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Stranger Registered: 09/15/20 Posts: 876 |
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Adi Shankara - Dasasloki (Nirvana Dasakam);
"I am not earth, I am not water. I am not light, I am not wind, I am not ether, I am not sense organs, Nor am I a combination of these, Because they don’t always exist. I am simply Shiva the self, For this remains even in sleep, After everything is taken out. 1 I am not the caste, I am not the caste rules, I am not stages of life, I am not rules, l am not the just conduct, I am not meditation, I am not yogic practice, For the concept of I and me destroy all these. I am simply Shiva the self, For this remains even in sleep, After everything is taken out. 2 Neither the mother nor the father. Neither the celestial gods nor the earth, Neither the Vedas, nor the fire sacrifice, Nor the holy waters, they say, exist in Sleep. But there is no void in sleep, either. So I am simply Shiva the self, For this remains even in sleep, After everything is taken out. 3 Neither the Sankhya principle, Nor the doctrine of Shaiva, Not the principle of pancha rathra, Nor the doctrine of Jainas, Nor the principle of Meemasa, Are Unique experiences, For the soul is the purest known truth., So I am simply Shiva the self, For this remains even in sleep, After everything is taken out. 4 Neither above, nor below, Neither inside nor outside, Neither the middle, nor the across, Neither the east nor the west am I, For like the all pervading ether, I am spread everywhere, So I am simply Shiva the self, For this remains even in sleep, After everything is taken out. 5 Neither white nor black, Neither red nor yellow, Neither large nor thin, Neither short, nor tall, And neither with a form is the soul, For this soul is the form of the light, So I am simply Shiva the self, For this remains even in sleep, After everything is taken out. 6 Neither the origin of knowledge, Nor the books of knowledge, Neither the disciple nor the teacher, Neither you, nor me and nor this world am I, For this is not tolerated by innate realization, So I am simply Shiva the self, For this remains even in sleep, After everything is taken out. 7 Neither the state of waking, Nor the state of dream, Nor the state of deep sleep is for me, Neither the earthy feelings, Nor the glorified feelings of dreams, Nor the feeling of wakefulness in sleep am I, For these are the souls of avidya, And I am the fourth, the thureeya, which is beyond these, So I am simply Shiva the self, For this remains even in sleep, After everything is taken out. 8 Being all pervasive and goal oriented, Being dependent on its own nature, Than depending on any out side thing, This world is trivial as it is different from self, So I am simply Shiva the self, For this remains even in sleep, After everything is taken out. 9 It is not even one and how can it be two, Neither is it unique and nor not unique, Neither is it a vacuum nor something different from it, For it is the essence of non dual reality, So how can I tell about what is established by all philosophy? 10" Jiddu Krishnamurti - Public Talk 7 Saanen, Switzerland - 25 July 1976; "When you are a light to yourself you are a light to the world, because the world is you, and you are the world." Edited by spinvis (05/11/24 01:59 AM)
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Stranger Registered: 09/15/20 Posts: 876 |
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Bhikkhu Bodhi; Gautama Buddha - Devalokasutta - The Realm of the Gods - Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Book of the Threes - 3.18 Deva - Spiritual practice isn’t for rebirth in heaven;
“Bhikkhus, if wanderers of other sects were to ask you thus: ‘Friends, do you lead the spiritual life under the ascetic Gotama for the sake of rebirth in the deva world?’ wouldn’t you be repelled, humiliated, and disgusted?” “Yes, Bhante.” “Thus, bhikkhus, since you are repelled, humiliated, and disgusted with a celestial life span, celestial beauty, celestial happiness, celestial glory, and celestial authority, so much more then should you be repelled, humiliated, and disgusted with bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, and mental misconduct.” Psalm 104; "Unnamable God, you are fathomless; I praise you with endless awe. You are wrapped in light like a cloak; you stretch out the sky like a curtain. You make the clouds your chariot; you walk on the wings of the wind. You use the winds as your messengers, thunder and lightning as your servants. You look at the earth—it trembles; you touch the hills and they smoke. You laid the earth’s foundations so that they would never be destroyed. You covered the land with ocean; the waters rose over the mountains. They fled at the sound of your voice; you thundered and they ran away. They rushed down into the valleys, to the place you appointed for them. You bounded them, so that they would never return to inundate the earth. You send streams into the valleys, and they flow out among the hills. All the animals drink from them; the wild asses quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the sky dwell, singing among the branches. You water the hills from the sky; by your care the whole earth is nourished. You make grass grow for the cattle and grains for the service of mankind, to bring forth food from the earth and bread that strengthens the body, oil that makes the face shine and wine that gladdens the heart. You plant the trees that grow tall, pines, and cedars of Lebanon, where many birds build their nests, and the stork on the topmost branches. The mountains shelter the wild goats; the cliffs are a shelter for the rock squirrels. You created the moon to count months; the sun knows when it must set. You make darkness, it is night, the forest animals emerge. The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. The sun rises, they withdraw, and lie down together in their dens. Humans go out to their labor and work until it is evening. How manifold are your creatures, Lord! With wisdom you made them all; the whole earth is filled with your riches. Here is the sea in its vastness, where innumerable creatures live, fish both tiny and huge. Here sharks swim, and the whale that you created to play with. All these depend on you to give them food in due time. You open your hands—they gather it; you give it—they are filled with gladness. You hide your face—they are stricken; you take back their breath—they die and return their bodies to the dust. You send forth your breath—they are born, and with them you replenish the earth. Your grandeur will last forever; eternally you rejoice in your works. I will sing to you every moment; I will praise you with every breath. May all selfishness disappear from me, and may you always shine from my heart."
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Stranger Registered: 09/15/20 Posts: 876 |
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Swami Abhyayananda; Jnanadev - Jnaneshvar: The Life and Works of the Celebrated Thirteenth Century Indian Mystic-Poet - The Union of Shiva and Shakti (from Amritanubhav);
"I offer obeisance to the God and Goddess, The limitless primal parents of the universe. They are not entirely the same, Nor are they not the same. We cannot say exactly what they are. How sweet is their union! The whole world is too small to contain them, Yet they live happily in the smallest particle. These two are the only ones Who dwell in this home called the universe. When the Master of the house sleeps, The Mistress stays awake, And performs the functions of both. When He awakes, the whole house disappears, And nothing at all is left. Two lutes: one note. Two flowers: one fragrance. Two lamps: one light. Two lips: one word. Two eyes: one sight. These two: one universe. In unity there is little to behold; So She, the mother of abundance, Brought forth the world as play. He takes the role of Witness Out of love of watching Her. But when Her appearance is withdrawn, The role of Witness is abandoned as well. Through Her, He assumes the form of the universe; Without Her, He is left naked. If night and day were to approach the Sun, Both would disappear. In the same way, their duality would vanish If their essential Unity were seen. In fact, the duality of Shiva and Shakti Cannot exist in that primal unitive state From which AUM emanates. They are like a stream of knowledge From which a knower cannot drink Unless he gives up himself. Is the sound of AUM divided into three Simply because it contains three letters? Or is the letter 'N' divided into three because of the three lines by which it is formed? So long as Unity is undisturbed, And a graceful pleasure is thereby derived, Why should not the water find delight In the floral fragrance of its own rippled surface? It is in this manner I bow To the inseparable Shiva and Shakti. A man returns to himself When he awakens from sleep; Likewise, I have perceived the God and Goddess By waking from my ego. When salt dissolves, It becomes one with the ocean; When my ego dissolved, I became one with Shiva and Shakti." Herbert Spencer; "No one can be perfectly free till all are free; no one can be perfectly moral till all are moral; no one can be perfectly happy till all are happy."
