what she says! Words create this sense of lacking ! to illustrate this further: Please tell me can anyone feel a sense of insufficiency without using the words "I lack" or equivalent ?  It could be "i miss", "I dislike", "i want" etc ... but without any such usage of words is it possible to feel a "lacking" ?

Please observe this within. A sense of lacking ,without which no one cries, is but a creation of words and their interplay! Lets not, therefore, say that we should not use words. Words are needed for communcation, but not for self torture. Even as a knife is needed for cutting vegetables but not for cutting ourselves.

Title: Re: Mandalasa Upadesha
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 17, 2012, 02:43:01 PM

Quote

भूतनि भूतैः परिदुर्बलानि
वृद्धिँ समायाति यथेह पुँसः।
अन्नाम्बुपानादिभिरेव तस्मात्
न तेस्ति वृद्धिर् न च तेस्ति हानिः॥

The Elements [that make this body] grow with accumulation of more elements or reduce in size if some elements are taken away. This is what is seen in a body's growing in size or becoming lean depending upon the consumption of food, water etc. You do not have growth or decay.

:) If there is a lump of clay, we add more clay and it becomes a larger lump of clay. We take away a little clay and the lump becomes smaller. Thats what the Mother compares the growth and decay of this body to. The food we eat, accumulates with the same kind of matertial in this body. This body is made up of only pancha bhutas , as we have seen. So when more of this is added to the body, the body grows and when the elements resolve into the universe, the body seems to decay.

I, being a witness of all this, have neither a growth nor any decay.

This is the attitude of a jnani towards the body: its a lump of clay. What ever attitude is natural for a jnani is a sadhana for the sadhakas. A sadhaka looks at the body as a lump of clay that grows and decays but he sees himself as untouched by the changes of the body. This non-identification with the body is a practise for a sadhaka. For jnani, its natural.

How to practise this ? Please see.
Suppose the body is sick. There are some sensations which are not comfortable. If one is unaware of all the sensations, as in deep sleep, there is really nothing to do. When one is aware of the sensations, one "sees" the sensations. One is the witness of the sensations. Its important to observe that one does not "Remain a Witness", One is the Witness. There is no choice here. I am the Witness.
Then one can observe what kind of vocabulary is going on in mind.
The vocabulary that goes on in the mind casts a web and thats where one has to be careful.
Lets see whats happening.
At first there is just a sensation. Pain, lets say.
Its a nameless sensation, to start with.
And there is discomfort. One has to "Zoom into" this process ... as if rewinding a tape slowly ... to see what happened.
Sensation and the brain automatically sends "Fight" signal.
Please see. Certain reactions are inwired into the brain for faster response. So the brain immediately says "React" and we shout "Ah!"
This far it fine. This is discomfort. Same thing happens if we chew neem leaves. The brain's internal reaction spontaneously sends us a "vomit" reaction. The body reacts to it.

Next ? We say "I am uncomfortable". "I dont like this", "I cannot bear it" etc. This mental talk. Please observe. It is this mental talk by which we are "dragging" the pain into suffering! We are first dragging the pain onto ourselves and converting it into suffering through this process. When this is not done... when we do not drag this onto ourselves and say "I suffer", one remains with the nameless Sensation. The body reacts as it should. One does not bother to change it!

This is non-identification with the body. One looks at the body as a statue or a inanimate object. One does not believe it has "Feelings" etc. By stopping to believe this body is alive, one sees it as jada in the true sense. The body has absolutely no demands and we have to see this clearly.Suppose someone puts my finger in fire, instantaneously it moves away... and an inanimate object's reaction to another inanimate object. One stops to see "Feeling" there. Or one stops to drag the body's reactions to oneself. One simply divorces oneself from that body and its movements.

