The self is not an object of any sense organ. It does not have any connection with feelings. Even the witness cannot make it a seen. In such a situation, having any opinions about that which is beyond opinions is absurd. Opinions can only be formed about something that is known, felt or experienced through senses. That which is the illuminator of the arising-setting of all opinions, which does not require any means, self-proven, self luminous, cannot be touched by the cacophony of dissenting opinions. Distinction of direction is an opinion, distinction of space is an opinion, distinction of object is an opinion, distinction of three internal differences is an opinion also. Opinion means the expression of a name and form. There could be some distinctions made whether it is beginning-less or with beginning, believer or atheist, but one can never experience the absence of oneself. So there could be several distinctions of the self : one-many, with or without attributes, real-unreal, aware-inert, happy-sad, disconnected-undisconnected, but the self does not fall under any categorization of such opinions or contradictions. This is the reason why the speech of the opinionators can never touch the self. Their saying, accepting or thinking cannot bring any adornment or insult to the self. There are several conclusions and determinations made about the self based on worldly transactions - void-real, aware-inert, doer-non doer, enjoyer-non enjoyer, going from world to world, perishable-immortal, happy-sad, sinner-saint, they are only inferences based on worldly transactions, in other words, they are imaginations only.
Inference needs a basis. It is based on evidence, it requires induction or deduction. All this only happens in worldly transactions. That which is based on shruti, beyond opinion, beyond senses, beyond knowledge cannot fall under the realm of inference. Therefore, that which can be known through Vedanta cannot be attained though all of these means, they do not hold any value.
Every sense organ can only grasp its corresponding objects, their form and their absence, but no sense organ can grasp that which another organ can. Even word, touch, form, taste and smell cannot be grasped in their entirety, and also, all of these senses do not have the same strength. Through their respective strengths, in their respective spheres, they can only grasp proximate objects. Their course, their intelligence, their love, their strength, their distinctions, their expression, everything is limited. This is the reason that whenever we begin to investigate the self with our senses, then eventually it concludes in the darkness of ignorance, and we fit ourselves into some imagination there, and we get stuck with some obsession of our belief. For instance, if someone were to set off to find out the limit of what is north, what is south, what is east or west etc., their energy would be exhausted, but they will not find the limit. Since at each step, something even beyond the current state will be imagined. The beginning and end of space and time cannot be found inside space or time, it can only be found in that subtle realm where that space and time is experienced. The start and end of space is not in any other infinite space, it is only found in the perception-nature self. This applies to time as well.
If you set off to find the beginning of history or the end of the future, you will never find them, your energy of searching will become depleted. When you cannot find the beginning or end of the past or the future, you will not have any calculation to determine the extent of the present moment. While finding the present moment, you will face the same situation that you did when searching for limits of the past and future. All these limits will be mere imaginations, and even these imaginations will only be delusions born of ignorance. The acceptance of beginningless-ness is also a result of ignorance alone. This is the same case with the eternal-like nature of external objects.
In reality, there is no need to run towards the ends of space, time and matter, and put forth efforts to grasp their limits for the realization of truth. To understand their true nature, we will have to turn the face of our research and inquiry. The seer (drishtaa) alone is the knowledge, perception (bhaana) is experience. Therefore, by turning away from the seen, and by turning our face inwards towards the seer, the internal self, is the only way. This is nothing else but inquisitiveness and a desire to learn the true nature of knowledge. You can see for yourself. Do you want to make the truth into a known entity, an object of knowledge, or, do you want to end the turning away from your own knowledge-nature self, your self-created veiling?
Whether you accept it or not, this is a fact. You can try to cut this veiling with the sword of your thinking. But if you have the notion of importance in the seen, no matter where it is - in the inner seen, outer seen, body, non-body, in the I, in the this, in the you, in the that, then you will not be able to cut that important entity which you yourself have accepted as important. That is why, leave the imagination of samaadhi after time, leave the greed for the abode of Brahma after space, leave the greed for objects. With firm determination, pursue the investigation into the perception-nature self which illuminates all of these, and which does not require another entity to illuminate it.
There is always a notion of importance, of rejection, of happiness, of inclusion, of sorrow, which is maintained in any seen, whether inner-outer or close-far. As long as this is the case, there is not doubt that your intelligence will be incapable of cutting the veiling which is covering up the true self which is illuminating you. The intellect will want to see that which it illuminates, and will be engaged in painting the seen with the red of desire and the black of aversion. It will not be able ti become white and pure, and experience the non-difference with the self illumining substratum self, which is self proven. This technique is known in scripture as withdrawal, dispassion or internal purification.