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Stranger Registered: 09/15/20 Posts: 876 |
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Bhikkhu Bodhi; Gautama Buddha - Sāriputtasutta - With Sāriputta - Aṅguttara Nikāya - The Book of the Threes - 3.33. Sāriputta - Even the Buddha found it hard to get students to understand;
"Then the Venerable Sāriputta approached the Blessed One, paid homage to him, and sat down to one side. The Blessed One then said to him: “Sāriputta, I can teach the Dhamma briefly; I can teach the Dhamma in detail; I can teach the Dhamma both briefly and in detail. It is those who can understand that are rare.” “It is the time for this, Blessed One. It is the time for this, Fortunate One. The Blessed One should teach the Dhamma briefly; he should teach the Dhamma in detail; he should teach the Dhamma both briefly and in detail. There will be those who can understand the Dhamma.” “Therefore, Sāriputta, you should train yourselves thus: (1) ‘There will be no I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit in regard to this conscious body; (2) there will be no I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit in regard to all external objects; and (3) we will enter and dwell in that liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, through which there is no more I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit for one who enters and dwells in it.’ It is in this way, Sāriputta, that you should train yourselves. “When, Sāriputta, a bhikkhu has no I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit in regard to this conscious body; when he has no I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit in regard to all external objects; and when he enters and dwells in that liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, through which there is no more I-making, mine-making, and underlying tendency to conceit for one who enters and dwells in it, he is called a bhikkhu who has cut off craving, stripped off the fetter, and, by completely breaking through conceit, has made an end of suffering. And it was with reference to this that I said in the Pārāyana, in ‘The Questions of Udaya’: “The abandoning of both sensual perceptions and dejection; the dispelling of dullness, the warding off of remorse; “purified equanimity and mindfulness preceded by reflection on the Dhamma: this, I say, is emancipation by final knowledge, the breaking up of ignorance.”" Shivasutras II - 9 - 11; "The Self is the dancer : The inner Self the stage : The senses the audience."
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Stranger Registered: 09/15/20 Posts: 876 |
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Adi Sankara - Atma Panchakam (The Pentet on Soul);
"I am neither the body, nor the senses nor the mind, Neither am I pride, soul nor intellect, But I am Shiva, who is eternal, Who is completely unattached. Who is far, far and far away From wife, son, lands and assets, And is the witness for everything. 1 Due to ignorance I think that a rope is a snake, For due to absence of Jnana. I ascribe life in to lifeless thing. And when the realized one points it out, I wake up from this illusion, And understand that it is a rope and not a snake. Similarly I am not the soul but Shiva, Which I only understand by the teaching of the great teacher. 2 Due to the veil of ignorance, I see this world in the eternal life, Which has the form of truth and joy, Similar to the dream which I see due to veil of sleep, For I am the pure complete, perennial and single Shiva. 3 This world is in no way different from me, Similar to everything getting reflected in a mirror, All the world is within me, So I am that Shiva which is without two. 4 Nor was I born nor grew nor die, For birth, growth and death are for the body, The nature of taking up a work is, The reflections of pride and not, For my soul which is eternal, And so I am the unattached Shiva. 5 I was not born, whence birth and death came to me, I am not the soul, whence came hunger and thirst to me, I am not the mind, whence came passion and sorrow to me, I am not the doer, whence came attachment and detachment to me? 6" Taigen Dan Leighton, Yi Wu; Honghzhi Zhengue - Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi - PRACTICE INSTRUCTIONS - The Amazing Living Beings; "Our house is a single field, clean, vast, and lustrous, clearly self-illuminated. When the spirit is vacant without conditions, when awareness is serene without cogitation, then buddhas and ancestors appear and disappear transforming the world. Amid living beings is the original place of nirvana. How amazing it is that all people have this but cannot polish it into bright clarity. In darkness unawakened, they make foolishness cover their wisdom and overflow. One remembrance of illumination can break through and leap out of the dust of kalpas. Radiant and clear white, [the single field] cannot be diverted or altered in the three times; the four elements cannot modify it. Solitary glory is deeply preserved, enduring throughout ancient and present times, as the merging of sameness and difference becomes the entire creation's mother. This realm manifests the energy of the many thousands of beings, all appearances merely this [field's] shadows. Truly enact this reality."
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Stranger Registered: 09/15/20 Posts: 876 |
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Bhikkhu Sujato; Gautama Buddha - Paramaṭṭhakasutta - Anthology of Discourses 4.5 - Eight on the Ultimate - The conceit that comes from clinging to practices or views—even if they’re supreme—is a fetter preventing full freedom.;
"If, maintaining that theirs is the “ultimate” view, a person makes it out to be highest in the world; Reading yad- here and below as yadi. then they declare all others are “lesser”; that’s why they’re not over disputes. If they see an advantage for themselves in what’s seen, heard, or thought; or in precepts or vows, in that case, having adopted that one alone, they see all others as inferior. Experts say that, too, is a knot, relying on which people see others as lesser. That’s why a mendicant ought not rely on what’s seen, heard, or thought, or on precepts and vows. Nor would they form a view about the world through a notion or through precepts and vows. They would never represent themselves as “equal”, nor conceive themselves “worse” or “better”. What was picked up has been set down and is not grasped again; they form no dependency even on notions. They follow no side among the factions, and believe in no view at all. One here who has no wish for either end—for any form of existence in this life or the next—has adopted no dogma at all after judging among the teachings. For them not even the tiniest idea is formulated here regarding what is seen, heard, or thought. That brahmin does not grasp any view—how could anyone in this world judge them? They don’t make things up or promote them, and don’t subscribe to any of the doctrines. The brahmin has no need to be led by precept or vow; gone to the far shore, one such does not return." Gorakhanath; "At the core of Shiva there is Shakti; at the core of Shakti there is Shiva. To tell the difference is as hard as separating moonlight from the Moon."
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Stranger Registered: 09/15/20 Posts: 876 |
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Adi Sankara - Nirvana Manjari (Bouquet of Renunciation);
"I am neither god nor man nor Asura, I am neither Gandarwa nor Yaksha nor ghost nor omens, I am neither man, nor woman nor eunuch, I am by nature, Shiva the effulgent entity. 1 I am neither a child nor youth nor old man, I do not belong to a class nor I am bachelor or family man, I do not sit in the forest nor do I follow the rules of Sanyasa, For I am that Shiva who causes destruction of the world. 2 I am not measurable and am past the concept of illusion, Even though seen by all as different, I am that which brings things together, Even though attached to the trinity, I am that which has no second, For I am that Shiva which is all pervading and beyond senses. 3 I am neither the thinker nor the one who goes nor the one who speaks, I am neither the doer, nor the one who consumes nor the one free from abodes, I am one with different roles according to the thought of the mind, For I am that Shiva, who is the cause of everything. 4 Neither I am that action which flows between worlds, Nor I am the wrong selfish thoughts which are attached, I am that thought of the mind which is at the end of action, For I am that Shiva, which is thought personified after the end of the body. 5 Those who need to be cleaned of ignorant deeds and ignorance, Those who are without truth, those who do not shine, And those who are trapped between end, middle and middle of middle, Are given lustrous mind by some god, and I am that Shiva. 6 I am not wisdom nor completion of tasks, I am not organs nor the procreative seed, I live in the sky of heart and am beyond the pain of senses, I am that Shiva who is the personification of ever blissful true joy. 7 I am that Shiva, who creates the differences in the world, Who is the abode of these different forms ‘ Who is perhaps the one who cannot be seen as two, Who is personification of mind, wisdom, senses and intelligence, And is the one from whom every thing came. 8 I am that Shiva, who is crystal clear and pervades inside and outside, Who is for ever the cloud of the joy of eternal bliss, Who is the creator of the big and minute parts of the universe, And who is the mother source of all these parts. 9 I am that Shiva, who gives power to those who remember him, Who is like the waves of lightning and shine of Sun and Moon, Who playfully creates the difference between self and others, And who has the whole world at his lotus feet. 10 I am that Shiva, who is the source of existence to the God of death, Who is the reason for the glory of mind, knowledge and senses, And who is the reason for the shine of Gods like, Brahma, Shiva, Indra, Chandra and others. 11 I am that Shiva, who cannot be classified within himself, Who is infinite like the expanse of the sky, Who has form which is peaceful, Who is extremely effulgent, Who chooses to be nothing, Who does not have end nor beginning, And who is called Shankara. 12" Hisamatsu - Vow of Humankind; "Keeping calm and composed, let us awaken to our True Self, become fully compassionate humans, make full use of our gifts according to our respective missions in life, discern the agony both individual and social and its source, recognize the right direction in which history should proceed, and join hands without distinctions of race, nation, or class. Let us, with compassion, vow to bring to realization humankind’s deep desire for Self-emancipation and construct a world in which everyone can truly and fully live."