Title: Re: Mandalasa Upadesha
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 17, 2012, 04:14:25 PM

One should stop believing the idea that "i am this body"  --- this brings about indifference. This is the teaching of Mandalasa when she said "This body is not yours and you are not of this body". A part of this understanding is to look at hte body as a breathing statue. These things develop slowly. One should Start seeing like this: The Self, which is Awareness is me.
And I shine through this body and all bodies !

This needs to be taken within and being seated with this vision, one has to start looking at the world. This cognitive change takes place only after long preparation for most of us. The preparation is in terms of understanding and also in terms of living it. Both have to be done simultaneously. when we have a living example like Sri Ramana, it makes the living this idea easier.

We need to develop indifference: towards body, towards events, towards the happenings... an eye of indifference has to be developed based upon the understanding that I Am Awareness -- unconcerned with all this. This Nischaya, or Conclusion, has to be Dradha, Firm. Firmly we need to develop these ideas.

Title: Re: Mandalasa Upadesha
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 18, 2012, 02:59:44 PM

Quote

त्वम् कँचुके शीर्यमाणे निजोस्मिन्
तस्मिन् देहे मूढताँ मा व्रजेथाः।
शुभाशुभौः कर्मभिर्देहमेतत्
मृदादिभिः कँचुकस्ते पिनद्धः॥

You are in the body which is like a jacket that gets worn out day by day. Do not have the wrong notion that you are the body. This body is like a jacket that you are tied to, for the frutification of the good and bad karmas.

To stop identifying with this body is very important. Saints like sri Ramakrishna used the word "this" for the body, rather than "me". The point is to recognize that this body is like a vehicle for us. We sit in the vehicle and travel in this world, the vehicle is always distinct from us. If the vehicle breaks down, our movement is restricted but "we are not affected"!

When we start to look at this body as a jacket , its a meditation to undo the identification with it. Suppose there is a pain, who complains ? Please note that its not our intention to foolishly spoil this jacket. The jacket is there, it can be used. When it gets worn out, its cast away.

This body is a byproduct of our karmas. When a particular body is given , certain enjoyments become possible and certain troubles also come along with it. So If I have a dog's body, i cannot appreciate Rabindranath Tagore's poems. I simply do not have that kind of a body. And i I am born as a human, I do not enjoy the kind of energy that an elephant has. So a body is given to us by God based upon the kind of prarabdha karma that is enfolding.

We have a human body and this is a wonderful chance to know the Truth and free ourselves from all suffering! We should be careful not to miss this point. Lets not identify with this body and loosen the bondage !

Title: Re: Mandalasa Upadesha
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 18, 2012, 03:55:46 PM

Quote

तातेति किँचित् तनयेति किँचित्
अँबेति किँचिद्धयितेति किँचित्।
ममेति किँचित् न ममेति किँचित्
त्वम् भूतसँघँ बहु म नयेथाः॥

Some may refer to you are Father and some others may refer to you a Son or
some may refer to you as mother and some one else may refer to you as wife.
some say "you are mine" and some others say "you are not mine"
These are all references to this "Combination of Physical Elements", Do not identify with them.

As even looking the body as a jacket or a dead log of wood was a meditation for a sadhaka and natural for the jnani ... all these statements are meditations for sadhakas and natural for jnanis. These are practical and one needs to apply them with care in the day to day life. When someone says "You are mine", one should be careful not to get carried away. And when someone says "You  are not mine" again one should maintain that viveka that these are transitory relationships based upon this combination of elements called Body.

When it was said, in an earlier verse, that : You do not have a name... it is to say that name is incidental only. That is to say that it is given for an operational purpose only. Its a super imposition, which should be "used".

