Ramanisblog

Tag: Brahman

  • Complex Thoughts Simple Explanation Shankaracharya

    Complex Thoughts Simple Explanation Shankaracharya

    Thoughts in Indian Philosophy and questions raised are very complex.

    It delves deep into the subject , not just skims over.

    The World , to be known, has two elements or two things.

    The Observer and The Observed.

    We are the Observers and all other things are the ‘Observed’

    On our side, The Observer, we have the following .

    The five sense organs,Eyes,Ears, Nose, Mouth and Skin (body, tactile)-5

    Five acts of perception, seeing,tasting etc.(Eyes register Image, they do not experience; to explain  one may have eyes but can not see;the act of seeing is different from ‘seeing’) -5

    It calls for abstract thinking of the highest order.

    However, the Upanishads and Commentator of the of the Upanishads(among other things), Shankaracharya travel that extra mile to make it simple

    for every one to understand.

    On Reality.

    One of the most difficult concepts to follow is the concept of Brahman the ultimate Reality.

    It is described as without qualities ,Attributes.

    How does one describe something,which has Nothing to describe?

    The Upanishads follow the ‘Neti Nyaya’- Not this, not This.

    The reality , Brahman  is described as,

    Neither small, nor Big,

    Neither short, nor Long,

    Neither male nor Female,

    …… this goes on.

    Now if this seems to be tough, try this one.

    The Individual Soul, Jiva appears to be different from the  One, due to ignorance, but once Ignorance is removed, it becomes one with the Brahman.

    How is this explained by analogy by the Upanishads, and by Shankaracharya.

    Upanishads.

    Take a Pot.

    What is inside?

    Air.

    What is outside the Pot?

    Air.

    Now break the Pot.

    Where is the Air inside the Pot and where is the Air that was out side?

    The outside air is Brahman , the inside air is Jiva, individual Soul.

    On The Illusory Nature of the world-Shankaracharya.

    You are traveling  during twilight in a single track in a Forest.

    You find a rope. .

    In the twilight, you assume it is a Snake and you are scared.

    You shine a Light on it only to find it is Rope ,not a Snake.

    Now which is true?

    The Rope?

    The Snake?

    Shankaracharya explains.

    Though the perception of Rope as a Snake is false, it was true till you switched on the Light.

    You were scared.

    So, At that point of Time, it  was/is true.

    Once it was seen in the Light, it is found to be false.

    Now The Rope is found to be true.

    Where was it when you saw the Rope.

    So,

    The world is real as you experience it, till your ignorance leaves you .

    The Brahman , Reality dawns when you are without Ignorance.

    So the Reality and the world of names and forms are both Real at the same time.

    Yet the Brahman, Reality, Brahman is more Real as the air out side the Pot.

    So the world is Illusory , yet one has to live through it .

    That’s Shankaracharya!

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  • Vedas Wrong Throw Upaveeda Manglasutra

    I received a communication from a member of a Facebook community.

     

    “Radha Soami Satsang Philosophy is destroying Vedic culture by luring gullible Brahmins ignorant of Vedas

     

    Radhasaomi
    Radhasaomi Satsang



    They look down at all hindu elements as worthless in the name of philosophy.

     

    please help me combat them in theory.

     

    My relatives are giving up hinduism plucking off sacred threads and mangala sutrams in the name of this bogus philosophy’

     

    The writer blogged about this.

     

    “Brahman is considered to be the highest reality in Vedanta. 

     

    The founders of Radhasoami faith, however, came forward with a new concept. According to them, TheBrahman of Vedanta is limited to the second grand division of the creation whom they call “spiritual-material region”.

     

    They hold that the Brahman is not the true Supreme Being or the highest reality because he is not perfectly free from mind and matter.

     

    They assert that though spiritual components predominate in Brahman, there is Maya latent in the seed form and a Supreme Reality having the least admixture of Maya cannot be styled as the highest truth.

     

    They envisaged the highest and the first grand division of creation as the region of the true Supreme Being who is absolutely spiritual and totally free from mind and matter.

     

    Such a Supreme Being they have named as Radhasoami. In view of the said difference between Radhasoami and Brahman, the meaning of the word is not Krishna or the Lord of Radha. 

     

    A casual observer however gets confused and straightway starts interpreting it for Krishna as Farquhar did when he observed :

     

    “It is necessary also to realize that the real meaning of Radhasoami is Krishna as Lord of Radha (His cowherd mistress in the latest cycle of myth) that

    Soami is only a curious phonetic misspell of Swami. 

