GOSPEL OF THOMAS COMMENTARY/PURPORTS: by Tony O’Clery. 2004.
[I have left untouched the translation of this Gospel and have only added my PURPORTS/COMMENTARIES to what the various sayings mean from a Vedantic or Eastern Philosophy point of View, in my opinion. This is often controversial with both Christians and Hindus; However Jesus predates Christianity, Gaudapada and Sankara, but not Buddha or the Vedas. Jesus is also supposed to have visited India....Also the venerable Professor V Krishnamurthy has the following to say............................. "Namaste, Tony-ji, I just browsed through your site on the Gospel of Thomas. It is wonderful. I shall keep reading it more and more in detail. In the meantime I recommend it to all the members of this list for their reading. Your purports are illuminating and refreshing from an advaitin's point of view. Thanks for bringing it to my notice. PraNAms to all seekers of Truth.. profvk.... XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS
Translations by: Thomas O. Lambdin (Coptic version)
B.P Grenfell & A.S. Hunt (Greek Fragments)
Bentley Layton (Greek Fragments)
And Craig Schenk…
IA: Editorial Symbols
I have followed the Nag Hammadi Library standard for typographical symbols in this file. Text contained within [square brackets] indicates a damaged portion of the manuscript where the translators have attempted a reconstruction. Text within
(parentheses) indicates comments or text added by the translator for clarification purposes. Text within
indicates a scribal error (spelling, grammatical, etc) in the original, where the translator has made a correction. Text within
{funky brackets} indicates superfluous text added by the scribe. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
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II: Coptic Gospel of Thomas
BEGINNING OF PURPORTS SECTION AS OPPOSED TO THE TRANSLATIONS.(N.B. The word 'Jew', literally Judean, mentioned in this text should, in my opinion refer to the Sadducees. They had dominated the Temple and were known for persecuting the other sects such as the Pharisees and Essenes. They were opposed to prophecy and allied mysticism. They even regarded prophets as heretics. The execution of a Teacher of Righteousnous, in the 100 years BCE, by this group is mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls....Tony.)
P) These are the secret sayings which the living Jesus spoke and which Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down.
1) And He said, "Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death."
ALL PURPORTS, by Tony O’Clery. I interpret this to mean that whoever understands and applies these teachings will achieve Liberation or Moksha/Nirvana/Kingdom of Heaven. Death is a separation from our desires and attachments, according to the great philosopher Sri Sankaryacharya. So once all our attachments have gone and the mind is purified we can gain Liberation.
2) Jesus said, "Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the All."
Purport:
The Seeker will search and will find out the truth even intellectually. This will trouble him or her for it is a surprise when compared with the world normally. However by understanding he/she will gain Liberation. This troubling is also known as the ‘Dark night of the Soul’, for it is a turmoil to turn around all one’s preconceived notions of why we are here at all. One becomes surprised at the path and takes it, and by purification of the body and mind one can achieve Liberation. Put simply one is surprised to find that one shouldn’t be here on the planet at all.
3) Jesus said, "If those who lead you say, 'See, the Kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the Kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living Father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty."
Purport:
It is not that ‘God’ is everywhere it is that ‘God’ is everything. This is about raising one’s consciousness above the mundane level. For if one compares oneself to the birds and say the Kingdom is in the sky, then they will precede you for it is their element. The same goes for fish in the sea or anything else. One has to know oneself and realise the Kingdom is within, by doing that one will have a spiritual wealth. However if one doesn’t know oneself, one is one with all the non spiritual. However knowing in the spiritual sense means gaining Liberation. Therefore seeing the Kingdom within and without and everything just a projection of ‘God’.
4) Jesus said, "The man old in days will not hesitate to ask a small child seven days old about the place of life, and he will live. For many who are first will become last, and they will become one and the same."
Purport:
This means that innocence is what gains one entry to Liberation, surrender to the will of God. A child has no developed ego at that stage, and the ego is something that comes from outside oneself. Even later a child is still innocent and even talks in the third person, no I, I, I, I Am. Position in life has nothing to do with spirituality, and in the end result there is no first or last but One Only.
5) Jesus said, "Recognize what is in your sight, and that which is hidden from you will become plain to you. For there is nothing hidden which will not become manifest."
Purport:
Basically this means non-duality; see everything as one, as a manifestation or projection of God. To realise that we are within all and all is in the mind, and we are not outside of it. God is everything including ourselves. Once we can get to the point were we see all as God completely we are Liberated.
6) His disciples questioned Him and said to Him, "Do you want us to fast? How shall we pray? Shall we give alms? What diet shall we observe?" Jesus said, "Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate, for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain without being uncovered."
Purport:
This again refers to knowledge and particularly knowledge of oneself, one’s true Inner Self, and that karma is the law and nothing escapes it. It is also referring to one’s conscience as a guide, and the importance of keeping to the truth. For the truth will out eventually, and this truth is the spiritual truth----All is One.
7) Jesus said, "Blessed is the lion which becomes man when consumed by man; and cursed is the man whom the lion consumes, and the lion becomes man."
Purport:
This refers to Dharma or Right Conduct, and the order of things. For a lion to eat a man is quite normal in nature, however when the lion becomes a man in its next life it is a curse. For it carries with it the animal tendencies of previous lives and species. (There is an Eastern Belief that an animal killed and eaten by man becomes human in its next life due to the sacrifice.)
8) And He said, "The Kingdom is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of small fish. Among them the wise fisherman found a fine large fish. He threw all the small fish back into the sea and chose the large fish without difficulty. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."
Purport:
This is about being ripe for Liberation, like a fruit that drops when ripe. So there is a time for a human to become spiritually aware and ready for Liberation. So when speaking to a crowd it is like casting a wide net, not all will be ready or understand. It also infers that ‘The Kingdom’ makes its choice of those who are ready.
9) Jesus said, "Now the sower went out, took a handful (of seeds), and scattered them. Some fell on the road; the birds came and gathered them up. Others fell on the rock, did not take rood in the soil, and did not produce ears. And others fell on thorns;
they choked the seed(s) and worms ate them. And others fell on the good soil and produced good fruit: it bore sixty per measure and a hundred and twenty per measure."
Purport:
This is much in the same vein as ‘pearls before swine’, people have to have a certain level of awareness to understand the teachings. There is no point in confusing people with lower levels of awareness. The seeds of the teachings will only take root in minds fertile, and mature enough to understand them. An extreme example would be teaching vegetarianism at a slaughterhouse for example.
10) Jesus said, "I have cast fire upon the world, and see, I am guarding it until it blazes."
Purport:
This is much in the vein of the ‘Good Shepherd’. Jesus has made the teaching and is guarding and guiding until it takes hold. It could be seen as the fire of Spiritual Knowledge or Jnana. (Also it could refer to rising Kundalini which is seen as a fire that rises to a blaze, or the Sahasrara Cakra.)
11) Jesus said, "This heaven will pass away, and the one above it will pass away. The dead are not alive, and the living will not die. In the days when you consumed what is dead, you made it what is alive. When you come to dwell in the light, what will you do? On the day when you were one you became two. But when you become two, what will you do?"
Purport:
This is talking about dissolution/pralaya of the universe, when all matter is subsumed into ‘God’. The living are the realized for they have overcome death. Dying does not make you alive in the spirit, only realization can do that. Becoming two is referring to the duality or non sexuality of the soul. It has suggestions of reincarnation and taking up a separate sex, after time in the heaven planes…( Also all that is eaten is reborn again anyway, it is just energy consuming energy without it being destroyed. Some Hindus believe an animal becomes a human in the next life because of the sacrifice.)
12) The disciples said to Jesus, "We know that You will depart from us. Who is to be our leader?" Jesus said to them, "Wherever you are, you are to go to James the righteous, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being."
Purport:
Obviously here James is being put up as the successor to Jesus, and these followers were probably attached to James already. Heaven and earth came into being to set opposites so the soul can learn. James is seemingly a good disciple and ready for Liberation. He of course did become the ‘Bishop’, of the Jerusalem Church or Assembly. He was the brother of Jesus and son of Mary, but was very much a pious Ascetic/Nazerite, similar to the Jains. (James was martyred by being thrown down from the temple tower and then stoned. Simeon, another brother of Jesus’ succeeded him as Bishop of the Jerusalem Church.)
13) Jesus said to His disciples, "Compare me to someone and tell Me whom I am like." Simon Peter said to Him, "You are like a righteous angel." Matthew said to Him, "You are like a wise philosopher." Thomas said to Him, "Master, my mouth is wholly incapable of saying whom You are like." Jesus said, "I am not your master. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated by the bubbling spring which I have measured out." And He took him and withdrew and told him three things. When Thomas returned to his companions, they asked him, "What did Jesus say to you?" Thomas said to them, "If I tell you one of the things which he told me, you will pick up stones and throw them at me; a fire will come out of the stones and burn you up."
Purport:
I feel this is Jesus talking again about all being One. In fact because he gave the teaching that they enjoyed, this doesn’t make him any different from them. All is One and a projection of the One God, all is God, we are God. This would frighten some disciples who were dualistic and others would consider it blasphemy.It is indicated that even the stones are conscious. A Messiah is one thing but all being God is another. However in the Bible, Exodus III, Jave or Jehovah means ‘I am that I am’. So the original ‘I Am’, is the manifestation of ‘God’.
14) Jesus said to them, "If you fast, you will give rise to sin for yourselves; and if you pray, you will be condemned; and if you give alms, you will do harm to your spirits. When you go into any land and walk about in the districts, if they receive you, eat what they will set before you, and heal the sick among them. For what goes into your mouth will not defile you, but that which issues from your mouth - it is that which will defile you."
Purport:
This is Jesus saying that fasting with ego will only put the desires on hold, ready to bounce back greater than before. Giving alms with idea of helping only builds the ego, one must surrender the fruits of action. As Jesus said ‘It is not I but my father that is in me that does the work’. Praying indicates asking God as a separate entity for something. When one should be thinking of the God we are, meditate in other words. Also in surrender eat what is offered just like a Buddhist monk. What we say is usually more dangerous to our progress than what we eat, for it indicates our mind.
15) Jesus said, "When you see one who was not born of woman, prostrate yourselves on your faces and worship him. That one is your Father."
Purport:
Here he is talking of manifestation of God, rather than humans. Also realizing the spirit within. So here we are talking of divine descents, who were manifested rather than born. This is the concept of Avatars, Bhodisattvas and Messiahs, such as Jesus, Enoch, Melchizadek, Krishna, Buddha, and Rama. It seems they are one stop from merging with the Universal but hold back a thought, in order to reincarnate and help humanity. So except for the thought they are actually manifestations of the Sakti or God in Creation. They are a vehicle to help, they need not have taken birth,( Karana Janma), but could have waited for the Pralaya or Dissolution of the universe to merged eternally.
16) Jesus said, "Men think, perhaps, that it is peace which I have come to cast upon the world. They do not know that it is dissension which I have come to cast upon the earth: fire, sword, and war. For there will be five in a house: three will be against two, and two against three, the father against the son, and the son against the father. And they will stand solitary."
Purport:
Spiritual truth is never welcome in a material world. So pointing out the error of materialism is revolutionary to most people full of desires. Jesus’s teaching would be regarded as creating dissension in the status quo. One has to work out one’s own karma in the world. Even in families spiritual people are not accepted in many cases. In the end result it is one’s own responsibility to work out one’s spiritual realization.
17) Jesus said, "I shall give you what no eye has seen and what no ear has heard and what no hand has touched and what has never occurred to the human mind."
Purport:
Jesus is talking of the non dual teaching again. That all is one and that the mind has to rise above for it is the impediment itself. It is the teaching that we ourselves are God and that is our own Inner Self.
18) The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us how our end will be." Jesus said, "Have you discovered, then, the beginning, that you look for the end? For where the beginning is, there will the end be. Blessed is he who will take his place in the beginning;
he will know the end and will not experience death."
Purport:
There is no beginning but there is an end to illusion. Liberation follows this realization. For by finding the beginning one finds there is no end or no beginning but Liberation. The Kingdom of Heaven is within. In Non Dual Vedantic thought, creation never ever happened at all.(It is regarded as a projected dream of ‘God’, that disappears on realization. In fact it disappears everytime we go into deep dreamless sleep.)
19) Jesus said, "Blessed is he who came into being before he came into being. If you become My disciples and listen to My words, these stones will minister to you. For there are five trees for you in Paradise which remain undisturbed summer and winter and whose leaves do not fall. Whoever becomes acquainted with them will not experience death."
Purport:
Here he is talking about the universal consciousness,(before Abraham was I am), and achieving Liberation by listening to the teachings. The stones ministering is an analogy about all being One, even with the stones. The five trees is harder to explain but I feel it is about, no death or change, and about the steps to liberation, kundalini, and spiritual truths.
20) The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us what the Kingdom of Heaven is like." He said to them, "It is like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds. But when it falls on tilled soil, it produces a great plant and becomes a shelter for birds of the sky."
Purport:
The Kingdom is within and anybody living in this spiritual state will be expansive and loving to all. The Christ Energy or ‘I am that I am’, flows out of a person in this realized state. However the message has to fall on those that are ready, and have a certain mental maturity and a purified mind. There is also the idea that large and minuscule have no relevance with the spiritual, for whatever is large can be small and whatever is small can be large. Also the birds represent people/souls who can take refuge in the Kingdom.
21) Mary said to Jesus, "Whom are Your disciples like?" He said, "They are like children who have settled in a field which is not theirs. When the owners of the field come, they will say, 'Let us have back our field.' They (will) undress in their presence in order to let them have back their field and give it back to them. Therefore I say to you, if the owner of a house knows that the thief is coming, he will begin his vigil before he comes and will not let him into his house of his domain to carry away his goods. You, then, be on your guard against the world. Arm yourselves with great strength lest the robbers find a way to come to you, for the difficulty which you expect will (surely)
materialize. Let there be among you a man of understanding. When the grain ripened, he came quickly with his sickle in his hand and reaped it. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."
Purport:
This is about children or being like children in innocence, but having to watch for temptation all the time. We have to watch out for our tendencies and faults, so they don’t control us. Also we are not of the body, it is not ours. Do not waste the time or life given to you to Realise yourselves. The undressing is more obtuse and could mean the dress of the body, giving up the body for realization or attachment to same. Death is the dress of life. Difficulty materializing has to do with attracting negative vibrations, for they surely are our own tendencies.
22) Jesus saw infants being suckled. He said to His disciples, "These infants being suckled are like those who enter the Kingdom." They said to Him, "Shall we then, as children, enter the Kingdom?" Jesus said to them, "When you make the two one, and when you make the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside, and the above like the below, and when you make the male and the female one and the same, so that the male not be male nor the female female; and when you fashion eyes in the place of an eye, and a hand in place of a hand, and a foot in place of a foot, and a likeness in place of a likeness; then will you enter [the Kingdom]."
Purport:
Being like children is innocence and surrender to the Divine. Becoming a realized person and going through actions like a child automatically suckles and cannot remember doing so. In India this is a way of describing how a Jivanmukta operates. As he has no ego the mind being used is the Universal-Sakti. He has no reason to commit to memory for him there is no time, so his actions are the involuntary actions of playing out karma. Kind of like turning off the engine on a spinning wheel, the wheel spins until the energy is exhausted. For the ego is gone and actions are automatic. Also the soul is sexless so by becoming a realized person one unites the energies. This also covers the placing an eye in place of an eye etc. For this is replacing everything with a spiritual bent.
23) Jesus said, "I shall choose you, one out of a thousand, and two out of ten thousand, and they shall stand as a single one."