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Stranger Registered: 09/15/20 Posts: 876 |
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Anthony De Mello - Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality - ON WANTING HAPPINESS;
"I was saying that we don’t want to be happy. We want other things. Or let’s put it more accurately: We don’t want to be unconditionally happy. I’m ready to be happy provided I have this and that and the other thing. But this is really to say to our friend or to our God or to anyone, “You are my happiness. If I don’t get you, I refuse to be happy.” It’s so important to understand that. We cannot imagine being happy without those conditions. That’s pretty accurate. We cannot conceive of being happy without them. We’ve been taught to place our happiness in them. So that’s the first thing we need to do if we want to come awake, which is the same thing as saying: if we want to love, if we want freedom, if we want joy and peace and spirituality. In that sense, spirituality is the most practical thing in the whole wide world. I challenge anyone to think of anything more practical than spirituality as I have defined it—not piety, not devotion, not religion, not worship, but spirituality—waking up, waking up! Look at the heartache everywhere, look at the loneliness, look at the fear, the confusion, the conflict in the hearts of people, inner conflict, outer conflict. Suppose somebody gave you a way of getting rid of all of that? Suppose somebody gave you a way to stop that tremendous drainage of energy, of health, of emotion that comes from these conflicts and confusion. Would you want that? Suppose somebody showed us a way whereby we would truly love one another, and be at peace, be at love. Can you think of anything more practical than that? But, instead, you have people thinking that big business is more practical, that politics is more practical, that science is more practical. What’s the earthly use of putting a man on the moon when we cannot live on the earth?" David Whyte - Essentials - The Opening of Eyes; "That day I saw beneath dark clouds the passing light over the water and I heard the voice of the world speak out, I knew then, as I had before life is no passing memory of what has been nor the remaining pages in a great book waiting to be read. It is the opening of eyes long closed. It is the vision of far off things seen for the silence they hold. It is the heart after years of secret conversing speaking out loud in the clear air. It is Moses in the desert fallen to his knees before the lit bush. It is the man throwing away his shoes as if to enter heaven and finding himself astonished, opened at last, fallen in love with solid ground."
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Stranger Registered: 09/15/20 Posts: 876 |
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Attributed to Woodrow Wilson;
"As a beauty I am not a star; There are others more handsome by far, But my face - I don’t mind it For I am behind it; It’s the people in front get the jar." The Secret of the Golden Flower - Chapter IV. Turning Around the Light and Tuning the Breathing (* including commentary); "1. Master Lu (Dongbin) said, the doctrine just requires that one practices with a pure heart. One does not seek verification*; that will come by itself. Quote: 2. Generally, beginners suffer from two problems: oblivion and distraction*. There is a solution to get rid of them, which is simply to connect the heart to the breath. Quote: 3. The character for self (自) and the character for heart (心) make up the character for breath (息). When the heart is stirred, there is movement of energy. Energy is basically transformed activity of the heart. Our thoughts are very fast. When a wandering thought takes place in a moment*1, inhalation and exhalation respond to it. Therefore inner and outer breathing*2 follow each other like sound and echo. Daily we draw ten thousands of breaths and have an equal number of wandering thoughts. As the clarity of the spirit leaks away, one becomes like a withered tree or dead ashes. Quote: 4. So should one have no thoughts? To be without thoughts is impossible. Should one not breathe? It is impossible not to breathe. The best way is to find medicine for this illness, which means to have heart and breath rest on each other. 5. Therefore, turning the light around is connected with tuning the breath. This method only uses the brightness of the ear. There is light of the eye that is the united light of the external sun and moon. There is also light (brightness) of the ear*1, which is the united essence of the internal sun and moon*2. Essence is where the light congeals and settles. Essence and light have the same origin but have a different name. So clarity (of hearing and seeing*3) is just the result of spiritual light. Quote: 6. When you sit down, lower your eyelids, establish your intention and then let go. However, if after you let go, you are not able to achieve your intention, then be attentive to the sound of your breathing. 7. One should not be able to hear one`s breathing; just listen to its silence. Once it`s audible, the breathing is coarse and superficial. Then be patient and breath lightly; the more you let go, the subtler it becomes. The subtler it is, the more quite it becomes. 8. After a long time, all of a sudden this subtle breath will be interrupted, true breathing manifests and the mind-body can be discerned. If the mind is light, the breathing is subtle. Once the mind is unified, it moves (controls) breath-energy. If breathing is subtle, the heart is light. Once breath-energy (气-qi) is unified, it moves (controls) the mind. Stabilization of the mind must be preceded by cultivating breath-energy, because it is difficult to control the mind. Therefore breath-energy is used as a handle, and this is what is called maintaining pure breath-energy. 9. My fellow students, you may not understand the nature of movement. Movement here refers to making something move by pulling its strings, and is only another name for control. If one can make the mind move merely by pulling, should one not also be able to bring it to rest by pure tranquility? 10. The sages who observed how the heart and breath-energy are connected, set up this method in order to benefit later generations. In the Book of the Elixir it is said: "The hen can hatch her eggs because her heart is always listening". This is an important magic spell*. The way a hen gives life to an egg is through giving it warm energy; warm energy can only warm the shell, but cannot penetrate the inside. Therefore she conducts this energy inward with her heart. This is the act of listening with single-minded attention. When attention penetrates, the energy enters, and the warm energy brings life to the egg. Quote: 11. Even when a hen at times leaves her eggs, her head is always inclined to listen and the attention of her spirit is never interrupted. With the attention of her spirit never ceasing, the warm energy is uninterrupted day and night, so that the spirit comes alive. The awakening of the spirit is accomplished because the heart has first died. When a man can let his heart die, then the original spirit awakens to life. To kill the heart does not mean to let it dry and wither away, but it means that it has become undivided and gathered into one*. The Buddha said: "When you fix your heart on one point, then nothing is impossible for you". The heart easily runs away, so it is necessary to purify it by means of breath-energy. Breath-energy easily becomes rough, therefore it has to be refined by the heart. If you do this, how can the mind fail to stabilize? Quote: 12. Generally speaking, the two afflictions of oblivion and distraction just require uninterrupted daily quiet practice until (the heart) spontaneously comes to complete rest. If one is not seated in meditation*1, one will often be distracted without noticing it. When you become aware of it, it is the time to get rid of distraction. Oblivion of which you are aware and oblivion of which you are unaware, are a thousand miles apart. Oblivion of which you are unaware is real oblivion*2; oblivion that you notice is not complete oblivion, because there is still clarity in it. Distraction comes from letting the mind wander about; oblivion comes from a mind that lacks clarity. Distraction is easy to cure but oblivion is hard to cure. Using the metaphor of illness*3, one that involves pain or itch can be treated with medicine, but oblivion is a symptom of paralysis, where there is no feeling. Distraction can be counteracted, confusion can be straightened out, but oblivion is a state of darkness and stupidity. Distraction and confusion at least have some direction, but oblivion means that the lower self is in complete control. Quote: 13. In distraction there is still some presence left of the higher self, but oblivion is ruled by pure darkness (yin). If you become sleepy when you practice quiet sitting, this is oblivion. Repelling oblivion is simply a matter of tuning the breath. The breath in this case is respiration, not the true breathing*. Nevertheless true breathing can also depend on it. Whenever you sit, you should quiet your mind and purify your energy. How can the