     

    My answer.

     

    These interpretations come from a half-baked understanding of the Vedas.

     

    From what is posted on their site, i get the impression that they may not know Sanskrit at all, let alone the Veda such is the misinterpretation.

     

    Nowhere does the Vedas proclaim that Brahman contains Maya or ‘ he is not perfectly free from mind and matter’,

     

    Brahman perse is described by the Neti Nyaya or the process of excluding things, like

     

    Not this, not his, neither tall nor small etc.

     

    It is not described by direct by positive Attributes, excepting by the Realized qualities (which we are capable of perceiving) Sat,Chit,Ananda,

     

    Pragyana Brahma, Sathyam Gnaam Anandham Brahma..

     

    May is a concept that has been used to understand the manifestation or the differentiation of the Reality to enable one to understand the Reality.

     

    Acquisition of Knowledge,unlike in the Western Philosophy, is a negative Concept,

     

    The removal of ignorance is Knowledge , not the acquisition some thing from outside as you are a Part of The Brahman which is Knowledge personified.

     

    You appear to be different from Brahman  because of Avidya or Ignorance.

     

    Avidya at the Universal level it is called Maya.

     

    When your basic premise is wrong , your conclusions are also equally wrong.

     

    As I noted earlier, the site abounds in inaccuracies down to out right lies on the Vedas.

     

    One may have to write a rebuttal for every sentence they have provided.

     

    One should never take umbrage under Lord Krishna to criticize the Vedas for Lord Krishna is The Veda and as Vyasa He compiled it.

     

    The philosophy of Radhasoami Satsang is either a fraud being perpetrated to fill in some one’ coffers or the ravings of  a delinquent or a clever ploy to

    discredit the Vedas or a combination of all these

     

    As to people discarding Upavedeeda, well it is your funeral.

     

    As to Mangala Sutra, it is not a concept if the Vedas.

     

    If some one wants to become a spiritual pervert, we can not do any thing about it.

     

    Vedas are not The Bible to threaten people into believing it nor Shankaracharya a Christ who is proselytizer.

     

     

    Sources.

    radhasoamisatsang

     

    God of my thoughts

     

     

     

     

     

     

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  • Yoga State Can Be Attained Faster Yoga Sutra 1.22

    Paramahamsa Yogananda, A Great Yogi
    Paramahamsa Yogananda, A Great Yogi

    Some people attain Yoga Siddi very fast.

    It takes a long time for the others.

    It might take even more than one Lifetime.

    The inclination to practice Yoga due to one’s Vaasanas.

    The success depends on one’s tireless efforts and following of the Yama and Niyama strictly.

    Yet one would find that even those who follow these rules rigorously  do not get results,

    On the other hand there are some who seem to attain the State of Yoga relatively easy.

    Why?

    Patanjali would be explaining this in the next Sutra on the importance of Iswara Pranidhaana, complete surrender to God,(Iswara)

    The fundamental of India philosophy is that one is totally responsible for one’s action,.

    You can not shift the responsibility to God, hold Him responsible nor can you expect Him to atone your Sins, as it were, as in some other Religions.

    In Indian Philosophy , Free Will Vs Determinism is dealt with exhaustively.

    While it is true that , being a Part of Brahman, The Reality,our individual Self , is not affected by our actions,we are responsible for our action at the Empirical level when and if we do not perform an Action as a Non Action,if we are driven by only our senses.

    Such actions beget results , the remnants of the Impressions or the Vaasanas linger and they condition our development.

    As Krishna declares in the 14th Chapter of The Bhagavad Gita, Sathva Guna is the result of previous Vaasanas or Impressions, though,

    ‘There may be innumerable Forms and beings , living and non living;yet Prakriti, Nature is The Mother and I am The Father , The Seed”

    (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14.4)

    Ramana Maharishi and Paramahamsa Yogananda
    Ramana Maharishi and Paramahamsa Yogananda

    This Sathva drives a Man for Yoga Sadhana.

    As I have been mentioning on various occasions, Yoga is not an exercise that can be mastered in 30 days or following some lectures;it is life long spiritual practice.

    It takes in most cases, more than a Life time.

    If one were to die before attaining Yoga in that birth, he is born , in the next birth, in a Family of Devotional disposition which helps him to continue his attempts at Yoga, thus rendering the attainment of Yoga faster in the present Birth.