when a person says "udai is a fool", for example, here ... the words "udai" and "fool" evoke certain mental state. The words "udai" and "fool" are useful for operational purposes, but when they create "automatic" reaction from me, they become a burden. To see myself as nameless is to create a "gap" between the words with their emotional conditionings in the mind and ME. To see myself as nameless is not to disable me from entering my name in a passport certificate. Please observe this. To see myself as nameless is to distance myself from the automatic web of emotions that get generated based upon those names. That gap or distance gives me the freedom to "act" rather than "react". So I heard some swamiji explain: "if someone says You are a Monkey"... we have the mental space to "act" on it and not "react" . To react means to simply shout back "Oh, ya? You are a Donkey!". Thats a reaction. But to act means to verify if really I am a monkey and then respond "Yes, I and everyone of us are descendents of monkeys but then its not right to address us as monkeys because we thinkg we are more evolved and our species has got a different name" :) Thats a response.
Please observe the difference. Mind, as i said, is wired in such a way to react rather than act in many circumstances. When I do not remain with the "nameless and wordless Presence" ... when I do not remain as Awareness with a clear gap from the mental/emotional world ... the thoughts "Carry me".

What applies to name also applies to the various "Relations" like father, mother, brother, son, wife, daughter etc. They are all words with a lot of emotions, ideas etc . Just the word and all those ideas pop up in mind. I should have the mental space to not get "Carried away" by the thoughts that arise due to all these relationships. Which is possible if I do not see myself as defined by those relationships! Which is to say, that I relate, but I am not defined by the relationship.

Lets zoom into this a little and see it more carefully...

Title: Re: Mandalasa Upadesha
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 18, 2012, 05:23:43 PM

Never is a relationship a bondage. But we make all relationships into bondage. We will explore this very carefully, but what exactly is a relationship ?

All our relations are in the mind and they are all with reference to the body. When a child is born, the body is there, but no relations are there for the child. I may feel this child is my son or daughter, but the child does not feel any relationship. As the child grows, he is fed with memories and thoughts and out of those memories and thoughts certain relationships are formed. So now the child has a father , a mother, a relative, a friend, a brother or a sister etc. As the child grows up he picks up new relationships which are nothing but mental roles he picks up. The role is simply a collection of thoughts, ideas, memories etc which are all based on the body.

Lets take a simple example to see how relationships are formed. What happens is a teenager sees a girl and the first perception he has is a simple perception of the girl, nameless simple perception. Then the next thought, "she is beautiful", "I would like to befriend her" ... and very soon he is in love with her!! That relationship of a lover is simply a combination of his thoughts, ideas, memories etc. All based on some words. And words act as triggers for all the thoughts related to the relationship. This needs to be observed.

And then, suppose, the girl leaves him. The thoughts of the girl are there in his mind, but the girl is not there to relate to. And he is suddenly in intense suffering. When the thoughts of the relationship is there, but they cannot be expressed as the body itself is not available, the person is missed. This is exactly how we miss someone. Any word can trigger those memories and the moment those memories are there, there is suffering !

The thoughts of the related person along with the person's physical presence are both required to correspond. The sweet moments in any relationship are remembered and when the person cannot related there is intense disappointment and sorrow.

Now if the thoughts and memories related to a relationship are not there, where is the relationship ? the physical presence with no related thoughts would leave the person non-responsive. the thoughts without physical presence makes the person disappointed. Both are problems.

Title: Re: Mandalasa Upadesha
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 18, 2012, 05:37:42 PM

I need the thoughts to respond in a relationship. And yet, when thoughts are there, they should not "Force" me to respond. Always thoughts are wonderful as suggestions, problem starts when they start to "drag" us with them. Thats when we say, I am forced by my emotions. Emotions are like a flood of thoughts. And a person gets carried away in that stream of thoughts landing himself in troubles.