mind be made quiet. It is done by using the breath. Let only your heart know the inhalation and exhalation, not your ears. If it is not heard, then the breathing is light; then the mind is clear. If it can be heard, then the breath-energy is rough which means the mind is cloudy. Cloudiness means oblivion, and one becomes sleepy. This is the way nature works. Quote: 14. (This is the way nature works), even so, it`s important to understand how to focus the mind on breathing. It is focusing without focus. One should maintain a subtle looking and listening*. This sentence has a profound meaning. What is looking? It is using the light of the eyes to illuminate the Self; the eyes are only looking inward and not outward. Not looking outward yet being alert is inward looking; it is not that there really is such a thing as looking inward. What is hearing? It is using the brightness of the ears to listen to the Self; the ears listen inwardly only and do not listen to what is outside. Not listening to what is outside yet being alert is inward listening; it has nothing to do with listening to inner talk. Quote: 15. This kind of listening*1 means listening to the sound of silence. This kind of looking means looking at the invisible. When the eyes do not look outside and the ears do not listen outside, they are closed off and have a tendency to race around inside. However, only by inward looking and listening can you prevent being distracted by the outside world and prevent inner racing through which one enters oblivion. This is the united essence and united light of the internal sun and moon*2. Quote: 16. When you sink into oblivion and become sleepy, you should stand up and walk around. When the spirit has become clear one should sit down again. It is best to sit in the early morning when you have free time, for as long as it takes to burn an incense stick. After noontime when there are many things to do, it's easy to fall into oblivion. Also, there's no need to fix the length of time of meditation; it is only essential to set aside all entanglements and sit quietly for a while. In the course of time you will attain absorption and not become oblivious or sleepy. Edited by spinvis (05/20/24 11:04 AM)
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Stranger Registered: 09/15/20 Posts: 876 |
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Hui-Chung;
"Suppose a man were all of a sudden to make his appearance here and cut your head off with a sword!" Ramesh S. Balsekar - A Duet of One: The Ashtavakra Gita Dialogue - excerpts; “For the wise one with steadiness, who is ever unperturbed and fearless, where is the question of darkness or light? Can there be any question of his losing anything? For him, no thing exists.” (254) “For him who has no personal nature of his own, and therefore whose nature cannot be described in specific terms, for such a Self-realized being, how can there be a question of patience, or discrimination, or even fearlessness?“ (255) “In the yogic vision, there is neither heaven nor hell, not even the condition of jeevan-mukti, liberation in life. Indeed, in yogic Consciousness, in nothingness, no thing exists.” (256) “The mind of the steady one does not hanker for any gain, nor does it grieve at something not attained. His serene mind always remains filled with nectar.” (257) “The impartial one has neither praise for one who is considered good nor condemnation for one who is considered wicked. Contented and evenly balanced in happiness and misery, there is nothing for him to achieve.” (258) “The wise one neither abhors samsara nor does he wish for nirvana. Free from the duality of joy and sorrow he is not concerned with birth or death.” (259) “Glorious is the life of the wise one, free from all expectations, free from any attachment to wife, children or any other. He is free of all craving for sensual pleasure, who is unconcerned whether the body exists or not.” (260) “Contentment ever dwells in the heart of the steadfast one who is happy with whatever falls to his lot in life, who goes wherever life takes him, unmindful of where he happens to be at the end of the day.” (261) “Reposing on the foundation of his own true beingness, and therefore transcending birth and death, the great one does not care whether his body drops down dead or continues to exist.” (262) “Blessed is the wise one who stands aloof, who is attached to nothing, who is without any need for possessions, who has transcended the pairs of opposites, and all of whose doubts have been totally destroyed.” (263) “Glorious is the one who is devoid of the feeling of me-and-mine, to whom a clod of earth, a precious stone and a bar of gold are all alike, the knots of whose heart have been rent asunder, and who has been purged of rajas and tamas”. (264) “How can there be any comparison with the liberated one, in whose heart there are absolutely no remnants of desire of any kind, who is quite contented and totally indifferent towards all objects?” (265) “Can there be anyone else other than the one totally bereft of any personal desire, who knows and yet does not know, who perceives and yet does not perceive, who speaks and yet does not speak?“ (266) “Be he a beggar or a king, glorious is he who is totally unattached and completely free from the conceptual duality of the interconnected opposites of good and evil.” (267) “For the yogi who has realized his original nature and is therefore the embodiment of guileless sincerity, where is the question of licentiousness or restraint; where is the question of any determination of what is truth or what is not?” (268) “The inner experience of one who is totally desireless, who transcends all sorrow and continually abides in the Self—how can it be described, and to whom can it be described?” (269) “The Self-realized one is not sleeping even when he is asleep; he is not lying down even when he is dreaming; he is not awake even in the waking state. That is the state of the one who is contented in all conditions.” (270) “The man-of-wisdom is devoid of thought even when he is thinking; he is devoid of sense organs even when he is using them; he is devoid of intellect even though he is endowed with it. He is devoid of the ego, even though he possess it.” (271) “The man-of-wisdom is neither happy nor miserable, neither attached nor unattached, neither liberated nor an aspirant for liberation. He is neither this nor that.” (272) “The blessed one is not distracted even in distraction; he is not meditative even in meditation; he is not dull even in a state of dullness; and he is not learned even though possessed of learning.” (273) “The liberated one who abides in the Self under all conditions, who is free of the concepts of action and duty, who is totally without desires, remains unconcerned with all actions that take place, and does not brood over what has been done and what has not been done.” (274) “When praised, the wise one does not feel pleased; when blamed, he is not angered. He neither rejoices in life nor does he fear death.” (275) “The serene one does not particularly seek either the crowds or the wilderness. He is the same anywhere in any conditions.” (276) “Using the pincers of the apperception of Truth, I have extracted, from the innermost recesses of my heart, the painful thorn of diverse opinions, concepts and judgments.” (277) “Where is dharma, where is kama, where is artha? Where is conscience and discrimination? Where is duality or even non-duality—for Me who abide in my own glory?” (278) “Where is the past, where is the future or even the present? Where is space? Where even eternity?—for Me who abide in my own glory?” (279) “Where is the Self and where the non-Self. where, likewise, are good and evil? Where is anxiety or nonanxiety?—for Me who abide in my own glory?” (280) “Where is dreaming, where is deep sleep, and the waking state? And where is the fourth state? Where even is fear for Me who abide in my own glory?” (281) “Where is distance, where is proximity? Where is exterior, where is interior? Where is the gross, and where is the subtle?—for Me who abide in my own glory?” (282) “Where is life or death, where are the worlds, and where the worldly relations? Where is the laya and where is samadhi for Me who abide in my own glory?” (283) “To talk about the three goals of life is needless, to talk about yoga is purposeless, and even to talk about wisdom is irrelevant, for Me who abide in the Self.” (284) “Where are the elements, where is the body, where are the organs, and where is the mind? Where indeed is the void, or despair for Me who am without the slightest taint by nature?” (285) “Where are the scriptures, and the knowledge of the Self? Where is the mind detached from the sense objects, and where is contentment? Where is desirelessness?—for Me who has transcended the duality of opposites?” (286) “Where is knowledge and where is ignorance? Where is I, and where ’this is mine’? Where is bondage and where is liberation? How can there be any attribute to my Self-nature?” (287) “Where is prarabdha-karma? Where is the question of liberation whether in life or at death?