Purport:
This refers to the small amount of people that become realized, and again ‘single one’ refers to all being one. Becoming Realised we merge with the Universal Consciousness and are One. Nisargadatta Maharaj inferred that only one in ten million can understand non duality even intellectually, never mind become Realised.
24) His disciples said to Him, "Show us the place where You are, since it is necessary for us to seek it." He said to them, "Whoever has ears, let him hear. There is light within a man of light, and he (or "it") lights up the whole world. If he (or "it") does not shine, he (or "it") is darkness."
Purport:
This is describing the state of being realized, the state within, where all is One. Being unrealized as a normal human is being in a state of separation and darkness. What they are looking for is within themselves, the Inner Self, and they should share this light with all humanity. The normal human unrealized state is actually darkness. There is also the fact that ‘Realised’ souls emanate a positive energy and sometimes even light.
25) Jesus said, "Love your brother like your soul, guard him like the pupil of your eye."
Purport:
This means love all and regard all as One again. There is no separation between people for we are all one and there is really only one soul in the universe. The Buddhists call it Metta when one sees everything as Love and gives Love to All.
26) Jesus said, "You see the mote in your brothers eye, but you do not see the beam in your own eye. When you cast the beam out of your own eye, then you will see clearly to cast the mote from your brother's eye."
Purport:
Look to your own failings before looking for the same failings in others. Usually the faults we see in others are the faults we are most aware of in ourselves. Once this is done one becomes non judgemental.
27) "If you do not fast as regards the world, you will not find the Kingdom. If you do not observe the Sabbath as a Sabbath, you will not see the Father."
Purport:
Give up attachment to things of the world, and give all to the Father. Everything must become a mental and spiritual Sabbath, where all is offered to the Lord, who is the doer not us.
28) Jesus said, "I took my place in the midst of the world, and I appeared to them in the flesh. I found all of them intoxicated;
I found none of them thirsty. And My soul became afflicted for the sons of men, because they are blind in their hearts and do not have sight; for empty they came into the world, and empty too they seek to leave the world. But for the moment they are intoxicated. When they shake off their wine, then they will repent."
Purport:
Men are intoxicated with the world and fascinated with material possessions, but eventually they will wake up and take the spiritual path. Most are not thirsty for true spiritual knowledge. Jesus is afflicted with compassion for man, for they are blind in their hearts, do not have spiritual sight, and they die just as blind For material possessions cannot be taken with one at death. They come in empty and die empty. The wine of materialism has them drunk and wandering in the dream. When they shake off the desire they will realise it is a dream, and regret the waste of time.
29) Jesus said, "If the flesh came into being because of spirit, it is a wonder. But if spirit came into being because of the body, it is a wonder of wonders. Indeed, I am amazed at how this great wealth has made its home in this poverty."
Purport:
It is amazing how the soul entity has become entangled in matter and a body, losing sight of its spiritual knowledge. Here it is emphasized that the Soul didn’t come into being because of the body. This indicates the pre-existence of the Soul. In fact all souls are One, and it is amazing that the Universal has projected this entire ‘Creation’.
30) Jesus said, "Where there are three gods, they are gods. Where there are two or one, I am with him."
Purport:
This refers to God Transcendent and God Immanent, the only ‘Two’ Gods, Who are really One. So this is teaching that there is only one God. Gods can be identified as Devas or Angels as well.
31) Jesus said, "No prophet is accepted in his own village; no physician heals those who know him."
Purport:
Familiarity breeds contempt and faith is not instilled. People who know somebody generally only know the personality they grew up with, so the air of mystery is not there. The same thing goes for healing, for it is not the doctor that heals but the Spirit.
32) Jesus said, "A city being built on a high mountain and fortified cannot fall, nor can it be hidden."
Purport:
The city of spirituality, built strongly and in full view cannot fail, for the spirit is the hidden truth. Also could mean that one has to become a fortress against temptation, and share one’s spiritual light.
33) Jesus said, "Preach from your housetops that which you will hear in your ear {(and) in the other ear}. For no one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel, nor does he put it in a hidden place, but rather he sets it on a lampstand so that everyone who enters and leaves will see its light."
Purport:
Tell the truth of your heart and what the real spiritual truth is. Expand your love to all, do not hide to yourself, for that is not expansion.
34) Jesus said, "If a blind man leads a blind man, they will both fall into a pit."
Purport:
Do not teach unless you are realized, for only a true Master/Messiah/Avatar or Sadguru can teach the ultimate. Many will still teach but they should do their research, and talk from the experience level they have only.
35) Jesus said, "It is not possible for anyone to enter the house of a strong man and take it by force unless he binds his hands; then he will (be able to) ransack his house."
Purport:
One has to control one’s desires and attachments, to achieve spiritual progress. So it is like a chariot and the senses are the horses and they must be controlled by the reins.
36) Jesus said, "Do not be concerned from morning until evening and from evening until morning about what you will wear."
Purport:
Do not be attached to things of the world, and fashion. Do not worry about the future, Surrender to ‘God’, and He will take on your care and karma, for he is the doer anyway, and what is written is written.
37) His disciples said, "When will You become revealed to us and when shall we see You?" Jesus said, "When you disrobe without being ashamed and take up your garments and place them under your feet like little children and tread on them, then [will you see] the Son of the Living One, and you will not be afraid"
Purport:
Become innocent and surrendering to ‘God’, then you will know. Sacrifice the ego mind for it is the impediment to Realisation. Like traveling on a train with your suitcase, don’t carry it, put it down the train will carry you and your suitcase. Like the milk maids with Krishna, they were not embarrassed to be naked, for they knew he didn’t see them like that, nor they themselves. Also treading on the clothes means they are no longer needed for they are about body consciousness.
38) Jesus said, "Many times have you desired to hear these words which I am saying to you, and you have no one else to hear them from. There will be days when you look for Me and will not find Me."
Purport:
Take the opportunity of this presence right now. You have the good karma to hear the teachings now in this life, don’t waste the opportunity. For you may die and not find him.
39) Jesus said, "The Pharisees and the scribes have taken the keys of Knowledge and hidden them. They themselves have not entered, nor have they allowed to enter those who wish to. You, however, be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves."
Purport:
Educated people have learned the scripture of truth but not understood it, yet deprive others from the knowledge. Be careful and wise but innocent also.
40) Jesus said, "A grapevine has been planted outside of the Father, but being unsound, it will be pulled up by its roots and destroyed."
Purport:
Anything not of God is transitory. So material things are of no final importance.
41) Jesus said, "Whoever has something in his hand will receive more, and whoever has nothing will be deprived of even the little he has."
Purport:
A little spiritual knowledge leads to more. Those that have nothing can make no progress. The more one is on the path the more one is on the path.
42) Jesus said, "Become passers-by."
Purport:
This means to become detached from the material and become the
‘Observer’, or a witness for one isn’t the doer anyway. Like two birds on a tree, one watches the other do the work but it is the same tree. You are not the doer, you don’t make anything happen, in fact nothing is happening at all. It is just your attitude that is important.
P43) His disciples said to him, "Who are You, that You should say these things to us?"
"You do not realize who I am from what I say to you, but you have become like the Jews, for they
(either) love the tree and hate its fruit or love the fruit and hate the tree."
Purport:
This means they aren’t satisfied with him and haven’t made the choice to listen to his teaching completely. They are picking and choosing and not understanding the whole is One. They haven’t recognized who Jesus really is and what he is to become. The Jews, in this case are no doubt the Sadducee Priests and their political descendents, who had persecuted the early Essenic groups, for centuries, that became known as Messianics or in Greek, Christians.
44) Jesus said, "Whoever blasphemes against the Father will be forgiven, and whoever blasphemes against the Son will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven either on earth or in heaven."
Purport:
One has to be true unto oneself. We are in fact a part of or are the Holy Spirit, or Om, or more so ‘I Am’. So to offend ourselves is to bring on karma, and the mental results of attacking oneself. For, we cannot harm ‘God’ as such.
45) Jesus said, "Grapes are not harvested from thorns, nor are figs gathered from thistles, for they do not produce fruit. A good man brings forth good from his storehouse; an evil man brings forth evil things from his evil storehouse, which is in his heart, and says evil things. For out of the abundance of the heart he brings forth evil things."
Purport:
Whatever our thoughts and desires are so are we. We have over many incarnations built up many attributes and tendencies, and these go toward making up our personality. So we can only be what they are. The mind becomes what it thinks about and desires. So good produces good tendencies and bad behaviour produces bad ones.
46) Jesus said, "Among those born of women, from Adam until John the Baptist, there is no one so superior to John the Baptist that his eyes should not be lowered (before him). Yet I have said whichever one of you comes to be a child will be acquainted with the Kingdom and will become superior to John."
Purport:
This means John is a great prophet but is not completely Liberated as yet. In other words he hasn’t cleared the tendencies or samskaras from his mind. Such as doubt and certain attachments mental or physical. He may still even have the desire to ‘help’ people. So no matter how holy John is he isn’t a Realised Being or Liberated. So surrendering and becoming as innocent as a child, one will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
47) Jesus said, "It is impossible for a man to mount two horses or to stretch two bows. And it is impossible for a servant to serve two masters; otherwise he will honor the one and treat the other contemptuously. No man drinks old wine and immediately desires to drink new wine. And new wine is not put into old wineskins, lest they burst; nor is old wine put into a new wineskin, lest it spoil it. An old patch is not sewn onto a new garment, because a tear would result."
Purport:
Develop concentration and single mindedness of purpose to become liberated. We cannot serve two masters, we must serve God or Mammon, we cannot do both. There is also some reference to putting teachings into minds that are inappropriate for them.
48) Jesus said, "If two make peace with each other in this one house, they will say to the mountain, 'Move Away,' and it will move away."
Purport:
If the lower self and the Higher Self are united, it is Liberation. If one is Liberated all power accrues to he that overcomes. It is said that a Liberated person can only speak and command the truth, so whatever they say—it happens.
49) Jesus said, "Blessed are the solitary and elect, for you will find the Kingdom. For you are from it, and to it you will return."
Purport:
Don’t go along with the crowd, think for yourself, work out your own salvation. For one has to understand that one has not to really realise something, but to know that one is ‘God’, and there has been a forgetting. Each individual has to destroy their own ego, nobody else can. In fact the final step is taken by the Universal itself.
50) Jesus said, "If they say to you, 'Where did you come from?', say to them, 'We came from the light, the place where the light came into being on its own accord and established [itself] and became manifest through their image.' If they say to you, 'Is it you?', say, 'We are its children, we are the elect of the Living Father.' If they ask you, 'What is the sign of your father in you?', say to them, 'It is movement and repose.'"
Purport:
It is movement and rest, movement of the body and repose of the spirit. For we are as sparks of the fire in relation to the fire of the Father. Also we are the beginning and the end together/alpha and omega. The ‘Light’ here could be also described as the Divine Energy or Sakti Projection. Movement also resonates in the stirrings of primal energy or Prakriti. The words ‘the place where the light came into being on its own accord’, is similar to the concept of Saguna Brahman.
51) His disciples said to Him, "When will the repose of the dead come about, and when will the new world come?" He said to them, "What you look forward to has already come, but you do not recognize it."
Purport:
We are already liberated but don’t know it for our thinking and minds get in the way. We are already that which we search for----the Inner ‘I Am’, as opposed to the small I/ego.
52) His disciples said to Him, "Twenty-four prophets spoke in Israel, and all of them spoke in You." He said to them, "You have omitted the one living in your presence and have spoken (only) of the dead."
Purport:
Jesus is also the prophet, a living prophet, take notice of his living message. He is not just the ‘speaker’ of past prophets and recognizing him we recognize ourselves.
53) His disciples said to Him, "Is circumcision beneficial or not?" He said to them, "If it were beneficial, their father would beget them already circumcised from their mother. Rather, the true circumcision in spirit has become completely profitable."
Purport:
Any material thing isn’t spiritual, so circumcision is just a cultural ritual and not really important spiritually. Cutting one’s desires and need for material things is the true circumcision.
54) Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor, for yours is the Kingdom of Heaven."
Purport:
Blessed are those that don’t have much need for material goods and attachments. Poor; meaning humble in character, for they will achieve Liberation. Also the richest person in the world is the one who desires the least.
55) Jesus said, "Whoever does not hate his father and his mother cannot become a disciple to Me. And whoever does not hate his brothers and sisters and take up his cross in My way will not be worthy of Me."
Purport:
This means to give all attachments on the planet, including relatives. Also to take up the cross or destruction of the small ego and follow the Inner Teachings of the Greater Self or ‘God’.
56) Jesus said, "Whoever has come to understand the world has found (only) a corpse, and whoever has found a corpse is superior to the world."
Purport:
This again is about attachments and that the body is just a corpse and so is the world without spirit. Whoever understands this rises above the desires of the world.
57) Jesus said, "The Kingdom of the Father is like a man who had
[good] seed. His enemy came by night and sowed weeds among the good seed. The man did not allow them to pull up the weeds; he said to them, 'I am afraid that you will go intending to pull up the weeds and pull up the wheat along with them.' For on the day of the harvest the weeds will be plainly visible, and they will be pulled up and burned."
Purport:
One has to live in the world but not be of the world. At the time appointed those who are not of the world will be Liberated.
58) Jesus said, "Blessed is the man who has suffered and found life."
Purport:
Suffering is extant and constant in the world, even a pleasure carries with it the thought of it ending. So those that suffer are not so attached to the pleasures of the world and so it is easier to achieve spirituality and Liberation. Suffering is also the turmoil one goes through when on the spiritual path, especially at first; As in ‘Dark Night of the Soul’. Life is the true life of the spirit or Realisation.
59) Jesus said, "Take heed of the Living One while you are alive, lest you die and seek to see Him and be unable to do so."
Purport:
Take heed of the living Jesus for on death you may not know where you are and where you are going. Also some people don’t even know that they have died, and get distracted. One cannot achieve Liberation after death so easily. Use this opportunity of this life and don’t waste it.
60) a Samaritan carrying a lamb on his way to Judea. He said to his disciples, "(Why does) that man (carry) the lamb around?" They said to him, "So that he may kill it and eat it." He said to them, "While it is alive, he will not eat it, but only when he has killed it and it has become a corpse." They said to him, "He cannot do so otherwise." He said to them, "You too, look for a place for yourself within the Repose, lest you become a corpse and be eaten."
Purport:
Again this is about body consciousness, and the body just ending up a corpse. One has to strive for Liberation. Also not be eaten up by our attachments and desires. For we are not the doer and the Divine carries us and completes the action. Become realized do not end up a dead or live corpse.
61) Jesus said, "Two will rest on a bed: the one will die, and other will live." Salome said to him, "Who are You, man, that You, as though from the One, have come up on my couch and eaten from my table?" Jesus said to her, "I am He who exists from the Undivided. I was given some of the things of my Father."
"I am Your disciple."
"Therefore I say, if he is , he will be filled with light, but if he is divided, he will be filled with darkness."
Purport:
One person on the bed will become realized the other will not. This is Jesus talking as the Universal as opposed to a man. If one realizes that all is one then one is undivided and Liberated. Jesus is also referring to the fact that certain things have been given him by his Father. This could mean the ability to demonstrate supernatural powers or siddhis, but not all at this stage. This is normal of Descents; they accrue only the powers necessary for the mission. (In India this is called Avatars and Amsa Avatars).
62) Jesus said, "It is to those [who are worthy of My] mysteries that I tell My mysteries. Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."