    ( for who question the theory of Rebirth, I shall be posting an Article on this)

    Their fore,the dispositions must  be there, , the continuous practice must be undertaken.

    Then Yoga is achieved faster.

    The next is a step less than this.

    In some cases, every thing mentioned above might have been followed, yet the Siddhi does not materialize.

    The reason is that the Yoga has not been practiced correctly and remnants of Impressions linger.

    In such cases , the practitioner attains partial success as the Siddhas.

    They have no doubt attained Yoga Siddhi, though of a Lower Order.

    This the reason why some Yogis are reborn.

    Please read my post” Why some Yogis are reborn?

    This level is an average level (Madhyam)

    The last is the level we belong to’,

    We attempt and do not follow it up regularly.

    Here the results will be very slow in forthcoming.

    Yoga Sutra of Patanjali
    Yoga Sutra 1.22

    mridumadhyadhimatratvat tatopi visheshah

    mridu = mild;
    madhya = medium;
    adhimatratvat = by intense;
    totopi = further;
    viseshah = differentiation;

    The time necessary for success further depends on whether the practice is mild, medium or intense.

    They again differ according as the means are mild, medium or supreme.

    Yet, again, it is possible to see a distinction between mild, middling and intense zeal, energy and effort, although yoga (which is spontaneous realization of oneness) and effort (which implies duality) are contradiction in terms.

     

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  • Necessity of God In Yoga,Sutra 21 22 23

    Having spoken about  Perfection and Imperfection in Yoga, Patanjali now speaks of the reasons for these and recommends corrective action.

    Patanjali's Yoga Sutra.
    Yoga Sutra 1.21

    Intensity , constant and regular practice will speed up the process of Yoga .

    • tivra = rate is fast, speedy
    • samvega = momentum, force, vigor, conviction, enthusiasm
    • asannah = very close, near, speedy

    1.21 Those who pursue their practices with intensity of feeling, vigor, and firm conviction achieve concentration and the fruits thereof more quickly, compared to those of medium or lesser intensity.
    (tivra samvega asannah)

    He adds,

    Yoga Sutra 1.22
    Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra 1.22
    • mridu = mild, slow
    • madhya = medium, middling
    • adhimatra = intense, strong
    • tatah = from that 
    • api = also
    • visheshah = differentiation, distinction
    •  For those with intense practices and intense conviction (1.21), there are three more subdivisions of practice, those of mild intensity, medium intensity, and intense intensity.
      (mridu madhya adhimatra tatah api visheshah

    Now we come to an important aspect of Yoga,Indian Philosophy.

    That of God.

    Hinduism speaks of Polytheism,Henotheism,Monotheism,Dualism and Non Dualism.

    It speaks of principle as the Realiy, yet advocates worship of God as well.

    ord Krishna in The Bhagavad Gita says that ‘Whatever God you pray, I shall, in the form of That God shall give you the fruits in that Form”

    Does this mean God is only an imaginary Concept?

    Again we find many Gods in the Indian Pantheon, which is contrary to the Vedic Mahavakyas,

    Aham Brahmaasm,

    Tatatvam Asi and

    Soham Asi.

    When I am That, You are That and He Is That, where is the question of God?

    Detail on this

    “In a Nut-shell, God does not have Name and Form. But we need to have name and Form to Realize the Reality. So, different forms and names are best left to individuals as they know best what they like.”

    http://ramanisblog.in/2009/09/28/does-god-have-name-and-form/

    At the Ultimate Level thre is no God with Name and Form.

    Yet it is needed as a Concept to graduate in Spiritual Practice, it is a tool.

    But how come there are legends and Histories of God s in Hinduism”

    Reality projects itself as God.

    It is Real in this temporal world, ceases its relevance at the Paramaarthika Level, ParaVidya Level.

    Sounds not convincing?

    The same question was asked of Adi Sankaracharya when he explained the Theory of Maya and Brahman.

    We know Sankaracharya advovates Non Dualism ,Advaita.

    He syas the Reality has to be reailzed by the Individual by reclaiming the Knowledge that He is None other than the Reality.

    How come the One Reality became or appears, as he put it, as Many”

    Here Sankaracharya speaks of Maya, mayavada.

    The impediment to realization is Avidya, Nescience,Ignorance at the Individual Level.

    This Avidya is called as Maya at the Macro level.

    Sankaracharya explains that the Realit, Brahman appears to be many and the world of names and Forms of because of Maya.