There are two forms to our obsession: one is in our personality (vyaktitva), whether it is subtle or gross or without reason, this is natural. Second is the worldliness of this world and the next superimposed by scripture. The obsession of objects advocated by the superimposition of scriptures is eventually negated by scripture itself. But the natural obsession with our personality is removed only through deep longing and investigation-examination-perception of the self. It is so deeply rooted that even with Ishvara, saamadhi and attainment of liberation, we want to decorate our personality alone. But the realization of the truth is not an ornament of the personality, it expels all distinctions between unmanifest and manifest.
Whether it is personality or distinction, it will always be opposed to itself, and will always be contentious, since it is seen through differing perspectives, and there are no uniform intermediate stages in the seen. Personality can never be beyond contention and opposition, whether it has to do with Ishvara, the soul or of the inert. Therefore, shruti, scripture, tradition and teachers say, do not deposit yourself into any container of any categorization. That which is invisible, not possible to grasp, imperishable, beyond knowing, unseen, the attainment of that non-contentious truth alone is without opposition. In other words, it is the total remover of attraction and aversion.
We then come to a decision where no matter how many specific entities or distinctions are out there, they are all seen, and so they can become topics of contention. If we apply any specificity or adjective (visheshana) to truth, then in the modified part of the truth, opposition-oriented entities will arise. If there is no adjective, there is no cause for any duality. Non-specific means non-dual. This non-duality cannot become dependent on another, because, when we accept "this" or "that" as non-dual, the self will become their illuminator, distinct from them. Knowledge is the very nature of the self, the self is perception only (bhaana maatra). Whatever other remains as the known-unknown, will become an object of the imagination in the form of known-unknown, it will be illuminated. Non-duality or completeness is not an adjective of the self, it is its nature. Or we can also say that it is a scriptural superimposition to remove the delusion of incompleteness and duality. It is clear that the distinction between the self and the not-self, the imagination of any reality other than our own is born out of personality. Only the arrogation of a personality separates it from others, and separates others from it. The decision here is that arrogation is only due to ignorance of the absolute truth. The scriptures unweariedly strive to remove this ignorance.
We hear that there was nothing before the self in the form of space, time and matter. We hear that there is nothing after the self in the form of space and time. There is nothing inside or outside space. We hear that the self is the self of all, and is experienced as such. The self is immanent and immediate, all-knowing, devoid of all distinctions. In such a situation, there is no doubt of its brahman-nature. This is the reason that the creator of the "Vivarana" school say that hearing alone is the way to remove ignorance. Hearing means the firm resolve with regards to the brahman-nature of the self. But if even then there remained a doubt in the means or the target, then contemplation along the lines of logic that supports shruti, and if there remains any counter thoughts, then the thought flows of the mind would need to be stabilized in the meaning of the shruti statements using meditation. A seeker with a pure mind and intent desire for liberation would not even require hearing. Then why would he need contemplation or meditation? Thought flow and reversal (aavritti) is established only in the personality. As long as there is the notion of reality and identification with the personality, body or in any kind of disconnected entity, the reversal of the brahman-shaped thought flow is required.
But one should be careful that this reversal should not make the self into a thought-flow. When ignorance along with doubts and incorrect thoughts is removed, then complete non-duality, and foremost fearlessness is established. Fearlessness, complete wisdom (knowledge of one leading to knowledge of all) and lordship over everything (the capacity to renounce everything) - these are the consequent results of the knowledge of the essence. Consequent means that there is no other effort or practice that is needed for these, they appear spontaneously. All minds and powers engage themselves in the service of the knower of the essence, since he is the self-illumined substratum of even intelligent and powerful, in the form of brahman. The omniscient and omnipotent supreme Ishvara appears in the non-dual self by looking towards creation, not from the vision of one's true nature.
The self is indicated by the removal of ignorance as ever-pure-knower-free. There can be no association of any kind of duty, emotion, practice or reversal of thought flow with that self. If knowledge also were to be devoid of independence, then how can the animal tendency be removed? Knowledge devoid of independence (svaatantrya heena bodha) is dirt, independence devoid of knowledge is idiocy, it is unrestrained behaviour, it is animal tendency. Our true nature is free of the burden of any duties, emotions, practices or reversals. No matter what comes in the form of a seen, power-powerful, thought-flow or one with the thought-flow, samaadhi or one with samaadhi, worship-worshipper, all of them appear in the container (adhikarana) of their "yaavat" nature, therefore they are extremely illusory. After realization, after removal of ignorance, the afore-mentioned causes-effects and methods and techniques have no essence or importance.