Purport:
To those who are on the spiritual path, vidya or spiritual knowledge accrues. Keep your spiritual development to yourself for talking to others who are not interested only adds a negative.
63) Jesus said, "There was a rich man who had much money. He said, 'I shall put my money to use so that I may sow, reap, plant, and fill my storehouse with produce, with the result that I shall lack nothing. Such were his intentions, but that same night he died. Let him who has ears hear."
Purport:
The time for working on Liberation is now. There is no point in putting it off in order to gain materially in the world. For one may die and have wasted an opportunity. Do not be tempted by your own desires.
64) Jesus said, "A man had received visitors. And when he had prepared the dinner, he sent his servant to invite guests. He went to the first one and said to him, "My master invites you.'
He said, 'I have claims against some merchants. They are coming to me this evening. I must go and give them my orders. I ask to be excused from the dinner.' He went to another and said, 'My master has invited you.' He said to him, 'I have just bought a house and am required for the day. I shall not have any spare time.' He went to another and said to him, 'My master invites you.' He said to him, 'My friend is going to get married, and I am to prepare the banquet. I shall not be able to come. I ask to be excused from the dinner.' He went to another and said to him,
'My master invites you.' He said to him, 'I have just bought a farm, and I am on my way to collect the rent. I shall not be able to come. I ask to be excused.' The servant returned and said to his master, 'Those whom you invited to the dinner have asked to be excused.' The master said to his servant, 'Go outside to the streets and bring back those whom you happen to meet, so that they may dine.' Businessmen and merchants will not enter the Places of My Father."
Purport:
This line again is saying not to be attached to the world and material goods and relatives. People attached to money and business will have difficulty in spirituality and gaining Liberation. Also don’t waste the opportunity of this life, for God is always inviting us into the Kingdom of Liberation but we don’t answer. This also harks to the Messianic Banquet of the Essenes.
65) He said, "There was a good man who owned a vineyard. He leased it to tenant farmers so that they might work it and he might collect the produce from them. He sent his servant so that the tenants might give him the produce of the vineyard. They seized his servant and beat him, all but killing him. The servant went back and told his master. The master said, 'Perhaps
did not recognize .' He sent another servant. The tenants beat this one as well. Then the owner sent his son and said,
'Perhaps they will show respect to my son.' Because the tenants knew that it was he who was the heir to the vineyard, they seized him and killed him. Let him who has ears hear."
Purport:
People don’t want to hear the spiritual truth, they will kill the messenger. They are only interested in their material attachments. People don't realise that they live in 'God's' vineyard, and they don't want to give God His due. They are only interested in their material attachments. There is a possible hint of Jesus’ betrayal and crucifixion here as well, as the Son.
66) Jesus said, "Show me the stone which the builders have rejected. That one is the cornerstone."
Purport:
This means the prophet is the one who is rejected by most, for he teaches the non material way.
67) Jesus said, "Whoever believes that the All itself is deficient is (himself) completely deficient."
Purport:
All is a manifestation of ‘God’, so at some level all is perfect. So to believe the Universal is deficient is to indicate the same of oneself.
68) Jesus said, "Blessed are you when you are hated and persecuted. Wherever you have been persecuted they will find no Place."
Purport:
Blessed are they on the spiritual path for they will not be liked by many. Also the persecution is the inner striving for truth. Those that persecute chase the knowledge of spirituality away from themselves.
69) Jesus said, "Blessed are they who have been persecuted within themselves. It is they who have truly come to know the Father. Blessed are the hungry, for the belly of him who desires will be filled."
Purport:
This expands on the previous saying, especially the inner turmoil and ardent seeking. However those who succeed attain to Liberation. They achieve the whole spiritual fullness.
70) Jesus said, "If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you."
Purport:
One must bring forth the spiritual for if one doesn’t then one will not become realized. In other words bring forth the spiritual not the material desires. Also bring forth and purify the tendencies or samskaras for otherwise they will always destroy you.
71) Jesus said, "I shall destroy [this] house, and no one will be able to rebuild it."
Purport:
Destroying the body and particularly the body consciousness. Realisation cannot be reversed.
72) [A man said] to Him, "Tell my brothers to divide my father's possessions with me." He said to him, "O man, who has made Me a divider?" He turned to His disciples and said to them, "I am not a divider, am I?"
Purport:
Here the emphasis is on all being one and not individuals---non duality in fact. Non Dividing in any way is the spiritual message constantly taught in this Gospel.
73) Jesus said, "The harvest is great but the laborers are few. Beseech the Lord, therefore, to send out laborers to the harvest."
Purport:
The achievement of Liberation is great but so few want it, go forth and teach this .Also many are called but few are chosen.
74) He said, "O Lord, there are many around the drinking trough, but there is nothing in the cistern."
Purport:
There are many seeking but what they seek is spiritual and not something tangible. Few are prepared to jump in completely, and they are spiritually dry. It is in the same vein as ‘many are called but few are chosen’.
75) Jesus said, "Many are standing at the door, but it is the solitary who will enter the bridal chamber."
Purport:
Give up the world and your possessions, and attachments, if you wish for Liberation. The bridal chamber is Liberation where the individual is united in the Universal. It is a solitary path that one takes.
76) Jesus said, "The kingdom of the Father is like a merchant who had a consignment of merchandise and who discovered a pearl. That merchant was shrewd. He sold the merchandise and bought the pearl alone for himself. You too, seek his unfailing and enduring treasure where no moth comes near to devour and no worm destroys."
Purport:
Seek out the truth amongst the false, for buried in all,(even in all this materialism), is the pearl of truth or Liberation. (In some tantric groups and kundalini practitioners, seeing the ‘Blue Pearl’, in meditation is taken as spiritual advancement).
77) Jesus said, "It is I who am the light which is above them all. It is I who am the All. From Me did the All come forth, and unto Me did the All extend. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find Me there."
Purport:
This is Jesus talking as the Universal again. This means everything is He from the inside of a split wood to underneath the stone; There is nothing but ‘I AM.’
78) Jesus said, "Why have you come out into the desert? To see a reed shaken by the wind? And to see a man clothed in fine garments like your kings and your great men? Upon them are the fine [garments], and they are unable to discern the truth."
Purport:
Wealth and worldly success doesn’t bestow any enlightenment. The truth is not discerned by education and worldly wealth, it is only by going within.
79) A woman from the crowd said to Him, "Blessed are the womb which bore You and the breasts which nourished You." He said to her, "Blessed are those who have heard the word of the Father and have truly kept it. For there will be days when you will say, 'Blessed are the womb which has not conceived and the breasts which have not given milk.'"
Purport:
This is about rising above the human state. To a state where comparisons and ideals of a human animal nature are unimportant and only of the body.Blessed are those that are realizing the Truth of the Word/Father.
80) Jesus said, "He who has recognized the world has found the body, but he who has found the body is superior to the world."
Purport:
One who has recognized the true state of things spiritually, has understood what the body is. He who understands that can transcend it.
81) Jesus said, "Let him who has grown rich be king, and let him who possesses power renounce it."
Purport:
Give up attachment to things of the world, renounce attachment to the material to achieve spirituality. For those that wish material instead of spiritual knowledge let them be King. Renouncing power is saranagathi or surrender, nishkarma karma.
82) Jesus said, "He who is near Me is near the fire, and he who is far from Me is far from the Kingdom."
Purport:
The fire is God and the Kingdom of Heaven or Liberation. Jesus is talking as the Universal again. Also like a piece of iron gets hot for being near the fire, so a person gets hot by being near a Sage or Realised One.
83) Jesus said, "The images are manifest to man, but the light in them remains concealed in the image of the light of the Father. He will become manifest, but his image will remain concealed by his light."
Purport:
The inner spirit is in everything and is everything. The individual is obvious but the universal is not apparent.
84) Jesus said, "When you see your likeness, you rejoice. But when you see your images which came into being before you, and which neither die not become manifest, how much you will have to bear!"
Purport:
This is referring to reincarnation and previous lives and the karma from those. Plus all the images and beings on the other planes or heavens.
85) Jesus said, "Adam came into being from a great power and a great wealth, but he did not become worthy of you. For had he been worthy, [he would] not [have experienced] death."
Purport:
Adam?Adamics?Kumaras took birth to help correct the diversion into materiality and restore the spiritual path. Unfortunately he/they himself became entangled in desire and therefore faltered or fell, and had to experience physical death.
86) Jesus said, "[The foxes have their holes] and the birds have
[their] nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head and rest."
Purport:
This indicates there is no need for any materiality or attachments for the Son of Man. It also indicates total surrender to the Lord, or God and putting our burden on him who really does the work.
87) Jesus said, "Wretched is the body that is dependant upon a body, and wretched is the soul that is dependent on these two."
Purport:
This again is about the entity or soul becoming dependent on the body and materiality. It also seems to indicate attachment to other bodies or people is an impediment as well.
88) Jesus said, "The angels and the prophets will come to you and give you those things you (already) have. And you too, give them those things which you have, and say to yourselves, 'When will they come and take what is theirs?'"
Purport:
These are beings that live on higher planes or heavens and therefore are not liberated themselves, but the fear of attachment and loss is there. As it is for all unrealized people. Nobody can give us what we already have and that is Liberation, but we have forgotten. Many Higher Beings take incarnation so they can be freed from their happiness.
89) Jesus said, "Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Do you not realize that he who made he inside is the same one who made the outside?"
Purport:
All is One, all is one manifestation of ‘God’. Washing the outside is just taking care of appearances, and not referring to the inner reality.
90) Jesus said, "Come unto me, for My yoke is easy and My lordship is mild, and you will find repose for yourselves."
Purport:
When you give all attachments and desires you are the richest man in the world and have no heavy load. Like riding on a train, and putting your cases down. The train will carry them for you, and you can rest, for you are not the doer anyway.
91) They said to Him, "Tell us who You are so that we may believe in You." He said to them, "You read the face of the sky and of the earth, but you have not recognized the one who is before you, and you do not know how to read this moment."
Purport:
They don’t recognize who Jesus really is and what he has come to teach. That the moment is always the present and that is the time for realization.
92) Jesus said, "Seek and you will find. Yet, what you asked Me about in former times and which I did not tell you then, now I do desire to tell, but you do not enquire after it."
Purport:
They have lost the desire to progress on the spiritual path. They have stopped asking questions or searching for truth. Don’t stop the Self-Enquirey!
93) "Do not give what is holy to dogs, lest they throw them on the dung-heap. Do not throw the pearls to swine, lest they grind it [to bits]."
Purport:
There is no point in giving the teachings to people of low awareness and purification. They will not understand them and may become angry. Most teachers teach at different levels of awareness. So public teaching may be somewhat different from the more private teaching to disciples.
94) Jesus [said], "He who seeks will find, and [he who knocks]
will be let in."
Purport:
If you seek inwards you will find. For inner meditation reveal the truth within. The truth of the ‘I Am’, as opposed the little ego. We are ever ready to realise and remember, whence we came. We have just to give up the idea that we are an individual person.
95) [Jesus said,] "If you have money, do not lend it at interest, but give [it] to one from whom you will not get it back."
Purport:
This is an old injunction against usury and it is also a message to give up that to which we are attached.
96) Jesus [said], "The Kingdom of the Father is like a certain woman. She took a little leaven, [concealed] it in some dough, and made it into large loaves. Let him who has ears hear."
Purport:
Within creation there is only ‘God’ taking all these forms in a kind of projected dream. Similar to the parable of the mustard seed growing into a big tree. A little spirituality will lead to a greater Moksha or Liberation.
97) Jesus said, "The Kingdom of the [Father] is like a certain woman who was carrying a jar full of meal. While she was walking
[on] a road, still some distance from home, the handle of the jar broke and the meal emptied out behind her on the road. She did not realize it; she had noticed no accident. When she reached her house, she set the jar down and found it empty."
Purport:
Life drains away every minute, but also the Kingdom is spread and not noticed.
98) Jesus said, "The Kingdom of the Father is like a certain man who wanted to kill a powerful man. In his own house he drew his sword and stuck it into the wall in order to find out whether his hand could carry through. Then he slew the powerful man."
Purport:
Spirituality takes practise and concentration.
99) The disciples said to Him, "Your brothers and Your mother are standing outside." He said to them, "Those here who do the will of My Father are My brothers and My mother. It is they who will enter the Kingdom of My Father."
Purport:
Liberated people know they are one, they have already surrendered to the will of ‘God’.
100) They showed Jesus a gold coin and said to Him, "Caesar's men demand taxes from us." He said to them, "Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, give God what belongs to God, and give Me what is Mine."
Purport:
Materialism is for Caesar and the world, devotion is for God, and for oneself it is not God but Liberation.
101) "Whoever does not hate his father and his mother as I do cannot become a disciple to Me. And whoever does
[not] love his father and his mother as I do cannot become a
[disciple] to Me. For My mother [gave me falsehood], but [My]
true [Mother] gave me life."
Purport:
Love all as All is One, do not become so attached to other people but at the same time respect that one’s mother gave one the body. The falsehood is the unreality of the world, and the only reality ‘God’. The natural mother in the end is not the real mother; That is the Universal Mother or Sakti.
102) Jesus said, "Woe to the Pharisees, for they are like a dog sleeping in the manger of oxen, for neither does he eat nor does he let the oxen eat."
Purport:
Some intellectuals and religious people do not practise what they should and don’t reveal the knowledge to others.
103) Jesus said, "Fortunate is the man who knows where the brigands will enter, so that he may get up, muster his domain, and arm himself before they invade."
Purport:
This means fortunate is a person that realizes his own faults and can control the mind.
104) They said [to Jesus], "Come, let us pray today and let us fast." Jesus said, "What is the sin that I have committed, or wherein have I been defeated? But when the bridegroom leaves the bridal chamber, then let them fast and pray."
Purport:
After Liberation let us celebrate, not so much before.
105) Jesus said, "He who knows the father and the mother will be called the son of a harlot."
Purport:
This refers to the attachment one has to give up to one’s parents and the world.
106) Jesus said, "When you make the two one, you will become the sons of man, and when you say, 'Mountain, move away,' it will move away."
Purport:
The soul entity is sexless so is one. So on liberation in the body one will combine all the male and female energies. Also the word of a Realised One is Truth and whatever they say----it happens.
107) Jesus said, "The Kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the ninety-nine sheep and looked for that one until he found it. When he had gone to such trouble, he said to the sheep, 'I care for you more than the ninety-nine.'"
Purport:
God loves even those that go astray. However those that are ‘biggest’, on the road of spiritual liberation, are immediately closer.
108) Jesus said, "He who will drink from my mouth will become like Me. I myself shall become he, and the things that are hidden will become revealed to him."
Purport:
This again is all about accepting the teaching and becoming One, and giving up the ego and false individuality. Listening to the teachings, one becomes the teaching and the teacher and disciple become one or rather were always one.
109) Jesus said, "The Kingdom is like a man who had a [hidden]
treasure in his field without knowing it. And [after] he died, he left it to his son. The son did not know (about the treasure). He inherited the field and sold [it]. And the one who bought it went plowing and found the treasure. He began to lend money at interest to whomever he wished."
Purport:
Whoever seeks will find and get the spiritual riches or Liberation. One has to make the effort and do the action or karma.
110) Jesus said, "Whoever finds the world and becomes rich, let him renounce the world."
Purport:
Give up all attachment, even those that have found material success in the world.
111) Jesus said, "The heavens and the earth will be rolled up in your presence. And one who lives from the Living One will not see death." Does not Jesus say, "Whoever finds himself is superior to the world?"