—for me, the ever undifferentiated?” (288) “Where is the doer or the enjoyer, where is cessation of thought or the rising of thought? Where is the question of true perceiving or faulty perceiving for Me who am ever impersonal?” (289) “Where is the world and where is the seeker, where is the question of yoga as knowledge, who is in bondage or who is liberated,—for Me who am non-dual by his very nature?” (290) “Where is creation and where is destruction? What is the end, and what is the means? Where is the question of seeking or achieving for Me abiding in my non-dual nature?” (291) “Where is the ‘knower’ and where the, ‘means-to-knowledge’? Where is ‘object of knowledge’ and where ‘objective knowledge’? What is any thing, and what is no thing—for Me who am ever pure?” (292) “How can there ever be distraction or concentration, knowledge or delusion, joy or sorrow, for Me who am ever without action?” (293) “Where is the relative or the absolute, happiness or misery, for Me who am ever beyond any conceptualization?” (294) “Where is maya, where is samsara, where is attachment or detachment, how can there be any question of jiva or Brahman—for Me who am ever pure?” (295) “Where is activity or inactivity, where is liberation or bondage for Me who am ever immutable, indivisible and established in the Self?” (296) “Where are spiritual instructions or scriptural injunctions? Where is the disciple, and where is the guru? Where indeed is the question of any duty for me, the subjective potential plenum, free from all limitations?” (297) “Where is existence or non-existence? Where is unicity or duality? In short, it is needless to say anything more, other than that nothing indeed emanates from me.” (298)"
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Registered: 11/15/09 Posts: 4,098 |
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My fav is mental illness is a sane respons to an insane world
-------------------- with our love with our love we could save the world
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Stranger Registered: 09/15/20 Posts: 876 |
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The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna - Volume 1 - FESTIVAL AT ADHAR'S HOUSE;
"Sunday, August 3, 1884 SRI RAMAKRISHNA was sitting in his room in the temple garden at Dakshineswar after his midday meal. A party of Bauls from Shibpur, several devotees from Bhawanipur, Balaram, and M. were in the room. Rakhal, Latu, and Harish were then living with the Master. They too were present. The Master began the conversation by addressing the Baul musicians from Shibpur. MASTER: "Yoga is not possible if the mind dwells on 'woman and gold'. The mind of a worldly man generally moves among the three lower centres: those at the navel, at the sexual organ, and at the organ of evacuation. After great effort and spiritual practice the Kundalini is awakened. According to the yogis there are three nerves in the spinal column: Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna. Along the Sushumna are six lotuses, or centres, the lowest being known as the Muladhara. Then come successively Svadhisthana, Manipura, Anahata, Visuddha, and Ajna. These are the six centres. The Kundalini, when awakened, passes through the lower centres and comes to the Anahata, which is at the heart. It stays there. At that time the mind of the aspirant is withdrawn from the three lower centres. He feels the awakening of Divine Consciousness and sees Light. In mute wonder he sees that radiance and cries out: 'What is this? What is this?' "After passing through the six centres, the Kundalini reaches the thousand-petalled lotus known as the Sahasrara, and the aspirant goes into samadhi. "According to the Vedas these centres are called 'bhumi', 'planes'. There are seven such planes. The centre at the heart corresponds to the fourth plane of the Vedas. According to the Tantra there is in this centre a lotus called Anahata, with twelve petals. "The centre known as Visuddha is the fifth plane. This centre is at the throat and has a lotus with sixteen petals. When the Kundalini reaches this plane, the devotee longs to talk and hear only about God. Conversation on worldly subjects, on 'woman and gold', causes him great pain. He leaves a place where people talk of these matters. "Then comes the sixth plane, corresponding to the centre known as Ajna. This centre is located between the eyebrows and it has a lotus with two petals. When the Kundalini reaches it, the aspirant sees the form of God. But still there remains a slight barrier between the devotee and God. It is like a light inside a lantern. You may think you have touched the light, but in reality you cannot because of the barrier of glass. "And last of all is the seventh plane, which, according to Tantra, is the centre of the thousand-petalled lotus. When the Kundalini arrives there, the aspirant goes into samadhi. In that lotus dwells Satchidananda Siva, the Absolute. There Kundalini, the awakened Power, unites with Siva. This is known as the union of Siva and Sakti. "When the Kundalini rises to the Sahasrara and the mind goes into samadhi, the aspirant loses all consciousness of the outer world. He can no longer retain his physical body. If milk is poured into his mouth, it runs out again. In that state the life-breath lingers for twenty-one days and then passes out. Entering the 'black waters' of the ocean, the ship never comes back. But the Isvarakotis, such as the Incarnations of God, can come down from this state of samadhi. They can descend from this exalted state because they like to live in the company of devotees and enjoy the love of God. God retains in them the 'ego of Knowledge' or the 'ego of Devotion' so that they may teach men. Their minds move between the sixth and the seventh planes. They run a boat-race back and forth, as it were, between these two planes. "After attaining samadhi some souls of their own accord keep the 'ego of Knowledge'. But that ego does not create any attachment. It is like a line drawn on the water. "Hanuman kept the 'servant ego' after realizing God in both His Personal and His Impersonal aspects. He thought of himself as the servant of God. The great sages, such as Narada, Sanaka, Sananda, Sanatana, and Sanatkumara, after attaining the Knowledge of Brahman, kept the 'servant ego' and the 'ego of Devotion'. They are like big steamships, which not only cross the ocean themselves but carry many passengers to the other shore. "There are two classes of paramahamsas, one affirming the formless Reality and the other affirming God with form. Trailanga Swami believed in the formless Reality. Paramahamsas like him care for their own good alone; they feel satisfied if they themselves attain the goal. "But those paramahamsas who believe in God with form. keep the love of God even after attaining the Knowledge of Brahman, so that they may teach spiritual truth to others. They are like a pitcher brimful of water. Part of the water may be poured into another pitcher. These perfected souls describe to others the various spiritual disciplines by which they have realized God. They do this only to teach others and to help them in spiritual life. With great effort men dig a well for drinking-water, using spades and baskets for the purpose. After the digging is over, some throw the spades and other implements into the well, not needing them any more. But some put them away near the well, so that others may use them. "Some eat mangoes secretly and remove all trace of them by wiping their mouths with a towel. But some share the fruit with others. There are sages who, even after attaining Knowledge, work to help others and also to enjoy the Bliss of God in the company of devotees. 'I' want to eat sugar. I don't want to be sugar.' "The gopis of Vrindavan, too, attained the Knowledge of Brahman; but they were not seeking It. They wanted to enjoy God, looking on themselves as His mother, His friend, His handmaid, or His lover."" Kisari Mohan Ganguli; Sage Vyasa - The Mahabharata - Book 12: Santi Parva - SECTION CCLXXX; "The Yogin who is desirous of final Emancipation suppresses by Yoga-knowledge the seven, and continues to dwell in the world of life, freed from attachments; and taking those seven for certain means of grief, he casts them off and attains afterwards to that state which is Indestructible and Infinite. Some say that that is the region of Mahadeva; some, of Vishnu; some, of Brahman; some, of Sesha; some, of Nara; some, of the effulgent Chit; and some, of the All-pervading. When universal destruction comes, those persons who have succeeded in completely consuming by Knowledge their gross and subtle and karana bodies, always enter into Brahma. All their Senses also which have action for their essence and which are not identical with Brahma, merge into the same. When the time of universal destruction comes, those Jivas who have attained to the position of Devas and who have an unexhausted remnant of the fruits of acts to enjoy or endure, revert to those stages of life in the subsequent Kalpa which had been theirs in the previous one. This is due to the similarity of every successive Kalpa to every previous one. Those again whose acts, at the time of universal destruction, have been exhausted by enjoyment or endurance in respect of their fruits, falling down from heaven, take birth among men, in the subsequent