Friends, lets observe impartially. Are thoughts a problem ? Mental conflicts are a problem - not thoughts. When there is a conflict at the mental level, thats a cause for stress. For example, suppose i am seated in a garden and I hear some sweet chirpings of birds. That is not a "burden". However if i hear a noise thats disturbing , then it becomes a problem. Do we see this ? The sound of temple bell... is that a problem ever ? It is like a pointer to Silence. Its like a Prayer that Shows us the God called Silence ! But if there is a bulldozer sound thats a disturbance, because we "fight" with it -- there is a collision.

no event "collides" with us to create a conflict. for example, I am eager to watch a TV programme and the power goes off ! The event and corresponding thought take place in the mind, unless i am seated with closed eyes and am in deep meditation. The thoughts happen. Anyone who cannot be in meditation for the whole day, have no choice here but to face the thoughts. Only in deep and seated meditation one can [probably] do away with thoughts. During the day to day activities, the thoughts are there. A event takes place and the corresponding thoughts happen in the mind. No choice here ! Thoughts do not seek our permission to arise. Do we see this ?

When these thoughts arise... I am waiting to watch a TV Programme and the power goes off... simple event. Now true to the event, there is a thought in my mind. and the "wanting person" who was eager to watch the TV programme... feels "unhappy". This person "collides" with the "Event" . suppose there is also another person who is simply seated ... not wanting anything... and the same event takes place... there is no "collision". The Event did not create mental conflict. Mental conflict always needs a mental Form, a Person to Collide with the happenings or events!

In this verse, the mother says, "You have no Relations"... One has to see oneself as "Asangah", the One who has no relations at all. One has to "be" like that. And being like that, no relation or events related to the relations "Collide" with us! Without collisions, since the thoughts related to the relationships are there, one can function comfortably. There is no burden!

Title: Re: Mandalasa Upadesha
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 18, 2012, 05:42:56 PM

That I am in a relationship is not a problem. It just means that I have various thoughts related to the relationship. A person who thinks these thoughts are causing a problem for him, tries to move away from the relationship. Really speaking its not the thoughts that cause a problem but a mental conflict is a problem. The thought is fine... but when it starts to "drag" me then its a problem. When the thought "hits" me thats a problem.

and I get hit by a thought when I am a thought. A thought cannot hit the body, neither can the thought hit the space like awareness. A stone hits a physical form, not the space. A thought can hit a mental form, not the mental space which is Awareness. When I see myself as nameless Self, which is the Wordless being -- the Awareness itself. I remain as the Awareness and then no thought collides with me! I remain Asangah.

All relations are with the body and i am not the body -- the body is like a jacket. So now, none of the thougths related to body/relationships can hit me or collide with me !

so I revel as awareness unaffected by mind and everything that happens in mind !
This is the simple but beautiful teaching!

Title: Re: Mandalasa Upadesha
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 18, 2012, 06:30:21 PM

Quote

सुखानि दुःखोपशमाय भोगान्
सुखाय जानाति विमूढचेताः।
तान्येव दुःखानि पुनः सुखानि
जानाति विद्धनविमूढचेताः॥

The deluded look at objects of enjoyments as giving happiness by removing the unhappiness. The wise clearly see that the same object which gives happiness now will become a source of unhappiness.

su-kha... good-Space or good mental space.
duh-kha ... bad - space or bad mental space.

bhoga is indulgence. The deluded think that by indulging in the objects that appear to create comfortable situations [ie, sukha], they will become happy and unhappiness will be gone. But the wise can see that the same objects become sources of discomfort when one indulges in them for long!

This is so for any object. Take any sense indulgence. Excess indulgence makes the body diseased or averse to the object. This is because the objects do not have "Happiness". When a person runs after an object for happiness, its not the object that he is running after. Its the happiness he derives from the object that matters. Its the sense of fulfillment that he derives by obtaining the object that makes the object important.