Whether it is an appearance or a reflection, creation-vision or vision-creation, everything is meant for sincere seekers to imbibe the absolute into their hearts. To get obsessed with it is not appropriate. It may be needed to defeat someone in an argument, or to solidify one's faith, but only in the initial stages. Where there is no action or modification, there no method or technique works. Adjunctor-adjuncted, disconnector-disconnected, reflector-reflected etc. such imaginations are useful only to indicate and realize the brahman-nature of our self. When that happens, all these imaginations becomes useless, and they become the target of "not this, not this". The question is, what is the "this" in "not this"? Answer - this means that what is deserving of negation. It means everything that is imagined or non-imagined, immediate and non-immediate scene only. Its negation is included in the "this" world, and that is the meaning.
But who is the illuminator of this negation? Who is the substratum? That which remains when everything has been negated, who is that remained? Our self? Space, time, matter, three-fold differences are the in category of negation, the distinction between world, soul, Ishvara also is in that same category. In situation, anything that remains, is beyond anything specific, is our own self, and there is not a whiff of distinction in it. Fighting over distinctions in the seen is similar to arguing whether the water in a mirage is 10 feet or 100 feet deep. How deep is the blueness of the sky is a topic use to prove the prowess of a debater. Just like the discussion of a canvas-less painting or a space-less rose is immaterial, the discussion about the beauty or ugliness of anything sees is just a web of words.
Hearing, only hearing! Why only this hearing? It is because there are two instances where no other means, logic or technique cannot reveal the knowledge. First: even non-immediate heaven, the realm of Brahmaa, the cause of the world etc. and the means to attain all these. The methods that are known by visible etc. means are connected to other-worldly ever-non-immediate materials. There is no other means besides hearing to know that connection. This means that the reality of the ever-non-immediate object and the technique of attaining it both happen with hearing.
Second: The knowledge of the ever-present-immediate object which is unknown, like the brahman-ness of the self. This can only be known by hearing. The self is always immediate, without the need for means, without thought-flow. Even in deep sleep. The self is never non-immediate, it is ever attained. Only ignorance has become its veil, as though. It is neither in the realm of senses like pot-cloth etc., nor non-immediate like heaven. I-I-I, the thought-flows in this manner at its essence is the one and only one self. Distinction is in the category of seen. Beyond all disconnections, this self element, only due to ignorance does it seem to be unavailable, as thought. That which is unattainable due to ignorance is ever attained, and that which is attained by knowledge was always attained. That is why, for the removal of ignorance, there is nothing needed besides knowledge. Knowledge removes ignorance only. It does not gain or lose an object. Therefore, once knowledge leads to ignorance, knowledge itself becomes useless, in other words, knowledge does not have to be repeated again and again. This knowledge does remove ignorance but "I am knowledgeable" - it does not attain this arrogation. But, except for the self, there is arrogation of knowledge in everything that is known, plus that knowledge has to be repeated.
Now bring your attention to this astounding point. When anything except the self is known, that knowledge leaves behind an impression (samskaara), memory of that arises often, and that object is considered good or bad, and it needs to be attained or discarded. The point is that there is a need of practice, of action for that object. But in the knowledge of the self, there is no impression created. If after knowledge, the object becomes non-immediate, then the impression and the object within that impression arises due to memory. But, after the removal of ignorance, the self remains as the self-illumined experience-nature. Therefore, impression and memory does not arise.
The second point to keep in mind is this. Any seen object have some kind of relationship notion. That is why, the knowledge of any seen object will be connected to some action, worship and yoga, and when that knowledge happens, some duty will remain. There is no relationship notion in the self, therefore even when its knowledge happens, nothing remains to be performed, worshipped or enjoyed. Therefore, there is fullness only in self knowledge. There is nothing to disconnect or create distinction in thsi knowledge. It itself is beyond the division of knower and known, the non-dual brahman.
All opinions are arguments are to do with the seen alone, this point has been mentioned earlier. There is no scope for any posturing in the non-seen, non-imbibed, non-dual brahman nature. Any devotion or hatred is all due to outward-facing-ness. Outward-facing-ness (bahiramukhataa) is an effect of ignorance alone. Let those who are ignorance quarrel - they have to support. The knower of the essence experiences every position taken in every argument as illusory in his self-illumined substratum self. This is the reason why:
Only through this alone-nature identity of brahman and self knowledge permanently removes attraction and aversion at their roots. Bliss at all times, bliss everywhere, all is bliss, since all times, everywhere and all, these words do not denote anything else except the substratum, and non-dual, fearless, void of hoarding and acquisition, only the self alone is the on true reality.
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