Purport:
This is a complete reference to Realisation of Liberation. The complete illusion and unreality of heaven and earth will become apparent and only the Transcendent God is left, which we are in fact ourselves.
112) Jesus said, "Woe to the flesh that depends on the soul; woe to the soul that depends on the flesh."
Purport:
Another reference to depending on illusion, individual and common unreality.In the end result the flesh is unreal, and so is the individual soul.
113) His disciples said to Him, "When will the Kingdom come?"
"It will not come by waiting for it. It will not be a matter of saying 'Here it is' or 'There it is.' Rather, the Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it."
Purport:
There is nothing to come or realise in the end. For we are already free and don’t know for our minds have clouded our vision. In other words the illusion of the world, ourselves everything is a projection of God. We are searching for something which is already within us.
114) Simon Peter said to Him, "Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of Life." Jesus said, "I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the Kingdom of Heaven."
Purport:
The interim step to realization is unity of all, and loss of individuality associated with the body. This also includes the idea of different sexes. Also there is the tradition that there is only one male in the universe and that is ‘God’. The Creation or projection is female, it is ‘The Sakti’. So by woman becoming Realised she becomes ‘Male’, or ‘God’. Also Ramana's comments on this same gospel are enlightening as well........******************************************************************************************8
http://bhagavan-ramana.org/RamanaThomas.html
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Presence
THE PRESENT OF THE PRESENCE. (The state of awareness). Introduction to a book being written.by Tony O'Clery.
Many people sometimes wake up in bliss, which lasts for a few moments or minutes and is probably due to a direct awakening from deep sleep as opposed to transversing the dream plane.
It has happened to me on occasions and on awakening from meditation sometimes.
Recently I awoke from my unconscious meditation in a bliss state and it lasted an hour or more. I or something was observing the bliss state, and the world was more ephemeral and didn't matter at all. I couldn't really tell if I was the state or was even separate from it. It lasted just as long as I was observing, as soon as I started to function in the world it began to diminish progressively....The memory or residual is still there though......This leads on to the what is this 'I' or rather Who am I? Young toddlers for example think and speak in the third person and don't really have a strong ego-sense as such. However due to conditioning an ego starts to develop and expand. However it is only a thought and what we call mind is also really just a bundle of thoughts.
Separation is the odd man out rather than the truth, or the ground energy of everything from the big-bang onwards is only one. We constantly try to reinforce our illusory ego like having a mirror facing a mirror and seeing reflections going on and on, and then believing the image must be true for there are so many reflections of it. I am doing this and this is happening to me and so on and so on. Separating ourselves from the common energy, like a whirlpool in the ocean believing it is separate from the whole ocean, or a wave doing the same thing.
Taking responsibility for action causes us pain, and problems with other people, who also have egos. Not only egos but 'minds' and a subtle bodies that stores all the joy and grief of our experiences. Our relationships are a minefield of navigating to avoid each other rocks of wreckage and pain. Joy is no problem as it can be shared even if not totally understood, for it is nearer the truth of the 'ground of being or energy'.
This leads us to the question of freewill and what it means. Freewill cannot be explained without explaining what time is or isn't. There really isn't any time even science recognizes the concept as relative. So if there isn't any time everything must be happening at once in some way. Like a wagon wheel, consciousness is the hub and it concentrates on one spoke at a time but all the other spokes exist as well even if they are not illuminated. This has the effect of us completing an action that we have essentially already completed. In other words if we deliberate over an action and come to a decision, that is the decision that we made anyway. This allows the illusion of freewill so we can take responsibility for what we do or don't do. The reason for that is that we set up a memory to learn, which we call karma. Karma will teach the mind through experience, and the mind puts the body in many situations to learn.
However we are not our thoughts nor our mind, we are the consciousness or state of awareness behind the thoughts. Thoughts are also something that our ego reaches out and grasps hold of. If you sit quietly you will notice thoughts continuing unabated, running on and on. This gives you the opportunity to observe as a witness rather than a participant, and this is the first step to finding out 'Who am I'. The trick though is to realise that enlightenment cannot be achieved it can only happen.
It can be helped along so to speak by meditation 'observation' being the easiest way. That is observing the mind and its thoughts and one will find out it is only thoughts. This has the effect of strengthening the feeling of being the observer, which is the awareness state. One has to have course of enquiry though, and continually be aware of what the 'I' is. One has to realise that the 'I' is just a thought also and the ego does't exist apart from that. So going about one's daily chores ask the questions, who is this happening to, who am I, who is happy who is upset, who is doing this as an act of selfishness, and so on.
Every now and then some joy on earth will overwhelm our enquiry such as falling love with a person and creating an attachment. This sets up a chemical situation in the brain as well as a psychological one, and one thinks one has found happiness. But no human can live up to that the eventually the partner's ego starts to show and his or her mind full of karmas starts to take effect. Proving again there is no lasting happiness on the outside and one has to go within so to speak. This does not mean that one cannot have a meaningful relationship however; For that in itself is a learning experience and an exercise in reducing the egos.
KARMA AND OR GENETICS.
In the Eastern Religions and Philosophies karma from previous 'lives' is used to explain today's happenings, tendencies and attributes. However if one doesn't believe in karma, which many in the 'West' do not, then the alternative is genetic tendencies and influences from the environment. No matter what the origin of these conditions the fact remains that our tendencies and attributes affect the very way we live our lives and make our decisions. It may not be possible to isolate a tendency that easily or even an attribute, but one can observe oneself and notice them.
The mind is like a glass of fluid with sediments at the bottom, these sediments can be stirred up and so changing the fluid's conditions for a while. Tendencies and attributes are something similar and may be triggered by a certain event and then subside and lie low until the next 'triggering'. The trick in controlling these mostly sub-conscious tendencies, is in understanding that which triggers them and avoiding them, if it is unpleasant or 'bad'. (The opposite is also true of course).
Observing the ego or 'I' thought can help avoid and control certain tendencies, understanding when it is a motivation of selfishness, or altruism.
The ego looks for liner achievement to fulfill itself. However even on achieving great goals the feeling of unfulfillment is still there, for it is related to falsehood of egoistic activities. The nature of the ego is to be greedy and desire ever more and more of its desires.
ACTION OF NON-ACTION?
It is a common misconception that activity is required, to help humanity or do 'good'. However, once one understands the mind and the fact that it broadcasts vibrations, a person sitting in a cave and doing no activity could help the world, with invisible influences. Meditate on the space between thoughts and one will find out the truth.
ACTION.
With regard to the field of action, there is a great concept taught in the Bhagavad Gita, by Krishna to Arjuna. That is surrender, or 'no karma, karma'.. This essentially means surrendering the fruits of the action one is doing and leaving it to providence. Karma Yogis, are among the best known in history. St Vincent de Paul embraced this concept and used it as a devotion and to help the poor and downtrodden. This in fact brings the 'Universal' into the lives of many through the Yogi or Saint, as well as expanding love and reducing the ego of the practitioner. For the Saint or Yogi offers his work itself as a prayer to the Universal, and therefore absolves himself of thinking about a successful or a result in failure. One doesn't have to do anything karma will take its course anyway. So surrender and have the confidence that as long as one complete's action things will unfold as they should do. One can create 'Good' karma for the future and future 'Lives', for 'Dream actions have dream results'.
Motivation and Desire.
Motivation is a belief in the present, but it is also following one's bliss. Find your inner feeling and you will find your raison d'etre or goal.
There may be other goals on the way. It is a matter of being positive, complete your actions, and surrender to the moment. There is an old saying that we become what we think about and this is so true, for we are thinking of what we are at a deeper level.
HOPE.
Hope is an expectation with a belief the goal is already mentally achieved, except for the action to complete. This does involve visualization and dreaming the goal but also act. Dreaming the goal brings it up from the subconscious present. Think in the present for the present is the result and no result can be achieved without the present.
'The person who has the most success is the one who expects it'. For they know they are already successful in the present.
So after the goal is set dwell in the present not on the desire for the desire will invariably not measure up and result in unhappiness and frustration. This is due to the energy being forced in contrast to the truth of the subconscious present. So dwelling in the moment is an advantage for there is less stress, good vibrations of happiness, and peace. This leaves people in a sense of relaxation, enthusiasm and communication
Many people sometimes wake up in bliss, which lasts for a few moments or minutes and is probably due to a direct awakening from deep sleep as opposed to transversing the dream plane.
It has happened to me on occasions and on awakening from meditation sometimes.
Recently I awoke from my unconscious meditation in a bliss state and it lasted an hour or more. I or something was observing the bliss state, and the world was more ephemeral and didn't matter at all. I couldn't really tell if I was the state or was even separate from it. It lasted just as long as I was observing, as soon as I started to function in the world it began to diminish progressively....The memory or residual is still there though......This leads on to the what is this 'I' or rather Who am I? Young toddlers for example think and speak in the third person and don't really have a strong ego-sense as such. However due to conditioning an ego starts to develop and expand. However it is only a thought and what we call mind is also really just a bundle of thoughts.
Separation is the odd man out rather than the truth, or the ground energy of everything from the big-bang onwards is only one. We constantly try to reinforce our illusory ego like having a mirror facing a mirror and seeing reflections going on and on, and then believing the image must be true for there are so many reflections of it. I am doing this and this is happening to me and so on and so on. Separating ourselves from the common energy, like a whirlpool in the ocean believing it is separate from the whole ocean, or a wave doing the same thing.
Taking responsibility for action causes us pain, and problems with other people, who also have egos. Not only egos but 'minds' and a subtle bodies that stores all the joy and grief of our experiences. Our relationships are a minefield of navigating to avoid each other rocks of wreckage and pain. Joy is no problem as it can be shared even if not totally understood, for it is nearer the truth of the 'ground of being or energy'.
This leads us to the question of freewill and what it means. Freewill cannot be explained without explaining what time is or isn't. There really isn't any time even science recognizes the concept as relative. So if there isn't any time everything must be happening at once in some way. Like a wagon wheel, consciousness is the hub and it concentrates on one spoke at a time but all the other spokes exist as well even if they are not illuminated. This has the effect of us completing an action that we have essentially already completed. In other words if we deliberate over an action and come to a decision, that is the decision that we made anyway. This allows the illusion of freewill so we can take responsibility for what we do or don't do. The reason for that is that we set up a memory to learn, which we call karma. Karma will teach the mind through experience, and the mind puts the body in many situations to learn.
However we are not our thoughts nor our mind, we are the consciousness or state of awareness behind the thoughts. Thoughts are also something that our ego reaches out and grasps hold of. If you sit quietly you will notice thoughts continuing unabated, running on and on. This gives you the opportunity to observe as a witness rather than a participant, and this is the first step to finding out 'Who am I'. The trick though is to realise that enlightenment cannot be achieved it can only happen.
It can be helped along so to speak by meditation 'observation' being the easiest way. That is observing the mind and its thoughts and one will find out it is only thoughts. This has the effect of strengthening the feeling of being the observer, which is the awareness state. One has to have course of enquiry though, and continually be aware of what the 'I' is. One has to realise that the 'I' is just a thought also and the ego does't exist apart from that. So going about one's daily chores ask the questions, who is this happening to, who am I, who is happy who is upset, who is doing this as an act of selfishness, and so on.
Every now and then some joy on earth will overwhelm our enquiry such as falling love with a person and creating an attachment. This sets up a chemical situation in the brain as well as a psychological one, and one thinks one has found happiness. But no human can live up to that the eventually the partner's ego starts to show and his or her mind full of karmas starts to take effect. Proving again there is no lasting happiness on the outside and one has to go within so to speak. This does not mean that one cannot have a meaningful relationship however; For that in itself is a learning experience and an exercise in reducing the egos.
KARMA AND OR GENETICS.
In the Eastern Religions and Philosophies karma from previous 'lives' is used to explain today's happenings, tendencies and attributes. However if one doesn't believe in karma, which many in the 'West' do not, then the alternative is genetic tendencies and influences from the environment. No matter what the origin of these conditions the fact remains that our tendencies and attributes affect the very way we live our lives and make our decisions. It may not be possible to isolate a tendency that easily or even an attribute, but one can observe oneself and notice them.
The mind is like a glass of fluid with sediments at the bottom, these sediments can be stirred up and so changing the fluid's conditions for a while. Tendencies and attributes are something similar and may be triggered by a certain event and then subside and lie low until the next 'triggering'. The trick in controlling these mostly sub-conscious tendencies, is in understanding that which triggers them and avoiding them, if it is unpleasant or 'bad'. (The opposite is also true of course).
Observing the ego or 'I' thought can help avoid and control certain tendencies, understanding when it is a motivation of selfishness, or altruism.
The ego looks for liner achievement to fulfill itself. However even on achieving great goals the feeling of unfulfillment is still there, for it is related to falsehood of egoistic activities. The nature of the ego is to be greedy and desire ever more and more of its desires.
ACTION OF NON-ACTION?
It is a common misconception that activity is required, to help humanity or do 'good'. However, once one understands the mind and the fact that it broadcasts vibrations, a person sitting in a cave and doing no activity could help the world, with invisible influences. Meditate on the space between thoughts and one will find out the truth.
ACTION.
With regard to the field of action, there is a great concept taught in the Bhagavad Gita, by Krishna to Arjuna. That is surrender, or 'no karma, karma'.. This essentially means surrendering the fruits of the action one is doing and leaving it to providence. Karma Yogis, are among the best known in history. St Vincent de Paul embraced this concept and used it as a devotion and to help the poor and downtrodden. This in fact brings the 'Universal' into the lives of many through the Yogi or Saint, as well as expanding love and reducing the ego of the practitioner. For the Saint or Yogi offers his work itself as a prayer to the Universal, and therefore absolves himself of thinking about a successful or a result in failure. One doesn't have to do anything karma will take its course anyway. So surrender and have the confidence that as long as one complete's action things will unfold as they should do. One can create 'Good' karma for the future and future 'Lives', for 'Dream actions have dream results'.
Motivation and Desire.
Motivation is a belief in the present, but it is also following one's bliss. Find your inner feeling and you will find your raison d'etre or goal.
There may be other goals on the way. It is a matter of being positive, complete your actions, and surrender to the moment. There is an old saying that we become what we think about and this is so true, for we are thinking of what we are at a deeper level.
HOPE.
Hope is an expectation with a belief the goal is already mentally achieved, except for the action to complete. This does involve visualization and dreaming the goal but also act. Dreaming the goal brings it up from the subconscious present. Think in the present for the present is the result and no result can be achieved without the present.
'The person who has the most success is the one who expects it'. For they know they are already successful in the present.
So after the goal is set dwell in the present not on the desire for the desire will invariably not measure up and result in unhappiness and frustration. This is due to the energy being forced in contrast to the truth of the subconscious present. So dwelling in the moment is an advantage for there is less stress, good vibrations of happiness, and peace. This leaves people in a sense of relaxation, enthusiasm and communication
Yugas
THE PERIODS, AND AGES OF THE UNIVERSE.
It is helpful to describe the ages of the universe and earth, when discussing unidentified flying objects and aliens.
The records preserved in India, and elsewhere, I feel, were preserved from the Mu or Lemurian Civilisation. India, at one time was probably contiguous with the continent of Mu. This Motherland Continent was supposed to have stretched from what is East Africa to Easter Island. It supposedly founded Atlantis, India, Egypt, America, and other areas such as Gobi, as colonies. I show these to illustrate the antiquity of the planet and its ‘human’ occupation. I use the word ‘human’ to describe the spirit and intelligence, rather than the bodily form, which varied considerably.