The fundamental error we commit in seeking objects is equating Comforts with Happiness and Discomforts with Unhappiness. This is a totally mistaken understanding. For example, to eat a curry thats not tasty is not comfortable. Thats so for anyone, be it Ramana or me. To take bitter medicine is not comfortable. But a Ramana would not allow the discomfort to get converted into unhappiness. Thats the most important point to observe. We should also not convert a comfortable situation into "Happiness". If we do this, it becomes a habit. We need to be very careful here. Brain has certain predefined responses. For example, if my tongue is too sensitive, too much of masala etc would make the curry uncomfortable. When there is discomfort, it is not equivalent to comfort. Discomfort is not equal to comfort, but I do not allow the "Equanimity" of mind to get disturbed when there is discomfort. When there is comfort also I do not allow the equanimity of the mind to get disturbed. Which means I maintain an attitude of samatvam,equanimity. This is very important. I remain relaxed and do not "Collide" with the situation. Which means that when discomfort arises, I try to set it right and if its not possible, I bear it without using such words as "I am unhappy, i cannot bear this, this is not acceptable" etc. Such vocabulary is used to "Fight" with the situations, isnt it ? So I accept the discomfort, when its unavoidable.
When comforts come, I make sure I am not addicted to them. That is I make sure I do not use such words as "Without this I cannot live" , "this makes me fulfilled" etc.

Its also delusion to think that by replacing the objects of discomfort with objects of comfort we gain happiness. The happiness quotient of a person is determined by the ability of the person to remain as Self.

The objects do not have happiness to give us! They are like a dry bone. Sri Ramakrishna used to tell this story: A dog was chewing a dry bone and it felt the blood oozing out of its own gums. The taste of the blood prompted it to chew even more ... All sense enjoyments are like this. Happiness comes from within and not the objects. the objects do not have any happiness to give us. We simulate a mental condition using those objects and find happiness. Thus we get into a dependence.

If we clearly see, Happiness is in Relaxed Being as Awareness: detaching from the body. We are already fulfilled, we have already reached... no where to go, nothing to do ... in being thus there is happiness. Happiness is to Just Be! Happiness is not in the sense objects. We simulate a temporary just be like state when we indulge in the sense pleasure. And then we think that the object is giving us that happiness. Thats the mistake of a deluded mind.

A wise person sees that the object cannot be the source because we fail to get happiness at other tiems from the same object. so the happiness has to be with me and not the object of pleasure. Knowing this, one has to simply Relax into one's own being [which is awareness] ... and remain as a nameless entity without identification with the body and without any hankerings for anything ! that absolute detachment is Happiness ! 

Title: Re: Mandalasa Upadesha
Post by: Tushnim.Asanam on October 18, 2012, 07:08:25 PM

Quote

यानँ चित्तौ तत्र गतश्च देहो
देहोपि चान्यः पुरुषो निविष्ठः।
ममत्वमुरोया न यथ तथास्मिन्
देहेति मात्रँ बत मूढरौष।

The vehicle that moves on the ground is different from the person in it similarly this body is also different from the person who is inside!
The owner of the body is different from the body! Ah how foolish it is to think I am the body!

This is the last verse of the mandalasa upadesha. This poem is so beautiful! Its beautiful because it introduces us to ourselves. Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi said "Just Be" and thats a wonderful suggestion. Just be is not really a "instruction", its to say "dont take yourself to be anything other than the Being thats 'I AM'". It can be read as "Relax and Be , without 'Becoming'".

Becoming is to take myself to be a "mental entity" , "I am intelligent" is becoming. " I am fool" is another becoming. Ramana says , "I AM", remain with that, no need to become anything else after that. That "intelligent", "fool", "spiritual" etc are words and those words have a certain mental connotation. When I say mental connotation, I mean they invoke various thoughts. And those thoughts collide with "me" if I remain as a "person" in mind. I should remain as the Space Like Awareness within - totally untouched by any thoughts. Relaxed and remaining as Awareness, atonce there is pure Bliss.

The body has no sense of "I AM" and it does not feel owned by me. Only, I drag the reactions and feelings of the body onto myself or collide with those states and create problems. This is the essential teaching of Mandalasa upadesha: You are Not the Body and Body is not You. Remain as the Nameless Awareness and there can be no mental conflicts with what ever happens ! Thus be Free, Just Be!

What a teaching and what a joy to share this with everyone !

OM! Sri Guru Charanarpitamastu!
Harih Om!