Kalpa, for without Knowledge one cannot destroy one's acts in even a hundred Kalpas. All superior Beings again, endued with similar powers and similar forms, revert to their respective destinies at a new creation after a universal destruction, ascending and descending precisely in the same manner as during the creation that is dissolved. As regards, again, the person who is conversant with Brahma, as long as he continues to enjoy and endure the unexhausted remnant of his acts of previous Kalpas, it is said that all creatures and the two stainless sciences live in his body. When his Chitta becomes cleansed by Yoga, and when he practises Samyama, this perceptible universe appears to him as only his own fivefold senses. Enquiring with a cleansed mind, Jiva attains to a high and stainless end. Thence he attains to a spot which knows no deterioration, and thence attains to eternal Brahma that is so difficult of acquisition. Thus, Of thou of great might, I have discoursed to thee of the eminence of Narayana!' "Vritra said, 'These words of thine, I see, perfectly according with the truth. Indeed, when this is so, I have no (cause of grief). Having listened to thy words, O thou of great powers of mind, I have become freed from sorrow and sin of every kind. O illustrious Rishi, O holy one, I see this wheel of Time, endued with mighty energy, of the most effulgent and Infinite Vishnu, has been set in motion. Eternal is that station, from which all kinds of creation spring. That Vishnu is the Supreme Soul. He is the foremost of Beings. In Him this entire universe rests.' "Bhishma continued, 'Having said these words, O son of Kunti, Vritra cast off his life-breaths, uniting his soul (in Yoga, with the supreme Soul), and attained to the highest station.' "Yudhishthira said, 'Tell me, O grandsire, whether this Janardana (Krishna) is that illustrious and puissant Lord of whom Sanatkumara spoke unto Vritra in days of old.' "Bhishma said, 'The Highest Deity, endued with the six attributes of (puissance, etc.) is at the Root. Staying there, the Supreme Soul, with his own energy, creates all these diverse existent things. Know that this Kesava who knows no deterioration is from His eighth portion. Endued with the highest Intelligence, it is this Kesava who creates the three worlds with an eighth portion (of His energy). Coming immediately after Him who lies at the Root, this Kesava who is eternal (compared with all other existent things), changes at the end of each Kalpa. He, however, who lies at the Root and who is endued with supreme might and puissance, lies in the waters when universal destruction comes (in the form of the potential Seed of all things). Kesava is that Creator of pure Soul who courseth through all the eternal worlds. Infinite and Eternal as He is, He fills all space (with emanations from Himself) and courseth through the universe (in the form of everything that constitutes the universe). Freed as He is from limitations of every kind such as the possession of attributes would imply, he suffers himself to be invested with Avidya and awakened to Consciousness, Kesava of Supreme Soul creates all things. In Him rests this wondrous universe in its entirety.' "Yudhishthira said, 'O thou that art conversant with the highest object of knowledge, I think that Vritra saw beforehand the excellent end that awaited him. It is for this, O grandsire, that he was happy and did not yield to grief (in view of his coming Death). He who is White of hue, who has taken birth in a pure or stainless race, and who has attained to the rank of a Sadhya, doth not, O sinless one, come back (into the world for re-birth). Such a person, O grandsire, is freed from both hell and the status of all intermediate creatures. He, however, who has attained to either the Yellow or the Red hue, is seen sometimes to be overwhelmed by Tamas and fall among the order of Intermediate creatures. As regards ourselves, we are exceedingly afflicted and attached to objects that are productive of sorrow or indifference or joy. Alas, what will the end be to which we shall attain? Will it be the Blue or the Dark which is the lowest of all hues?' "Bhishma continued, 'Ye are Pandavas. Ye have been born in a stainless race. Ye are of rigid vows. Having sported in joy in the regions of the gods, ye shall come back to the world of men. Living happily as long as the creation lasts, all of you at the next new creation will be admitted among the gods, and enjoying all kinds of felicities ye will at last be numbered among the Siddhas. Let no fear be yours. Be you cheerful.'"" Edited by spinvis (05/27/24 05:21 AM)
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Stranger Registered: 09/15/20 Posts: 876 |
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Sage Valmiki - Yoga Vasishta Sara - Chapter Four - Dissolution of the Mind (Manonasa);
"1. Consciousness which is undivided imagines to itself desirable objects and runs after them. It is then known as the mind. 2. From this omnipresent and omnipotent Supreme Lord arose, like ripples in water, the power of imagining separate objects. 3. Just as fire born out of wind (fanned into a flame) is extinguished by the same wind, so also that which is born of imagination is destroyed by imagination itself. 4. The mind has come into existence through this (imagination) on account of forgetfulness. Like the experience of one’s own death in a dream it ceases to exist when scrutinised. 5. The idea of Self in what is not the Self is due to incorrect understanding. The idea of reality in what is unreal, O Rama, know that to be the mind (chittam). 6. ‘This is he’, ‘I am this’, ‘That is mine’, such (ideas) constitute the mind; it disappears when one ponders over these false ideas. 7. It is the nature of the mind to accept certain things and to reject others; this is bondage, nothing else. 8. The mind is the creator of the world, the mind is the individual (purusha); only that which is done by the mind is regarded as done, not that which is done by the body. The arm with which one embraces the wife is the very arm with which one embraces the daughter. 9. The mind is the cause of (i.e. produces) the objects of perception. The three worlds depend upon it. When it is dissolved the world is also dissolved. It is to be cured (i.e. purified) with effort. 10. The mind is bound by the latent impressions (vasanas). When there are no impressions it is free. Therefore, O Rama, bring about quickly, through discrimination, the state in which there are no impressions. 11. Just as a streak of cloud stains (i.e. appears to stain) the moon or a blotch of ink a lime-plastered wall, so also the evil spirit of desire stains the inner man. 12. O Rama, he who, with inturned mind, offers all the three worlds, like dried-grass, as an oblation in the fire of knowledge, becomes free from the illusions of the mind. 13. When one knows the real truth about acceptance and rejection and does not think of anything but abides in himself, abandoning everything, (his) mind does not come into existence. 14. The mind is terrible (ghoram) in the waking state, gentle (santam) in the dream state, dull (mudham) in deep sleep and dead when not in any of these three states. 15. Just as the powder of the kataka seed, after precipitating the dirt in water, becomes merged in the water, so also the mind (after removing all impressions) itself becomes merged (in the Self). 16. The mind is samsara; the mind is also said to be bondage; the body is activated by the mind just as a tree is shaken by the wind. 17. Conquer your mind first, by pressing the palm with the palm, grinding the teeth with the teeth and twisting the limbs with the limbs. 18. Does not the fool feel ashamed to move about in the world as he pleases and talk about meditation when he is not able to conquer even the mind? 19. The only god to be conquered is the mind. Its conquest leads to the attainment of everything. Without its conquest all other efforts are fruitless. 20. To be unperturbed is the foundation of blessedness (Sri). One attains liberation by it. To human beings even the conquest of the three worlds, without the conquest of the mind, is as insignificant as a blade of grass. 21. Association with the wise, abandonment of latent impressions, self-enquiry, control of breathing — these are the means of conquering the mind. 22. To one who is shod with leather the earth is as good as covered with leather. Even so to the mind which is full (i.e. undivided) the world overflows with nectar. 23. The mind becomes bound by thinking ‘I am not Brahman’; it becomes completely released by thinking ‘I am Brahman’. 24. When the mind is abandoned (i.e. dissolves), everything that is dual or single is dissolved. What remains after that is the Supreme Brahman, peaceful, eternal and free from misery. 25. There is nothing to equal the supreme joy felt by a person of pure mind who has attained the state of pure consciousness and overcome death." Jallaluddin Rumi - The Mathnawí of Jalálu'ddín Rúmí - p.132, verses 2095-2096; "When the Shaykh (Halláj) said 'I am God' and carried it through (to the end), he throttled (vanquished) all the blind (sceptics). When a man's 'I' is negated (and eliminated) from existence, then what remains? Consider, O denier."