In the Ancient Wisom idea, each Creation, or Kalpa, is called a Day and each Dissolution or Pralaya, is called a Night, of the Creator. The universe is supposed to have commenced about 15,757,969,000,000, years ago, approximately. Modern science has a date of 11, (at present), as opposed to 15, I believe.
A Kalpa last for 4,320,000,000, ( modern science says the solar system is 4.5 billion years old), human years, and is divided into 14 Manvantaras, or periods, of 71 cycles of Ages or Yugas. Every Kalpa has 1,000 cycles of the 4 Yugas.
Each cycle is of 4,320,000, human years.
The 4 Yugas are; Counting from the back.
1.) Sathya, Krita, or Truth, which lasts for 1,728,000, years.
2.) Treta or Third, which lasts for 1,296,000, years.
3.) Dwapara or Second, which lasts for 864,000, years.
4.) Kali, Age of the Destruction, and quarrels, which lasts for 432,000, years.
The Kali Yuga is our present one and it only started, about 5,000 years ago, so it has a long way to run. It is an age of spiritual decline and eventually civilisation itself will decline.
In the Sathya, or Krita Yuga, people were gigantic in size, perhaps as tall as twenty feet, and lived for hundreds of years. As the Yugas, or ages, progress, humans become smaller, and longevity is reduced. So that at the time of Rama, twenty thousand years ago, they had diminished to about twelve feet tall. (Skeletons this size have been found in Peru, Europe and America). Until down to the present time, man is usually no more than six feet tall, and only lives up to about one hundred years.
So it is, that man will completely decline, living only twenty years or so, be only three or four foot tall, and there will be much horror and violence on the planet. People will live in bands, like tribes of monkeys, and in fact will have regressed. Eventually the planet will be subjected to catastrophes, the population will be almost wiped out, and the cycle will start again with the New, Sathya, Krita, Yuga.
So there have been approximately three to four Kalpas, or Ages, since the Astral Descents, that became human, have been on the planet, and two Kalpas since the descent of Adamic man. This is enough time for many civilisations to be wiped out, and for man to be almost destroyed, time and again. This is no doubt why they find, machined tools in lumps of coal from deep in the mines. This coal having been laid down millions of years ago. There is nothing new under the sun, so to speak.
. ( The Maya of Yucatan, Mexico also had a system of time periods, going back millions of years. The present one is supposed to end in December, 2012, and is tied to cycles on the Sun.)
U.F.O.s
So where does this leave the U.F.O.s? Well the lower astral planes contain many dimensions, and it is possible that these visits are from there or perhaps even different planets. In fact the material and the immediately associated, lower plane could contain infinite forms of beings. What I am saying, is that some are subtle manifestations of some kind and others are technological. Perhaps interdimensional or from parallel universes. However I am strongly convinced that many are actually ‘visits’, from different time periods on our own planet. That is from our future and from a very dim and distant past.
I am somewhat familiar with the ancient Hindu texts, and they refer to different land masses, which have sank and civilisations, that have disappeared. They also refer to advanced technology, where flying machines, as big as cities existed. So it is not necessary to absolutely posit the theory, that all ancient advanced technology came from aliens. These writings, of course, being originally a verbal record, were laid down after the event so current imagery is used, to try and describe the incidents. For example a flying machine that is called a Pushpaka is described as a flying chariot.
‘We beheld in the sky what appeared to us to be a mass of scarlet cloud, resembling the flames of a blazing fire. From this mass many blazing missiles flashed, and tremendous roars, like the noise of a thousand drums beaten at once. And from it fell many weapons winged with gold and thousands of thunderbolts, with loud explosions, and many hundreds of fiery wheels. Loud became the uproar of falling horses, slain by these missiles, and of mighty elephants struck by the explosions. With cries of ‘Oh’ and ‘Alas’, the wandering army seemed on the point of being annihilated. Those terrible Rakshasas had the shape of large mounds stationed in the sky.’ From the Ramayana. Believed to be 18,000 B.C. approx.*
“ A blazing missile possessed of the radiance of smokeless fire was discharged. A thick gloom suddenly encompassed the hosts. All points of the compass were suddenly enveloped in darkness. Evil bearing winds began to blow. Clouds roared into the higher air, showering blood. The very elements seemed confused. The sun appeared to spin round. The world, scorched by the heat of that weapon, seemed to be in a fever. Elephants, scorched by the energy of that terrible weapon, ran in terror, seeking protection from its terrible force. The very water being heated, the creatures who live in the water seemed to burn. The enemy fell like trees that are burned down in a raging fire. Huge elephants, burned by that weapon, fell all around. Others, scorched, ran hither and thither, and roared around fearfully in the midst of the blazing forest. The steeds and the chariots, burned by the energy of that weapon, resemble the stumps of trees that have been consumed in a forest conflagration. Thousands of chariots fell down on all sides. Darkness the hid the entire army…..And the cool winds began to blow. All points of the compass became clearer and bright. Then we beheld a wonderful sight. Burned up by the terrible power of that weapon, the forms of the slain could not even be distinguished.’ The Mahabharata. C. 3,500 B.C. According to the description of the sky, in the texts.*
The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are Scriptures which include the Avatars Rama, and Krishna and are read by all Hindus. Translations are readily available, as they are currently studied in most Hindu Temples. There are many other scriptures besides these of course. India is a treasure house of this sort of thing. No wonder Jesus studied and spent so much time there.
( In these various scriptures, a form of sound waves is talked about, as being the method of propulsion for flying machines. Even the atom, or Anu, is described, along with all kinds of mathematical formulae. It is no coincidence, that Einstein and Oppenheimer read these old scriptures. Particularly some Puranas, or ancient sacred myths, and the Atharva Veda, which is full of all kinds of scientific formulae.)
It is said that, aeons ago, the Emperor Hiranyakasipu, overcame the knowledge of all matter,was a great scientist, and could manipulate matter completely. In other words he had knowledge down to the finest sub atomic structure or ‘Unified Field’. So great in fact that he had ships that could travel to the stars. Legend has it that he could travel the area of the ‘Pole Star’.
According to scripture, it was the time, of the sixth Manvantara of the present Kalpa/Age, or a couple of million years ago!
Perhaps the universe was seeded by the human beings of that time, and now they return to their original planet for visits. In other words, perhaps, we are being visited, by people who have the same ancestors, although they have evolved differently, over the couple of million years. They may have even returned and conducted experiments, and genetic engineering. Producing hybrids again, even though millions of years apart, from the first hybrids on this planet.
It is not hard to believe that a technology, such as that, could time travel as well. Even Stephen Hawking, probably the world’s greatest physicist, says, that he no longer opposes the theory, of time travel, anymore. So perhaps some of the differences in appearances, of the visiting aliens, is due to different time periods, on the planet. Some are similar in appearance to us and others appear to resemble humans but with some attributes atrophied. Such as powerful physique and hair, which would be unnecessary in a highly evolved civilisation. It is not too much of a stretch, to theorise that humans with millions of years of advanced technology behind them, would look different. It is actually easier to accept that hypothesis, than to believe that the same conditions on Earth, have happened elsewhere. Many planets have been discovered recently, as many as thirteen locally. It is quite likely that pyramids and structures, built by Earth people, and others, from Hiranyakasipu’s time, will have been built there.
The odds, in infinity, is that earthlike conditions exist, of course, even randomly, for there are many, probably, oval shaped universes. And there is the fact that technology can tailor environments, if it is advanced enough.
So we have the periodic Pralayas, or Dissolutions of the universes. Which subsume everything, including the subtle worlds. The proton is itself determined to decay. So each new universe would develop differently, but would carry the tendencies from the previous manifestation. Hence the tendency to make discoveries in science and technology.
The Ramayana……Sage Valmiki.
The Mahabharata…..Sage Vyasa.
*,**, ‘Understanding Mu’, Hans Stefan Santessan. Pp 102-104, Paperback Library, N.Y. 1970.
It is helpful to describe the ages of the universe and earth, when discussing unidentified flying objects and aliens.
The records preserved in India, and elsewhere, I feel, were preserved from the Mu or Lemurian Civilisation. India, at one time was probably contiguous with the continent of Mu. This Motherland Continent was supposed to have stretched from what is East Africa to Easter Island. It supposedly founded Atlantis, India, Egypt, America, and other areas such as Gobi, as colonies. I show these to illustrate the antiquity of the planet and its ‘human’ occupation. I use the word ‘human’ to describe the spirit and intelligence, rather than the bodily form, which varied considerably.
In the Ancient Wisom idea, each Creation, or Kalpa, is called a Day and each Dissolution or Pralaya, is called a Night, of the Creator. The universe is supposed to have commenced about 15,757,969,000,000, years ago, approximately. Modern science has a date of 11, (at present), as opposed to 15, I believe.
A Kalpa last for 4,320,000,000, ( modern science says the solar system is 4.5 billion years old), human years, and is divided into 14 Manvantaras, or periods, of 71 cycles of Ages or Yugas. Every Kalpa has 1,000 cycles of the 4 Yugas.
Each cycle is of 4,320,000, human years.
The 4 Yugas are; Counting from the back.
1.) Sathya, Krita, or Truth, which lasts for 1,728,000, years.
2.) Treta or Third, which lasts for 1,296,000, years.
3.) Dwapara or Second, which lasts for 864,000, years.
4.) Kali, Age of the Destruction, and quarrels, which lasts for 432,000, years.
The Kali Yuga is our present one and it only started, about 5,000 years ago, so it has a long way to run. It is an age of spiritual decline and eventually civilisation itself will decline.
In the Sathya, or Krita Yuga, people were gigantic in size, perhaps as tall as twenty feet, and lived for hundreds of years. As the Yugas, or ages, progress, humans become smaller, and longevity is reduced. So that at the time of Rama, twenty thousand years ago, they had diminished to about twelve feet tall. (Skeletons this size have been found in Peru, Europe and America). Until down to the present time, man is usually no more than six feet tall, and only lives up to about one hundred years.
So it is, that man will completely decline, living only twenty years or so, be only three or four foot tall, and there will be much horror and violence on the planet. People will live in bands, like tribes of monkeys, and in fact will have regressed. Eventually the planet will be subjected to catastrophes, the population will be almost wiped out, and the cycle will start again with the New, Sathya, Krita, Yuga.
So there have been approximately three to four Kalpas, or Ages, since the Astral Descents, that became human, have been on the planet, and two Kalpas since the descent of Adamic man. This is enough time for many civilisations to be wiped out, and for man to be almost destroyed, time and again. This is no doubt why they find, machined tools in lumps of coal from deep in the mines. This coal having been laid down millions of years ago. There is nothing new under the sun, so to speak.
. ( The Maya of Yucatan, Mexico also had a system of time periods, going back millions of years. The present one is supposed to end in December, 2012, and is tied to cycles on the Sun.)
U.F.O.s
So where does this leave the U.F.O.s? Well the lower astral planes contain many dimensions, and it is possible that these visits are from there or perhaps even different planets. In fact the material and the immediately associated, lower plane could contain infinite forms of beings. What I am saying, is that some are subtle manifestations of some kind and others are technological. Perhaps interdimensional or from parallel universes. However I am strongly convinced that many are actually ‘visits’, from different time periods on our own planet. That is from our future and from a very dim and distant past.
I am somewhat familiar with the ancient Hindu texts, and they refer to different land masses, which have sank and civilisations, that have disappeared. They also refer to advanced technology, where flying machines, as big as cities existed. So it is not necessary to absolutely posit the theory, that all ancient advanced technology came from aliens. These writings, of course, being originally a verbal record, were laid down after the event so current imagery is used, to try and describe the incidents. For example a flying machine that is called a Pushpaka is described as a flying chariot.
‘We beheld in the sky what appeared to us to be a mass of scarlet cloud, resembling the flames of a blazing fire. From this mass many blazing missiles flashed, and tremendous roars, like the noise of a thousand drums beaten at once. And from it fell many weapons winged with gold and thousands of thunderbolts, with loud explosions, and many hundreds of fiery wheels. Loud became the uproar of falling horses, slain by these missiles, and of mighty elephants struck by the explosions. With cries of ‘Oh’ and ‘Alas’, the wandering army seemed on the point of being annihilated. Those terrible Rakshasas had the shape of large mounds stationed in the sky.’ From the Ramayana. Believed to be 18,000 B.C. approx.*
“ A blazing missile possessed of the radiance of smokeless fire was discharged. A thick gloom suddenly encompassed the hosts. All points of the compass were suddenly enveloped in darkness. Evil bearing winds began to blow. Clouds roared into the higher air, showering blood. The very elements seemed confused. The sun appeared to spin round. The world, scorched by the heat of that weapon, seemed to be in a fever. Elephants, scorched by the energy of that terrible weapon, ran in terror, seeking protection from its terrible force. The very water being heated, the creatures who live in the water seemed to burn. The enemy fell like trees that are burned down in a raging fire. Huge elephants, burned by that weapon, fell all around. Others, scorched, ran hither and thither, and roared around fearfully in the midst of the blazing forest. The steeds and the chariots, burned by the energy of that weapon, resemble the stumps of trees that have been consumed in a forest conflagration. Thousands of chariots fell down on all sides. Darkness the hid the entire army…..And the cool winds began to blow. All points of the compass became clearer and bright. Then we beheld a wonderful sight. Burned up by the terrible power of that weapon, the forms of the slain could not even be distinguished.’ The Mahabharata. C. 3,500 B.C. According to the description of the sky, in the texts.*
The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are Scriptures which include the Avatars Rama, and Krishna and are read by all Hindus. Translations are readily available, as they are currently studied in most Hindu Temples. There are many other scriptures besides these of course. India is a treasure house of this sort of thing. No wonder Jesus studied and spent so much time there.
( In these various scriptures, a form of sound waves is talked about, as being the method of propulsion for flying machines. Even the atom, or Anu, is described, along with all kinds of mathematical formulae. It is no coincidence, that Einstein and Oppenheimer read these old scriptures. Particularly some Puranas, or ancient sacred myths, and the Atharva Veda, which is full of all kinds of scientific formulae.)
It is said that, aeons ago, the Emperor Hiranyakasipu, overcame the knowledge of all matter,was a great scientist, and could manipulate matter completely. In other words he had knowledge down to the finest sub atomic structure or ‘Unified Field’. So great in fact that he had ships that could travel to the stars. Legend has it that he could travel the area of the ‘Pole Star’.
According to scripture, it was the time, of the sixth Manvantara of the present Kalpa/Age, or a couple of million years ago!
Perhaps the universe was seeded by the human beings of that time, and now they return to their original planet for visits. In other words, perhaps, we are being visited, by people who have the same ancestors, although they have evolved differently, over the couple of million years. They may have even returned and conducted experiments, and genetic engineering. Producing hybrids again, even though millions of years apart, from the first hybrids on this planet.
It is not hard to believe that a technology, such as that, could time travel as well. Even Stephen Hawking, probably the world’s greatest physicist, says, that he no longer opposes the theory, of time travel, anymore. So perhaps some of the differences in appearances, of the visiting aliens, is due to different time periods, on the planet. Some are similar in appearance to us and others appear to resemble humans but with some attributes atrophied. Such as powerful physique and hair, which would be unnecessary in a highly evolved civilisation. It is not too much of a stretch, to theorise that humans with millions of years of advanced technology behind them, would look different. It is actually easier to accept that hypothesis, than to believe that the same conditions on Earth, have happened elsewhere. Many planets have been discovered recently, as many as thirteen locally. It is quite likely that pyramids and structures, built by Earth people, and others, from Hiranyakasipu’s time, will have been built there.