    When did the Reality start appearing as Many?

    Right form the Beginning?

    Does it mean thet maya Existed in Time along with Brahman at the same time?

    Yes.

    If so, are not ascribing ‘Timelessness’-Anaadithtva to Maya?

    Yes.

    Then does Maya have the same attributes as that of Brahman?

    In that case non dualism becomes meaaningless for for interaction between two realities the Third One is required, and a fourth One to manage thiese three and this is a Fallacy of Infinity?

    What do you say”

    Sankaracharya states that this is as far as our Minds can go.

    One has to experience this.

    Swami Vivekanada echoed this  when he ated,

    ‘You go this far and then you will find there are no more questions’

    And that is That.

    Patanjali is his Sutra 1.23 says the same as Iswara paranidhaana.

    Patanjali Yoga Sutra 1.23
    Yoga Sutra 1.23

     

     

    • ishvara = creative source, pure consciousness, purusha, God, supreme Guru or teacher
    • pranidhana = practicing the presence, sincerity, dedication, devotion, surrender of fruits of practice
    • va = or
    • From a special process of devotion and letting go into the creative source from which we emerged (ishvara pranidhana), the coming of samadhi is imminent.
      (ishvara pranidhana va)
    • More on Iswara Pranidhana to follow

     

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  • Why Some Yogis are Reborn Yoga Sutra 1.19

     

    YoGa Sutra 1.19
    Yaga Sutra 1.19

    After talking about the Types of Samadhi,Patanjali now goes deeper  into the difference between on who has attained Samadhi,and those who attain it for a flash or intermittently.

    To understand this concept one has to understand the Five Sheaths of Atman, Self, which at the Apara or Trancendental level is called Brahman.

    The Five sheaths are,

    Annamaya Kosa, Of Food

    Pranamaya Kosa, Of Vital Breath,

    Manomaya Kosa, Of Mind,

    Vigyanamaya Kosa, Of Intellect and

    Anandamaya Kosa Of Bliss.

    The Atman is covered , as it were, by these sheaths.

    Brahman is beyond these.

    One who attains Samadhi goes beyond these sheaths.

    ( Buddhism also has these layers, but the Reality, in Buddhism,in Sunya or Zero, Nihilism>

    It also describes The Sthula Sareera( Gross Body) The Sooksma sareera(The Subtle Body)

    Hinduism also describes Sthula Sareera and Sookshma Sareera.

    The attachment to the Physical Body or identifying the Atman or self with the Body is called the’ Dehatma Buddhi’

    However much one tries various Yogas, this Dehatma Buddhi is difficult to get rid of.

    Even those who attain Samadhi for a brief period of Time or for some time continuously are not cured of this Dehatma Buddhi.

    Only those who are totally immersed in Samadhi( they can also carry out day-to-day activities of the Physical world) are the true Yogins.

    Others are those who are unable to leave the Dehatma Buddhi.

    These people know the limitations of the Physical  World, know that they are still in the grip of Dehatma Buddhi; but they will be connected to the Sukshma Sareera and be one with nature or Prakriti.

    They are called Prakitilayars, one who is in tune with Nature.

    Being connected and rooted to Suksma Sareera, they can not get rid of the subtle impressions created by the Physical activities.

    Hence, they have to face the consequences of their actions and they carry Vaasanas or the remnants of Impressions.

    So they are caught in the web of Samsara, of Births and deaths

    Real Yogic State is attained only when one leaves the impressions,Chitta Vruttis.

    This is possible only when one performs actions without attachment, as Lord Krishna explains in The Bhagavad Gita.

    This detachment is the prerequisite for Yoga Sadhana.

    Attachment Levels in Yoga.
    The Levels of Attachment.

    I.19. bhava pratyayo videha prakṛtilayānāṁ

    bhava = objective existence, becoming
    • pratyayah = cause, cognitive principle, content of mind, cognition
    • videha = bodiless, disembodied
    • prakriti = creative cause, subtlest material cause, nature
    • layanam = dissolved, merged into
    When such impressions remain, one retains the possibility (and the cause) of birth, even
    after being freed from the present body and after becoming integrated with one’s own or
    the cosmic nature. For, such impressions or memories nurture and perpetuate the
    awareness of continued personal existence.

    Related.

    http://ramanisblog.in/2013/05/07/at-yoga-beyond-yoga-sutra-1-18/

     

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