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Stranger Registered: 09/15/20 Posts: 876 |
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According to the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi;
"Liberation is the extinction of the ego. Liberation is the extinction of the ego that inquires. Liberation is the extinction of the ego that speculates about what liberation is or is not. Liberation is the extinction of the ego that wonders if the experience it has had is liberation or not. Liberation is the extinction of the ego that imagines the Self has parts or qualities or aspects or form. Liberation is the end of the ego that experiences. Liberation is the end of experience. Liberation is the end of the experiencer." Advaita Bodha Deepika - Lamp of Non-Dual Knowledge - Chapter VIII - Manonasha - The Extinction of the Mind; "1. In the previous chapter, having taught the realization of the non-dual Brahman, the Master explains how the extinction of the mind is the sole means of realising Brahman. M.: Wise son, leave off the mind which is a limiting adjunct giving rise to individuality, thus causing that great malady of repeated births and deaths, and realize Brahman. 2. D.: Master, how can the mind be extinguished? Is it not very hard to do so? Is not the mind very powerful, restive and ever vascillating? How can one relinquish the mind? 3-4. M.: To give up the mind is very easy, as easy as crushing a delicate flower, or removing a hair from butter or winking your eyes. Doubt it not. For a self-possessed, resolute seeker not bewitched by the senses, but by strong dispassion grown indifferent to external objects, there cannot be the least difficulty in giving up the mind. D.: How is it so easy? M.: The question of difficulty arises only if there is a mind to leave off. Truly speaking, there is no mind. When told, “There is a ghost here,’ an ignorant child is deluded into believing the existence of the non-existent ghost and is subject to fear, misery and troubles. Similarly, in the untainted Brahman, by fancying things that are not, as this and that, a false entity known as the mind arises, seemingly real, functioning as this and that, and proving uncontrollable and mighty to the unwary; whereas to the self-possessed, discerning seeker who knows its nature, it is easy to relinquish. Only a fool ignorant of its nature says it is most difficult. 5-10. D.: What is the nature of mind? M.: To think this and that. In the absence of thought, there can be no mind. Upon the thoughts being extinguished, the mind will remain only in name like the horn of a hare; it will vanish as a non-entity like a barren woman’s son, or a hare’s horn, or a flower in the sky. This is also mentioned in the Yoga Vasishtha. D.: How? M.: Vasishtha says: “Listen, O Râma, there is nothing to speak of as mind. Just as the ether exists without form, so also the mind exists as the blank insentience. It remains only in name; it has no form. It is not outside, nor is it in the heart. Yet like the ether, the mind, though formless, fills all”. D.: How can this be? M.: Wherever thought arises as this and that, there is the mind. D.: If there be mind wherever there is thought, are thought and mind different? M.: Thought is the index of the mind. When a thought arises mind is inferred. In the absence of thought, there can be no mind. Therefore mind is nothing but thought. Thought is itself mind. D.: What is thought? M.: Thought is imagination. The thought-free state is Bliss supreme (Shivasvarûpa). Thoughts are of two kinds: the recalling of things experienced, and unexperienced. 11. D.: To begin with, please tell me what is thought?. M.: Sages say that it is nothing but to think of an external object as “this” or “that’, ‘is’ or “is not”, “like this” or “like that”, etc. 12-13. D.: How is this to be classified under the heads of things experienced and unexperienced? M.: Of objects of senses, such as sound, already experienced as “I saw,” “I heard,” “I touched”, etc.,. and to think of them as having been seen, heard, touched is the recollection of things already experienced. To call to mind unexperienced objects of senses is the thought of unexperienced things. 14. D.: That thoughts pertain to things already experienced is understandable. But how to think of those not so experienced unless they are reminiscences of things already experienced? One can never think of things not experienced. How then can we say that to think of things not already experienced is “thought”? 15. M.: Yes, it is quite possible. To think of things not experienced is also thought. Objects unexperienced appear as such only after thinking. D.: How can the things not already experienced come within the orbit of thought? M.: By the process of positive and negative induction (anvaya vyatireka), all mental imagery must be said to be thought-forms, whether already experienced or not. 16-17. D.: How do you apply the positive and negative induction here? M.: Whether existent or non-existent, already experienced, or not so experienced, whatever and however something is thought of, it is apprehended. The mere thought of it amounts to apprehension. This is positive induction. Real or unreal, experienced or not, however it may be, whatever is not thought of, is not apprehended. This is negative induction. From this process also it follows that thought is apprehension. 18. D.: How can mere thought of anything be its apprehension also? Things are apprehended directly by the senses or by recall of past experiences to the mind. On the other hand, things unheard of or unseen cannot be apprehended by simply thinking of them. Therefore the logical conclusion that mere thought of anything is its apprehension, does not hold. M.: You are not right. How can you say that things not directly cognized by the senses are not apprehended? The pleasures of heaven, though not already enjoyed, are vividly pictured in our minds. This is owing to our knowledge of the shâstras which depict them. Though not experienced they appear to us as delights not experienced. 19-21 D.: Things experienced can be thought of and cognized. But things unexperienced cannot be cognized even if thought of. M.: Now listen. Experienced or unexperienced things can be cognized. As things already experienced at a distant place are thought of and cognized, so also things unexperienced can be thought of and cognized, on hearing from others, such as the Mt. Meru of bright gold. Though eyes and ears are closed, yet visions and sounds can be thought of and cognized. Though in dark, one can still think of an object and cognize it. Even without eyes and ears, the blind and the deaf cognize forms and sounds on thinking of them. Therefore, whether already known or unknown, all that is thought of can be apprehended. This is the affirmative proposition. 22. D.: What is negation? M.: In the absence of mind, in swoons, deep sleep or trance there is no thinking and consequently nothing is seen. Not only in these states but also in waking: if one does not think, there is no phenomenon. 23-24. D.: Even in waking it cannot be so. Objects of direct cognition, even if not thought of, are apprehended. M.: No. What you say is not true. Everyday experience teaches us otherwise. D.: How? M.: When a man is keenly attentive to something, he does not answer when someone calls. Later he says, “I was intent on something else; I could not hear; I could not see; I was not aware”, etc. It is therefore clear that without attention objects of direct cognition cannot be apprehended. 26-28. D.: Cannot the objects of direct cognition be apprehended, without attention? M.: Even though in direct contact with the senses, objects cannot be cognized without attention to them. Though the necklace is in contact with the body, because the wearer is not attentive, its presence is not known. Being unaware of it, she even misses the ornament and searches for it. Though in touch with the body of the wearer the necklace is missed for want of attention. Again, a patient writhing with pain can be made to forget it by drawing his attention to something else; similarly the grief of bereavement is forgotten by attention being directed to other matters of interest. It is obvious that without attention, even the objects of direct cognition cannot be recognized. 29-31. From this it follows that the cognition of anything, experienced or not, however it may be, can only be of the form of thought. Therefore, the perception of things has been signified by various terms in Vedânta, such as: cognition as this and that, will, thought, mode of mind, intellect, latency, reflected consciousness, the heart-knot, the seen, illusion, the individual, the world, the all, God, etc. D.: Where has it been said that this knowledge is the all? On the other hand it is said that Mâyâ became the all. M.: Yes. Mâyâ is the knowledge which is spoken of. Only, this objective knowledge goes under the different names, Mâyâ, avidyâ, bondage, impurity, darkness, ignorance, the mind, the cycles of repeated births and deaths, etc. D.: Be it so, what has this got to do with the extinction of the mind? M.: Listen. You must understand that the knowledge signified by all these terms is only the mind. 32-33. D.: Who else says so? M.: Vasishtha has said to Râma: “Whatever objective knowledge manifests as this and that, or not this and not that, or in any other manner, it is only the mind. The mind is nothing but this manifest knowledge.” 34. D.: Let it be so. How can the mind be extinguished? M.: To forget everything is the ultimate means. But for thought, the world does not arise. Do not think and it will not arise. When nothing arises in the mind, the mind itself is lost. Therefore do not think of anything, forget all. This is the best way to kill the mind. D.: Has any one else said so before? M.: Vasishtha said so to Râma thus: “Efface thoughts of all kinds, of things enjoyed, not enjoyed, or otherwise. Like wood or stone, remain free from thoughts.” Râma: Should I altogether forget everything? Vasishtha: Exactly; altogether forget everything and remain like wood or stone. Râma: The result will be dullness like that of stones or wood. Vasishtha: Not so. All this is only illusion. Forgetting the illusion, you are freed from it. Though seeming dull, you will be the bliss Itself. Your intellect will be altogether clear and sharp. Without getting entangled in worldly life, but appearing active to others, remain as the very bliss of Brahman and be happy. Unlike the blue colour of the sky, let not the illusion of the world revive in the pure ether of Consciousness-Self. To forget this illusion is the sole means to kill the mind and remain as bliss. Though Shiva, Vishnu, or Brahman Himself should instruct you, realization is not possible without this one means. Without forgetting everything, fixity as the Self is impossible. Therefore altogether forget everything. 38-39. D.: Is it not very difficult to do so? M.: Though for the ignorant it is difficult, for the discerning few it is very easy. Never think of anything but the unbroken unique Brahman. By a long practice of this, you will easily forget the non-self. It cannot be difficult to remain still without thinking anything. Let not thoughts arise in the mind; always think of Brahman. In this way all worldly thoughts will vanish and thought of Brahman alone will remain. When this becomes steady, forget even this, and without thinking, “I am Brahman”, be the very Brahman. This cannot be difficult to practice. 40. Now my wise son, follow this advice; cease thinking of anything but Brahman. By this practice your mind will be extinct; you will forget all and remain as pure Brahman. 41. He who studies this chapter and follows the instructions contained therein, will soon be Brahman Itself!"