The odds, in infinity, is that earthlike conditions exist, of course, even randomly, for there are many, probably, oval shaped universes. And there is the fact that technology can tailor environments, if it is advanced enough.
So we have the periodic Pralayas, or Dissolutions of the universes. Which subsume everything, including the subtle worlds. The proton is itself determined to decay. So each new universe would develop differently, but would carry the tendencies from the previous manifestation. Hence the tendency to make discoveries in science and technology.
The Ramayana……Sage Valmiki.
The Mahabharata…..Sage Vyasa.
*,**, ‘Understanding Mu’, Hans Stefan Santessan. Pp 102-104, Paperback Library, N.Y. 1970.
Meditation
MEDITATION.
I can only talk about how I used to meditate,(or rather prepare to meditate). I have now dispensed with the preliminary mantras and music and go straight to exercises and concentration. However if one is new to meditation preparation they are still valid.
This is how I usually used to start out. Do some "Hatha Yoga"exercises accompanied by suitable spiritual music,such as "The Gayatri Mantra," or Bhajans/hymns.I then do some breathing exercises involving deep-breathing and breath retention.Whilst I am doing this I am chanting" The Gayatri Mantra"in my mind,especially doing retentions.I also imagine that I am balancing my Yin and Yang, male and female energies.I breathe Yang through the top of my head and Yin through the base of my spine.I imagine that I am a tree.I imagine that the energy is coming up through roots and down through branches. Which then meet at my heart centre;so balancing the energies.I do this with strong visualisation before the breathing exercises. These are all preparatory exercises to the actual highest meditation which is of course beyond the mind. Many people mistake all this preparation for meditation, but true meditation is Dhyana and Sahaja Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
When I have finished these exercises I then, sometimes, do some Japa, chanting my Mantra on my Japamala.I imagine "White Light" streaming into my heart and through my entire body. I then concentrate on the spot where lip and nose meet,until I am absorbed. The God form can be a mantra or anything, if you don’t have a God Form such as Krishna or Jesus etc. I personally don’t have a God form as such---So I used a mantra.This can be playing in the background, if required.I must say that I now no longer require this.
One may not need to do the Pranayama breathing exercises or the Hatha Yoga.It is suggested breathing through the left nostril thinking Soh,and then out the right nostril thinking Ham.Do this for a few minutes to relax then do your own meditation .
I also do some Chakra Concentration but this is something but this must be approached with caution as it involves Kundalini. It is also necessary to relax one’s body from toes, up the body to the shoulders, down the arms and then up the back and over the head. Every muscle must be relaxed so that there is no energy to interfere with concentration. This can be done with an affirmation, ‘relax now so and so’-three times. One can stretch one’s arms and legs and stiffen them and then drop them if necessary.
Meditation Preparation is a matter of programming our mental computer with as much as possible about Divinity.For we are what we think about,so why not think about Divinity.Meditation Concentration essentially replaces many wandering thoughts with one major thought,for a time.
"It is not practical to concentrate on that which has no form.To concentrate on the jyoti(flame)is an illustration.The object of concentration can be sound,form,the candle,etc. It isn’t easy to fix the mind on formlessness."
“ Meditation is in several steps, which people wrongly call meditation. First there is one pointedness and concentration, then it moves on to the samadhis. There is savikalpa which means with attributes, then there is nirvikalpa, above the mind, which means without attributes but is temporary. Finally there is above the mind nirvikalpa that is permanent or Sahaja, that is the real meditation. I find this quite a fascinating explanation of Moksha....Tony. "Moksha is liberation from the shackles of existence. These are known in modern parlance as the phobias and fears, inhibitory complexes, unnatural conditioning and irrational impulses. These and the deficiency in sensual perceptions, known as Maaya, are to be overcome." Balasubramaniam. Shankara suggested the following steps to achieve Moksha. Satsangatve nissangatvam, Nissangatve nirmohatvam, Nirmohatve nischala chittam Nischala chitte jeevan mukhtih. In good company one learns objectivity; Delusions disappear in objectivity; Equanimity arises from the undeluded state; In equanimity lies liberation. Objectivity is the most important first step. In fact one can say with confidence: "Objectivity is the operative word of Vedanta."
1
I can only talk about how I used to meditate,(or rather prepare to meditate). I have now dispensed with the preliminary mantras and music and go straight to exercises and concentration. However if one is new to meditation preparation they are still valid.
This is how I usually used to start out. Do some "Hatha Yoga"exercises accompanied by suitable spiritual music,such as "The Gayatri Mantra," or Bhajans/hymns.I then do some breathing exercises involving deep-breathing and breath retention.Whilst I am doing this I am chanting" The Gayatri Mantra"in my mind,especially doing retentions.I also imagine that I am balancing my Yin and Yang, male and female energies.I breathe Yang through the top of my head and Yin through the base of my spine.I imagine that I am a tree.I imagine that the energy is coming up through roots and down through branches. Which then meet at my heart centre;so balancing the energies.I do this with strong visualisation before the breathing exercises. These are all preparatory exercises to the actual highest meditation which is of course beyond the mind. Many people mistake all this preparation for meditation, but true meditation is Dhyana and Sahaja Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
When I have finished these exercises I then, sometimes, do some Japa, chanting my Mantra on my Japamala.I imagine "White Light" streaming into my heart and through my entire body. I then concentrate on the spot where lip and nose meet,until I am absorbed. The God form can be a mantra or anything, if you don’t have a God Form such as Krishna or Jesus etc. I personally don’t have a God form as such---So I used a mantra.This can be playing in the background, if required.I must say that I now no longer require this.
One may not need to do the Pranayama breathing exercises or the Hatha Yoga.It is suggested breathing through the left nostril thinking Soh,and then out the right nostril thinking Ham.Do this for a few minutes to relax then do your own meditation .
I also do some Chakra Concentration but this is something but this must be approached with caution as it involves Kundalini. It is also necessary to relax one’s body from toes, up the body to the shoulders, down the arms and then up the back and over the head. Every muscle must be relaxed so that there is no energy to interfere with concentration. This can be done with an affirmation, ‘relax now so and so’-three times. One can stretch one’s arms and legs and stiffen them and then drop them if necessary.
Meditation Preparation is a matter of programming our mental computer with as much as possible about Divinity.For we are what we think about,so why not think about Divinity.Meditation Concentration essentially replaces many wandering thoughts with one major thought,for a time.
"It is not practical to concentrate on that which has no form.To concentrate on the jyoti(flame)is an illustration.The object of concentration can be sound,form,the candle,etc. It isn’t easy to fix the mind on formlessness."
“ Meditation is in several steps, which people wrongly call meditation. First there is one pointedness and concentration, then it moves on to the samadhis. There is savikalpa which means with attributes, then there is nirvikalpa, above the mind, which means without attributes but is temporary. Finally there is above the mind nirvikalpa that is permanent or Sahaja, that is the real meditation. I find this quite a fascinating explanation of Moksha....Tony. "Moksha is liberation from the shackles of existence. These are known in modern parlance as the phobias and fears, inhibitory complexes, unnatural conditioning and irrational impulses. These and the deficiency in sensual perceptions, known as Maaya, are to be overcome." Balasubramaniam. Shankara suggested the following steps to achieve Moksha. Satsangatve nissangatvam, Nissangatve nirmohatvam, Nirmohatve nischala chittam Nischala chitte jeevan mukhtih. In good company one learns objectivity; Delusions disappear in objectivity; Equanimity arises from the undeluded state; In equanimity lies liberation. Objectivity is the most important first step. In fact one can say with confidence: "Objectivity is the operative word of Vedanta."
1
Ajativada
Advaita Vedanta Ajativada
DVAITA MEANS NOT TWO IN SANSKRIT. So the philosophy is that 'ALL IS ONE'; MAN, ANIMALS, VEGETABLES, MINERALS. There are varying theories or degrees of understanding with Advaita.
1. That somebody or something-God, created the world.
2. That it arises as the same time as we perceive it.
3. Finally Ajativada, that it never happened at all...
“The Advaita :
"brahmAkAratayA sadA sthitatayA nirmukta-bAhyArtha-dhIH anyAvedita-bhogya-bhoga-kalano nidrAluvat bAlavat / svapnAlokita-lokavat jagad-idaM pashyan kvacin-labdha-dhIH Aste kashcid ananta-puNya-phala-bhuk dhanyaH sa mAnyo bhuvi //" (Viveka-chudamani: Verse #426)
On account of constant absorption in Brahman, freed from the sense of reality of external objects, only seemingly enjoying them when offered by others, like a sleepy baby, perceiving the world as that seen in a dream and recognising it only now and then, such a man is indeed rare. He is the enjoyer of the fruits of untold merit and is truly held blessed and revered on earth.
AJATIVADA means the the creation which we see has never been created at all. It is an illusion and is not really there. They say that even the effort to find out how this creation has come about is a compromise - it reveals ignorance of the truth. The above two vadas start with a presumption of taking the world to be really there, which itself may be baseless. To start any process of understanding with a possibly wrong & baseless presumption is obviously not the right way of enquiry. Strangely enough if we start this enquiry whether the creation is really there or not then we get astounding results : it is seen that it does not have any independent existence at all. This is what the drishti-shrishti-vadins too subsequently prove. If this is a fact then why waste time to prove creation of something which is not really there. To temporarily accept a falsehood is not compassion but a compromise and wrong, and has all the consequences of other falsehood. Truth should be declared as truthfully as possible - in its raw form. The entire effort of the Ajata-vadins is the communicate how the creation has never come about and therefore is just an illusion. It is only after the realisation of the complete ephemerality & illusoriness of the creation that even the thoughts of it are naturally effaced and when the creation stands totally negated in this way then alone the ever- existent & self-effulgent reality becomes evident & revealed. So Ajatavada which has been revealed by the Mandukya Upanishad and explained in texts like Yoga Vasishta is the ideal way of looking at the world which is conducive & compatible to awakening to the transcendental truth. The Ajatavada is not basically designed even for the knowledge of Self, it is a fact by itself, and the knowledge of Self follows the right knowledge of that which obstructs our complete attention of the truth, namely the right knowledge of truth of the creation.......Swami Atmananda."
It seems to me that even to take the world or creation as a projection or appearance is incorrect. This implies that there are two beings Brahman and the Jiva or viewer of the illusion. Brahman has allowed this son of a barren woman to have some validity to itself as the Jiva only. Brahman and Jiva being one!
For if this creation ultmately had some validity it would not disappear on Moksha and dropping the body. However it does it seems disappear as never having happened in the first place.
This means it is not even an appearance and can only be viewed because the Jiva is Brahman. It never happened at all.
It seems that much is ascribed to Sankara that perhaps he didn't write. However the Brahma Sutra and commentaries are more than likely his. Sankara at the time was refuting Buddhism as most people couldn't understand it and thought it was atheism, or somthing similar. So IMO Sankara, like all sages taught at several levels. Which means at each level it is appropriate and true to the audience, like Ramana for example.
Therefore it is my opinion that Sankara taught Ajatavada as well as Vivartavada. Hoever the ultimate Truth must be Ajatavada, for nothing is unfolding. There is no question of non existence becoming existence for it never happened at all. There is no existence or pre existence and at the same time it is only a void in the fact that it is not pre existent, unfolding or manifest.
There is no substratum, otherwise it would still exist on the death of the body/mind in a Mukta and it is said by Sages not to exist.
It is not possible to understand Nirguna so we only have to drop the veil. This is very difficult for people on the Bhakti path or even on the Jnani Path of Saguna Brahman. Sometimes we just have to accept the fact that we cannot understand everything with a finite mind. Eventually we have to let go of the fear and the comfort of Saguna. Buddha didn't teach complete void anyway. He said there was an unmanifest an unbecoming.
It seems to me that taking into account of what is said by Jivanmuktas there is nothing happening at all, for it is all only associated with the body and mind. So I would plump for Sankara's teaching being ultimately Ajatavada for that is the state of the Jivanmukta, at death.
Advaita is based on the principle of the pre-existence of the effect in the cause. CN:-Cee; wrote: "This being the case, the term 'vivartavada' more appropriately describes the Advaita position of 'non-creation'than does the term 'ajativada'.
Why?
The term 'vivarta' indicates an 'unfolding'. What is it that unfolds
in creation? It is not possible for the non-existent to come into
existence. What comes into existence must necessarily be already
existing. When a thing that is not manifested is said to be non-
existing, it is only covered over, as it were. Therefore, its
coming
into being is the showing forth of the already existent – a
phenomenon that the word 'unfolding' describes better than a word
having the connotation of voidness. The instrument of unfolding is
speech (indicating that an insight into the nature of speech is
important for the understanding of Advaita Vedanta). The unfolding
does not truly create anything new, but only shows forth names and
forms that are eternally one with Brahman. To echo the Acharya's words: "Just as Brahman, the cause is never without existence in
all the three periods of time, so also the universe, which is the effect, never parts with Existence in all the three periods." Therefore there is no creation in the absolute sense; there is only the magic of 'Leela' (sport) played out in the realm of names and forms resting on the substratum of Brahman with which they are One. (To see the mystery of Oneness requires ratio - reason - to return to the cave of the heart from which it originated.)" The word 'vivarta' implies a substratum out of which the world unfolds, whereas the word 'ajati' implies a voidness of things.
Still, the term 'ajativada' may be employed in a certain sense for
explaining the Advaita position. The world seen by the ajnyani
(ignorant) is false because it is seen divested of the Self that
is...
Vivarta, as per Monnier Williams Dictionary, means:
(in Veda7nta) error , illusion , an apparent or illusory form , unreality (caused by A-vidya1 "' , ignorance "' , and removed by Vidya1 , `" true knowledge ) Veda7ntas.
Other meanings for the word, as per the same source, are:
changing from one state to another , modification , alteration , transformation , altered form or condition Ka1v. Katha1s
{-vAda} m. a method of asserting the Vedanta doctrine (maintaining the development of the Universe from Brahma as the sole real entity , the phenomenal world being held to be a mere illusion or Ma1ya1 ; cf. %{pariNAma-vAdA})
In my way of thinking Vivarta is an illusion, that is only evident in delusion.
There is no time so everything seemingly happens at once so nothing is unfolding or being projected.
In deep sleep or sushupti the world disappears, except for a thought of existence in the jiva.
The Sages say when one becomes realised the world becomes then an appearance on the Self/Saguna.
However when the body drops there is no appearance, no reason for Saguna only Nirguna. This is why I said that Sankara taught Ajatavada in his ultimate teachings. Even though at some levels to some audiences he also taught vivartavada, as valid to a certain degree. Sankara also said it is real whilst one is in it, inferring that it isn't real when one is not in it.
It is hard to accept the idea of Nirguna, for some it is disturbing and frightening and to others it is just incomprehensible.
One will never be able to understand it, only rise above it all.
We have the illusion of individuality like whirlpools in the ocean. We bring ourselves to the point where we can accept all is one, and we are That.
However creation disappears on realisation, well at dropping the body anyway. In the meantime all is seen as one Self.
This also must be an illusion for the Self associated with the dream disappears with the dream.
Therefore the Ajata theory comes forth, that it never happened in the first place and there is only Nirguna or non attributeless Brahman.
This is the first and the last step, this is the alpha and omega..............
Mandukya Upanishad … by Swami Atmananda Mandukya Upanishad is an Upanishad found in the Atharvana Veda. It is basically one of the smallest Upanishad containing only 12 mantras, yet it is one of the most respected and important Upanishad. Before the advent of Sri Adi Sankara his paramguru Sri Gaudapadacharya wrote a commentary called Karika on this Upanishad. This Karika has become so important and famous that today it is seen as a part of the Mandukya Upanishad itself. Sri Sankara thus wrote his Bhashya on both the Upanishad and Karika shlokas as a single text.
There are two things extremely famous about this Upanishad. One this Upanishad reveals the methodology of realising Brahman as OM. OM is revealed both as the end and the means. It is verily a commentary on OM. The viveka which is followed to discern the truth is the 'Awastha-traya-viveka' i.e. discrimination based on the three states of consciousness. Secondly this Upanishad has in it one of the four Mahavakyas which have been choosen from the four Vedas. "Ayam Atma Brahma" i.e. This Atma alone is Brahman. In Muktiko Upanishad we have the briefest and yet the most glorious review on Mandukya wherein it is said that "Mandukya alone is sufficient for an aspirant to reach liberation" (Mandukyam ekam kevalam mumukshunaam vimuktaye).
The Upanishad along with Karikas (total of 215 shlokas) is divided into four chapters called Prakaranas. The Agama Prakarana (has 12 mantras & 29 shlokas of Karika), Vaithathya Prakarana (has 38 shlokas), Advaita Prakarana (has 48 shlokas), and the Alatshanti Prakarana (has100 shlokas). The first chapter contains all the twelve original mantras, and the non-dual reality has been revealed here purely on the basis of the scripture. From second prakarana onwards we have an independent commentary on these mantras. In the Vaithathya Prakarana we have Sri Gaudapadacharya revealing the world as ephemeral. by equating the waking state to the dream state. The approach is purely logical. In the third i.e. the Advaita Prakarana we have the teacher revealing the non-dual reality again purely on the basis of logic and then also validating it by appropriate scriptural statements. In the last chapter called Alata-shanti prakarana, we have not only the summarisation of the entire book but also some unique things. In this chapter the Theory of Causality is shattered to pieces, the illusiory world is compared to a rotating firebrand which presents illusions of circles which are not really there, and the Self is thus revealed as the one non-dual reality itself, free from all cause-effect relationships.
One thing which has become a hallmark of this Upanishad is the Theory of Ajatavada. Normally some scriptures give some theory of creation, only to later prove the creation to be ephemeral, while here Gaudapada appears to be very uncompromising. He doesnt like going the longer way, he declares right from the beginning itself that there is no creation whatsoever. He considers the compassionate effort of some to temporarily accept the creation as a compromise. He thunders the raw truth uncompromisingly. My edited entry on Wikipedia..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advaita_Vedanta_Ajativada
1
DVAITA MEANS NOT TWO IN SANSKRIT. So the philosophy is that 'ALL IS ONE'; MAN, ANIMALS, VEGETABLES, MINERALS. There are varying theories or degrees of understanding with Advaita.
1. That somebody or something-God, created the world.
2. That it arises as the same time as we perceive it.
3. Finally Ajativada, that it never happened at all...
“The Advaita :
"brahmAkAratayA sadA sthitatayA nirmukta-bAhyArtha-dhIH anyAvedita-bhogya-bhoga-kalano nidrAluvat bAlavat / svapnAlokita-lokavat jagad-idaM pashyan kvacin-labdha-dhIH Aste kashcid ananta-puNya-phala-bhuk dhanyaH sa mAnyo bhuvi //" (Viveka-chudamani: Verse #426)
On account of constant absorption in Brahman, freed from the sense of reality of external objects, only seemingly enjoying them when offered by others, like a sleepy baby, perceiving the world as that seen in a dream and recognising it only now and then, such a man is indeed rare. He is the enjoyer of the fruits of untold merit and is truly held blessed and revered on earth.
AJATIVADA means the the creation which we see has never been created at all. It is an illusion and is not really there. They say that even the effort to find out how this creation has come about is a compromise - it reveals ignorance of the truth. The above two vadas start with a presumption of taking the world to be really there, which itself may be baseless. To start any process of understanding with a possibly wrong & baseless presumption is obviously not the right way of enquiry. Strangely enough if we start this enquiry whether the creation is really there or not then we get astounding results : it is seen that it does not have any independent existence at all. This is what the drishti-shrishti-vadins too subsequently prove. If this is a fact then why waste time to prove creation of something which is not really there. To temporarily accept a falsehood is not compassion but a compromise and wrong, and has all the consequences of other falsehood. Truth should be declared as truthfully as possible - in its raw form. The entire effort of the Ajata-vadins is the communicate how the creation has never come about and therefore is just an illusion. It is only after the realisation of the complete ephemerality & illusoriness of the creation that even the thoughts of it are naturally effaced and when the creation stands totally negated in this way then alone the ever- existent & self-effulgent reality becomes evident & revealed. So Ajatavada which has been revealed by the Mandukya Upanishad and explained in texts like Yoga Vasishta is the ideal way of looking at the world which is conducive & compatible to awakening to the transcendental truth. The Ajatavada is not basically designed even for the knowledge of Self, it is a fact by itself, and the knowledge of Self follows the right knowledge of that which obstructs our complete attention of the truth, namely the right knowledge of truth of the creation.......Swami Atmananda."
It seems to me that even to take the world or creation as a projection or appearance is incorrect. This implies that there are two beings Brahman and the Jiva or viewer of the illusion. Brahman has allowed this son of a barren woman to have some validity to itself as the Jiva only. Brahman and Jiva being one!
For if this creation ultmately had some validity it would not disappear on Moksha and dropping the body. However it does it seems disappear as never having happened in the first place.
This means it is not even an appearance and can only be viewed because the Jiva is Brahman. It never happened at all.
It seems that much is ascribed to Sankara that perhaps he didn't write. However the Brahma Sutra and commentaries are more than likely his. Sankara at the time was refuting Buddhism as most people couldn't understand it and thought it was atheism, or somthing similar. So IMO Sankara, like all sages taught at several levels. Which means at each level it is appropriate and true to the audience, like Ramana for example.
Therefore it is my opinion that Sankara taught Ajatavada as well as Vivartavada. Hoever the ultimate Truth must be Ajatavada, for nothing is unfolding. There is no question of non existence becoming existence for it never happened at all. There is no existence or pre existence and at the same time it is only a void in the fact that it is not pre existent, unfolding or manifest.
There is no substratum, otherwise it would still exist on the death of the body/mind in a Mukta and it is said by Sages not to exist.
It is not possible to understand Nirguna so we only have to drop the veil. This is very difficult for people on the Bhakti path or even on the Jnani Path of Saguna Brahman. Sometimes we just have to accept the fact that we cannot understand everything with a finite mind. Eventually we have to let go of the fear and the comfort of Saguna. Buddha didn't teach complete void anyway. He said there was an unmanifest an unbecoming.
It seems to me that taking into account of what is said by Jivanmuktas there is nothing happening at all, for it is all only associated with the body and mind. So I would plump for Sankara's teaching being ultimately Ajatavada for that is the state of the Jivanmukta, at death.
Advaita is based on the principle of the pre-existence of the effect in the cause. CN:-Cee; wrote: "This being the case, the term 'vivartavada' more appropriately describes the Advaita position of 'non-creation'than does the term 'ajativada'.
Why?
The term 'vivarta' indicates an 'unfolding'. What is it that unfolds
in creation? It is not possible for the non-existent to come into
existence. What comes into existence must necessarily be already
existing. When a thing that is not manifested is said to be non-
existing, it is only covered over, as it were. Therefore, its
coming
into being is the showing forth of the already existent – a
phenomenon that the word 'unfolding' describes better than a word
having the connotation of voidness. The instrument of unfolding is
speech (indicating that an insight into the nature of speech is
important for the understanding of Advaita Vedanta). The unfolding
does not truly create anything new, but only shows forth names and
forms that are eternally one with Brahman. To echo the Acharya's words: "Just as Brahman, the cause is never without existence in
all the three periods of time, so also the universe, which is the effect, never parts with Existence in all the three periods." Therefore there is no creation in the absolute sense; there is only the magic of 'Leela' (sport) played out in the realm of names and forms resting on the substratum of Brahman with which they are One. (To see the mystery of Oneness requires ratio - reason - to return to the cave of the heart from which it originated.)" The word 'vivarta' implies a substratum out of which the world unfolds, whereas the word 'ajati' implies a voidness of things.
Still, the term 'ajativada' may be employed in a certain sense for
explaining the Advaita position. The world seen by the ajnyani
(ignorant) is false because it is seen divested of the Self that
is...
Vivarta, as per Monnier Williams Dictionary, means:
(in Veda7nta) error , illusion , an apparent or illusory form , unreality (caused by A-vidya1 "' , ignorance "' , and removed by Vidya1 , `" true knowledge ) Veda7ntas.
Other meanings for the word, as per the same source, are:
changing from one state to another , modification , alteration , transformation , altered form or condition Ka1v. Katha1s
{-vAda} m. a method of asserting the Vedanta doctrine (maintaining the development of the Universe from Brahma as the sole real entity , the phenomenal world being held to be a mere illusion or Ma1ya1 ; cf. %{pariNAma-vAdA})
In my way of thinking Vivarta is an illusion, that is only evident in delusion.
There is no time so everything seemingly happens at once so nothing is unfolding or being projected.
In deep sleep or sushupti the world disappears, except for a thought of existence in the jiva.
The Sages say when one becomes realised the world becomes then an appearance on the Self/Saguna.
However when the body drops there is no appearance, no reason for Saguna only Nirguna. This is why I said that Sankara taught Ajatavada in his ultimate teachings. Even though at some levels to some audiences he also taught vivartavada, as valid to a certain degree. Sankara also said it is real whilst one is in it, inferring that it isn't real when one is not in it.
It is hard to accept the idea of Nirguna, for some it is disturbing and frightening and to others it is just incomprehensible.
One will never be able to understand it, only rise above it all.
We have the illusion of individuality like whirlpools in the ocean. We bring ourselves to the point where we can accept all is one, and we are That.
However creation disappears on realisation, well at dropping the body anyway. In the meantime all is seen as one Self.
This also must be an illusion for the Self associated with the dream disappears with the dream.
Therefore the Ajata theory comes forth, that it never happened in the first place and there is only Nirguna or non attributeless Brahman.
This is the first and the last step, this is the alpha and omega..............
Mandukya Upanishad … by Swami Atmananda Mandukya Upanishad is an Upanishad found in the Atharvana Veda. It is basically one of the smallest Upanishad containing only 12 mantras, yet it is one of the most respected and important Upanishad. Before the advent of Sri Adi Sankara his paramguru Sri Gaudapadacharya wrote a commentary called Karika on this Upanishad. This Karika has become so important and famous that today it is seen as a part of the Mandukya Upanishad itself. Sri Sankara thus wrote his Bhashya on both the Upanishad and Karika shlokas as a single text.
There are two things extremely famous about this Upanishad. One this Upanishad reveals the methodology of realising Brahman as OM. OM is revealed both as the end and the means. It is verily a commentary on OM. The viveka which is followed to discern the truth is the 'Awastha-traya-viveka' i.e. discrimination based on the three states of consciousness. Secondly this Upanishad has in it one of the four Mahavakyas which have been choosen from the four Vedas. "Ayam Atma Brahma" i.e. This Atma alone is Brahman. In Muktiko Upanishad we have the briefest and yet the most glorious review on Mandukya wherein it is said that "Mandukya alone is sufficient for an aspirant to reach liberation" (Mandukyam ekam kevalam mumukshunaam vimuktaye).
The Upanishad along with Karikas (total of 215 shlokas) is divided into four chapters called Prakaranas. The Agama Prakarana (has 12 mantras & 29 shlokas of Karika), Vaithathya Prakarana (has 38 shlokas), Advaita Prakarana (has 48 shlokas), and the Alatshanti Prakarana (has100 shlokas). The first chapter contains all the twelve original mantras, and the non-dual reality has been revealed here purely on the basis of the scripture. From second prakarana onwards we have an independent commentary on these mantras. In the Vaithathya Prakarana we have Sri Gaudapadacharya revealing the world as ephemeral. by equating the waking state to the dream state. The approach is purely logical. In the third i.e. the Advaita Prakarana we have the teacher revealing the non-dual reality again purely on the basis of logic and then also validating it by appropriate scriptural statements. In the last chapter called Alata-shanti prakarana, we have not only the summarisation of the entire book but also some unique things. In this chapter the Theory of Causality is shattered to pieces, the illusiory world is compared to a rotating firebrand which presents illusions of circles which are not really there, and the Self is thus revealed as the one non-dual reality itself, free from all cause-effect relationships.
One thing which has become a hallmark of this Upanishad is the Theory of Ajatavada. Normally some scriptures give some theory of creation, only to later prove the creation to be ephemeral, while here Gaudapada appears to be very uncompromising. He doesnt like going the longer way, he declares right from the beginning itself that there is no creation whatsoever. He considers the compassionate effort of some to temporarily accept the creation as a compromise. He thunders the raw truth uncompromisingly. My edited entry on Wikipedia..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advaita_Vedanta_Ajativada
1
BuddhiPurification
PURIFICATION OF THE BUDDHI,AND SELF-SADHANA. 29/03/98-Vancouver.-edited. P=Participant.
Before I start let me say that because I can talk about all this, doesn't mean I can do it. Also I believe Creation didn't happen and all this is just an appearance, but as Sankara said,its real whilst you are in it. (Actually the appearance didn't happen either, IMO-Tony.).
Purification of the Buddhi, or the individualised version of the universal Mahat, is necessary for spiritual progress. The Buddhi is an aspect of the Vijnanamayakosha or Awareness Sheath, it is the Inner Mind or Antahkarana. When it is turned inwards it pierces through Maya and leads to Moksha or Liberation. When it is turned outward it only succeeds in enhancing the power of the Lower Mind or Manamayakosha. This part of the mind is turned out to desires and satisfaction of the senses. A Buddhi turned outwards is a distortion of its'function. For man can manipulate his mind to enjoy the senses, out of season, so to speak. Unlike the animal,which only operates instinctively within its' Dharma.
I will briefly talk about the five koshas and how this purification process works. It is a reversal of consciousness as we know it, to its' "Natural" State. The five koshas are the ANNAMAYA,PRANAMAYA,MANOMAYA,JNANAMAYA,ANANDAMAYA KOSHAS. THAT IS THE FOOD,ENERGY,MIND,AWARENESS OR INTELLECTUAL,BLISS OR CAUSAL SHEATHS.
These Sheaths all relate to different planes of consciousness of course. The first thing you have to do when washing dirty clothes is loosen the dirt first then you can wash the clothes.
This is all illusion,for example do you get involved in a T.V. show? Do you feel for the person suffering? Well this world is also an illusion, why get involved in it? Feel compassion yet but do not get attached.
We must start self-sadhana by purifying the food sheath and work our way up so to speak. We purify the food sheath by regulating our food and avoiding tamasic food and meat. Eating meat means we absorb bad vibrations plus we are sending billions of Jivas to the subtle world many of which are born again as humans. Billions of people were these animals in their last lives and they bring their resentment of human beings with them. The resentment of their bad treatment and having their lives cut short. Hence this contributes to violence, mass slaughters and so on. People don't realise this,and they wonder why kids kill kids or there are massacres like Ruanda.
We purify the energy sheath by controlling our desires. This is also connected to the mind sheath where desires and attachment to the senses have to be controlled. The important sheath in this process is the awareness sheath which is part and parcel of the Buddhi, and controls and guides the lower sheaths particularly the mind. Intelligence isn't awareness, some geniuses are spiritually ignorant and unaware.