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Stranger Registered: 09/15/20 Posts: 876 |
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Adi Shankara - Vivekachudamani;
"169. There is no ignorance (Avidya) outside the mind. The mind alone is Avidya, the cause of the bondage of transmigration. When that is destroyed, all else is destroyed, and when it is manifested, everything else is manifested. 277. The Yogi’s mind dies, being constantly fixed on his own Self. 407. This apparent universe has its root in the mind, and never persists after the mind is annihilated. Therefore dissolve the mind by concentrating it in the Supreme Self, which is thy inmost Essence." Galatians 2:19-20; "It was the Law itself that killed me and freed me from its power, so I could live for God. I have been nailed to the cross with Christ. I have died, but Christ lives in me. And I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me."
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Stranger Registered: 09/15/20 Posts: 876 |
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Quote: Quote:
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Registered: 11/15/09 Posts: 4,098 |
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be empty
being empty is good it makes you a better person for others and better at navigating i think you get it better from it maybe All from navigating -------------------- with our love with our love we could save the world
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Stranger Registered: 09/15/20 Posts: 876 |
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Maximos the Confessor - Philokalia;
"A lamp cannot be kept burning without oil; nor can the light of spiritual gifts continue to shine unless one inwardly sustains it with actions and thoughts consistent with it." The Secret of the Golden Flower - 10. The Light of Essence and the Light of Discriminating Awareness - #7. & 8.; "When turning the light around, it is the primary unattributable light that needs to be turned around, so that not a single discriminating thought is applied. What causes you to flow and wander is just the six roots (sense organs); but what enables you to attain enlightenment is also just the six roots (sense organs). But the fact that dust (internal and external stimuli) and discriminating awareness are not used at all, means that rather than using the roots (sense organs), one uses the awareness of seeing in the roots (sense organs). Now if you turn the light around without falling into discriminating awareness, you are using the original essence in the roots (sense organs). Herein lies the hairs-breadth's distinction: using one`s mind is the light of discriminating awareness; let go, and it is then the light of essence. A hairs-breadth's difference in the beginning leads to a thousand miles difference later, so discernment is necessary. If discriminating awareness is not interrupted, the spirit does not come alive; if the mind is not emptied, the elixir does not crystallize. When the mind is clean, that is the elixir; when the mind is empty, that is the medicine. When the mind doesn't stick to anything at all, it is said that the mind is clean; when it doesn't keep anything in it, it is said that the mind is empty. If emptiness is seen as empty, emptiness is still not empty. When one is empty and one pays no attention to emptiness, this is called true emptiness."
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Stranger Registered: 09/15/20 Posts: 876 |
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Alan Watts - On Being God (With Q&A);
"As St. Paul pointed out, commandments are given not in the expectation that they will be obeyed, but in the expectation that they will reveal something to those who hear them. That was St. Paul’s comment on the whole Mosaic law." Ramana Maharshi - Self-Enquiry - 4-5; "D: When one enquires into the root of ‘self-conceit’ which is of the form ‘I’, all sorts of different thoughts without number seem to rise; and not any separate ‘I’ thought. M: Whether the nominative case, which is the first case, appears or not, the sentences in which the other cases appear have as their basis the first case; similarly, all the thoughts that appear in the Heart have as their basis the egoity which is the first mental mode ‘I’, the cognition of the form ‘I am the body’; thus, it is the rise of egoity that is the cause and source of the rise of all other thoughts; therefore, the self-conceit of the form of egoity which is the root of the illusory tree of samsara (bondage consisting of transmigration) is destroyed, all other thoughts will perish completely like an uprooted tree. Whatever thoughts arise as obstacles to one's sadhana (spiritual discipline)—the mind should not be allowed to go in their direction, but should be made to rest in one's self which is the Atman; one should remain as witness to whatever happens, adopting the attitude "Let whatever strange things happen, happen; let us see!" This should be one's practice. In other words, one should not identify oneself with appearances; one should never relinquish one's Self. This is the proper means for destruction of the mind (manonasa) which is of the nature of seeing the body as Self, and which is the cause of all the aforesaid obstacles. This method which easily destroys egoity deserves to be called devotion (bhakti), meditation (dhyana), concentration (yoga), and knowledge (jnana). Because God remains of the nature of the Self, shining as "I" in the heart, because the scriptures declare that thought itself is bondage, the best discipline is to stay quiescent without ever forgetting Him (God, the Self), after resolving in Him the mind which is of the form of the "I"-thought, no matter by what means. This is the conclusive teaching of the Scriptures. D: Is enquiry only the means for removal of the false belief of selfhood in the gross body, or is it also the means for removal of the false belief of selfhood in the subtle and causal bodies? M: It is on the gross body that the other bodies subsist. In the false belief of the form "I am the body" are included all the three bodies consisting of the five sheaths. And destruction of the false belief of selfhood in the gross body is itself the destruction of the false belief of selfhood in the other bodies. So inquiry is the means to removal of the false belief of selfhood in all the three bodies."
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Stranger Registered: 09/15/20 Posts: 876 |
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Tibetan Lama;
"What is the Buddha-Nature? It is simply your flawless, present awareness, empty, naked and awake." Master Huang-Po; "The self-nature is identical with seeing and seeing is identical with the self-nature. The self-nature cannot be used for further seeing of self-nature. Hearing is identical with the self-nature and the self-nature cannot be used for further hearing the self-nature. If you presume that the self-natured seeing can hear and see its underlying nature you will give rise to the idea of oneness and otherness. Why do you put a second head on top of your head? . . . If you do not stir the mind and do not give rise to thoughts, naturally there will be no falsehood. Hence it is said, "When the mind arises, it creates all things; and when the mind stops arising all things come to an end." Right now as you are aware of the rise of false thoughts, the awareness of that which is not false is awareness of the Buddha. When your false thoughts come to an end even the idea of Buddha is no more."
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