The Guru. "SPARSHAN,DARSHAN AND SAMBHASHAN.That is awareness of His presence, receiving the impact of His Divinity and assimilating and actualising His teaching,not just seeing,touching and listening.
Darshan is the Insight of Divine Beauty acquired from meditation. Sparshan means the installation of the lotus feet,and all that means,in one's heart. Sambharshan means praying directly before Him and listening to His response before the inner altar of one's heart.Meditation in other words.
Only a deserving Shisya gets a proper Guru.....Gita 4:39.40,and Sankara's Viveka Chudamani 19,20,and 363. So Buddhi should control the mind and not the reversal.S.S. and Gita 2:62.Gita 9:22. It is said that desire (for purification or Liberation) without effort is useless, Self-Sadhana purifies our impulses. "Manas Sathyate Shuddhate". Only Truth can purify and sublimate the mind.
To achieve this purification there are Four Exercises.
1) Swadhaya,that is reading spiritual books, bhajan, satsang, to make us aware of the Atma.
2) Japa, this should go on unceasingly, be aware and only come out into the world when it is necessary. To think of 'God' at death is very difficult, if you haven't practiced the Name all your waking life. It is better to start at about eight or nine years of age. Some people die and don't even realise they have died, others get distracted at the last moment, or are confused by the memories of their life. It is not so easy to be like Ghandiji and remember Rama as we die. Nobody experiences death for one is unconscious. Except if you are a Yogi then there is no death of course. Sankara says death is being separated from our desires.
3)Homa, Japa becomes Homa, offer all activities to The Lord all day long.Don't offer Grace just for meals, Brahmarpnam etc is to purify our inner being for all is food for the senses.
4)Brahmiya Kriyate Tanuhu.A Divine Inner Body".(1)
Finally this inner balance leads to purification of the Buddhi. Cessation of the mind is the goal.
The Buddhi is not present in deep sleep just the thought "I am sleeping", we must purify even that thought and become God. Once we have stilled all thought we are God, we enter the fourth or Turiya stage of consciousness.
See all as God, Do all as God.This is through DAYA,KSHAMA,AND SHANTI; Compassion, Forgiving those that trespass against us, and Peace to all, all is God. Love,Love,Love,Prema,Prema,Prema. All is One!This is were helping others comes in for it lessens our preoccupation with ourselves and therefore weakens the ego sense,and helps expand our vision.
KOHAM.............SOHAM.Who am I? I am He!' Drive the thought inward to the Universal "I". By eliminating the illusion of an individual ego. "I"is that background feeling of awareness that suffuses everything.
All these exercises are to purify one's Buddhi so that one may have one-pointedness and achieve Liberation, or loss of illusion and Moha. For a purified Buddhi is essentially a state of no mind,which is Liberation. Love is the answer, infuse our thoughts!
(When a stage is reached that one feels deeply that whatever is being done is happening and one has not got anything to do with it,then it becomes such a deep conviction that whatever is happening is not happening really;And that whatever seems to be happening is also an illusion.)Sri Nisagardatta Maharaj.
We move from thinking we are our own thought, to realising we are God's thought and eventually we realise there was no thought at all,just Bliss.
Questions and statements,Tony and Participants.(It is all opinions.)
Tony.....How do you purify yourself?I'll throw it out to the male side first.
Joyce(Co-ordinator.).....Let's have a minutes meditation first!
P(participant.).....What is the relationship between internal and external purification?Is physical purification required for internal purification?
Tony.....We live in a polluted world,everything is polluted;the water we drink is polluted,the food we eat is polluted,the people we talk to are polluted,we are polluted.There is no difference.Everything is One.We divide the bodies and consciousness up into different planes,but it is actually just one.You cannot have impure mind,body and be physically impure and then try and purify the inner mind.It would be exremely difficult to do,it is all one,the body is what we eat,and our mind is what we hear,read or think.There is no difference between outer and inner purification it's all the same thing.(It seems we have to have purification of the outer to some degree in order to work on the inner.Eventually when reaching the light of the Self all impurity would be burned up.)
P....I think the most purest form of purification would be early childhood,four or five years old,to start the purification process.I have a question.You are saying Sparshan, Darshan and Sambarshan.....If you go through all three of those,in the presence of a Yogi,and touch the feet etc,does the purification process increase?
Tony.....Well I'm not a Yogi but they say if you touch the feet of a Yogi, the fact that you are near the energy, it would help you along in the purification process obviously, but if you go inside yourself then that is as far away as 'God' is . So you can have it come from inside as well. So it helps,it's not absolutely necessary but,for a lot of people,it helps.
P.....Purification can be achieved by first recognising and searching within yourself.First learn to love yourself because by loving yourself you can give this love.Once you have Divine Love to other human beings,towards the Earth,towards Mankind,towards the Universe purification is automatic.
Tony.....That's exactly the fourth exercise..Shanti..Love,Love,Love, Prema,Prema,Prema.It comes under Shanti one of the four exercises...It's Shanti.
P.....I think purification starts with control of the senses,not eating meat and if watching television,watching only non-violent shows.
Tony.....That's how it all started whether you descended as a Being or came up from the animals. Those big girls painted on the side of hoardings in India,shouldn't even look at that.It changes the direction of the mind all the time....Mental Pollution..exactly.
P.....You are what you eat...Purification Process starts with Compassion....eating habits,eliminate killing...etc.
Tony.....Exactly.
P....(Joyce the Co-Ordinator.)Talking about not positive but negative emotions.Feelings like;anger,greed,jealousy,fear,envy...we have them all in one degree or another. Pray about it,meditate about it,....clean your heart everyday you go into meditation and ask to be helped to be cleaned out.Without that you will never be pure.Our feelings bring us to our troubles and we simply got ourselvles into it with what we have been given as a gift....our minds.We can get ourselves out of it.Sometimes people will hold on to a feeling ,a negative feeling intil they die rather than give it up.I've seen it over and over and over.So you have to be honest with yourself.First deal with it...ask for help and may be just may be we will be purified.
Tony..Right..Somebody over here now?
P.....You mention Pollution,I think we are surrounded by negative influences,sensuality,television etc.We have to control our energies,thoughts and direct them on the path of meditation and purification.
P.....Purifying our thoughts starts within,but there are so many outside influences.One thing that comes to my mind,was the onion.Peeling away our faults,no matter how many tears to get rid of negative emotions.Going through all negative emotions peeling away slowly one at a time,slowly but surely.
Tony.....That's a good method,a lot of Yogis use it,they say Neti...Neti...not this ...not this...All the bad thoughts and so called good thoughts and things they eliminate one at a time.They end up with the one thought....Yes..that's what we have to do.
Tony.....There are many different ways and everyone has mentioned an angle of the same thing.So many different people,so many different levels of awareness.So people are coming from different directions all the time.
P.....This gentleman touched on what I wanted to say about continuing to ask the question "Who am I?". Joyce referred to emotions,so often our thought patterns which continually jump up from simple thoughts result in negative emotions,that she listed.But if we go back further the problem stems from believing that we are the body and I think continuing to ask the question"Who am I?" has to be the greatest purification.
Tony....By asking the question "Who am I?",that is the original thought of human beings,the Ego,that is the original fall of human beings:I".Every thought is connected with the "I"-because you own the thought,therefore if you go back to the feeling of "Who am I?",and you eliminate the "I" or you try and find the "I" you'll find the "I"does not exist.There is only one Universal "I".At that point the originator of all your problems and all your impurities and all your thoughts are gone.The chain is broken-the mind doesn't exist-it's just a bundle of thoughts and desires--and they are all connected to the"I" thought.The feeling of"I, once the "I" thought is gone then they go.This is the whole process of elimination.Is to bring the mind in and in and in,whether it's through different practical exercises or meditating.It's to get one pointedness,one pointedness,of concentration and go in and get the feeling like you were a little child.Jesus said "suffer little children come unto me".What He meant was be like little children,an innocent child.
P...(Same person.)...Having said what I have said,I also believe that a certain degree of subtley of mind is required to even be in a level of consciousness to even want to ask the question"Who am I?".To grasp the purpose of asking it,so a certain level of basic purification is already necessary.
Tony.Yes... they say there are "horses for courses",what suits one doesn't suit another.(There are different levels of awareness.)
P...Male..Love All.?.
Tony.....What does it mean?--well someone over here just mentioned it,start off by loving yourself and realising you are not an individual.You are everything and the purpose of loving all and serving all is getting your mind off yourself.It has all got to do with concentration,when you help people,it's not the people that you are helping.You've been given the opportunity to help them so you can help yourself.If you don't help them,they are God's people,God's poor,God will help them anyway.You're helping them to help yourself.It's to reduce your own ego,your own "I" feeling,the more you help people.Many many years ago when I stopped drinking and I used to go to A.A..They had a saying that if you are thinking of other people you can't get depressed,if you are out helping other people it's pretty hard to get depressed,because you aren't thinking of yourself.This is one of the main reasons for Seva,your mind isn't thinking about yourself,you are thinking of this person and that person,and you're not thinking of yourself,and that reduces your"I",thought.That's why "Love All".
P...same person.Enslavement,you are a slave?
Tony.....No,No,it's not being a slave,a slave is somebody that has no will,there is no karma(Seva),in being a slave,for he has to do as he is told.There is no good or bad karma in being a slave,he has to do as he is told.When you are doing good work like this,you are creating good karma of course,if you can eliminate the "I" thought,you eliminate that as well.It's not enslavemenat helping other people,a slave has no choice.
P.... The best method is Namasmarana,and only seeing God,seeing everything pure,and you will see yourself pure.
Tony.....Japa is the same thing.It's like the psychiatrist programming one's mind,he doesn't eliminate the problem thoughts but reduces them to say 5%.The other 95% is the programming the psychiatrist put in there.So for all intents and purposes the bad thoughts are gone.With Japa you are programming yourself,you are programming your mind with God.The Name of God,The Form of God and God are all the same thing,there's no difference.So by doing Japa you increase the Love,you purify by "eliminating" other thoughts from the mind,and constant Japa....well it creates Liberation.
P...same person..In the Baghavad Gita Lord Krishna says see all equally as God.See only the Pure no dirt,everything is Pure.
P.....To purify ourselves,to engage ourselves in good satsang and meditation,jnana,which is a step towards purifying ourself.Talking about food--the concept here is Hindus not eating meat,for more sathwik food,but there are more tamasic food in vegetables.
Tony.....Like eating too many onions and chillis?
P....same person.Correct!In Ayuraveda there are more Tamasik vegetables mentioned--in a book by Sankara--I can't remember the name--advising not eating tamasik food.Talking about eating meat there are so many Saints eating meat,talking about the Buddha.There is a Buddhist concept we take food from other people,whatever they offer we eat.But they are highly spiritual Saints and all.
Tony.....To a highly evolved Yogi(Jivanmukti),it doesn't matter what you eat anyway.
P...same person.Yes!Basically not eating meat to avoid killing.There are lots of people eating meat,they are more spiritual than those who are eating vegetables.
Tony.....It depends on what your level of awareness is,there are four types of Human Being,Human animal,Aspiring Human Being,Human Being and Divine Human Being.
If you are a Human Animal you can do all the things that animals do-mate,eat,sleep,defend whatever.If you are an Aspiring Human Being you have to change yourself from an animal.You have to take on Ahimsa,not killing an animal to eat its meat.
Human Beings are like a flower,a flower bursts into creation and it gets to a certain point,at the end of the day when it closes its petals and it goes back in again.Human Beings are the same,not every flower bursts into creation and comes back in at the same time.Some close earlier some close later,the person still coming out into manifestation,they are more likely to be a Human Animal.If they have decided to close in the petals and come back;whereas they are more likely to be an aspiring Human Being.
Tony....And now we can have the last speaker.
P.....A last thought --to say that cleanliness is next to Godliness,cleanliness spiritually and physically its the same.So for the spiritual and mental we shall take a bath.We take a mental bath whilst we are doing our prayers and meditation,so it washes our mind.It should wash our mind but we don't know how pure we are,or where we are at.So by just doing it,we should eliminate some of the impurities that we think and receive.
Tony....It's no good in wanting to be Liberated unless you have a method of Sadhana.You have to have a practice,you have to have a system.It's no good saying I want to be Liberated,you've got to have a system.You say Morning Prayers,how much Japa do you do on a regular basis,how much Seva do you do.You have to have a Sadhana,if you don't have a Sadhana you're not going to get anywhere,Even if it's just thinking I'm not the "I".
Joyce...Thank you Tony for giving us this opportunity to think about ourselves.I was just thinking you can't love yourself unless you purify yourself,you have guilt about whatever you are doing,that will destroy that self love.Thank you again.
Om Namah Sivaya.... Tony
Before I start let me say that because I can talk about all this, doesn't mean I can do it. Also I believe Creation didn't happen and all this is just an appearance, but as Sankara said,its real whilst you are in it. (Actually the appearance didn't happen either, IMO-Tony.).
Purification of the Buddhi, or the individualised version of the universal Mahat, is necessary for spiritual progress. The Buddhi is an aspect of the Vijnanamayakosha or Awareness Sheath, it is the Inner Mind or Antahkarana. When it is turned inwards it pierces through Maya and leads to Moksha or Liberation. When it is turned outward it only succeeds in enhancing the power of the Lower Mind or Manamayakosha. This part of the mind is turned out to desires and satisfaction of the senses. A Buddhi turned outwards is a distortion of its'function. For man can manipulate his mind to enjoy the senses, out of season, so to speak. Unlike the animal,which only operates instinctively within its' Dharma.
I will briefly talk about the five koshas and how this purification process works. It is a reversal of consciousness as we know it, to its' "Natural" State. The five koshas are the ANNAMAYA,PRANAMAYA,MANOMAYA,JNANAMAYA,ANANDAMAYA KOSHAS. THAT IS THE FOOD,ENERGY,MIND,AWARENESS OR INTELLECTUAL,BLISS OR CAUSAL SHEATHS.
These Sheaths all relate to different planes of consciousness of course. The first thing you have to do when washing dirty clothes is loosen the dirt first then you can wash the clothes.
This is all illusion,for example do you get involved in a T.V. show? Do you feel for the person suffering? Well this world is also an illusion, why get involved in it? Feel compassion yet but do not get attached.
We must start self-sadhana by purifying the food sheath and work our way up so to speak. We purify the food sheath by regulating our food and avoiding tamasic food and meat. Eating meat means we absorb bad vibrations plus we are sending billions of Jivas to the subtle world many of which are born again as humans. Billions of people were these animals in their last lives and they bring their resentment of human beings with them. The resentment of their bad treatment and having their lives cut short. Hence this contributes to violence, mass slaughters and so on. People don't realise this,and they wonder why kids kill kids or there are massacres like Ruanda.
We purify the energy sheath by controlling our desires. This is also connected to the mind sheath where desires and attachment to the senses have to be controlled. The important sheath in this process is the awareness sheath which is part and parcel of the Buddhi, and controls and guides the lower sheaths particularly the mind. Intelligence isn't awareness, some geniuses are spiritually ignorant and unaware.
The Guru. "SPARSHAN,DARSHAN AND SAMBHASHAN.That is awareness of His presence, receiving the impact of His Divinity and assimilating and actualising His teaching,not just seeing,touching and listening.
Darshan is the Insight of Divine Beauty acquired from meditation. Sparshan means the installation of the lotus feet,and all that means,in one's heart. Sambharshan means praying directly before Him and listening to His response before the inner altar of one's heart.Meditation in other words.
Only a deserving Shisya gets a proper Guru.....Gita 4:39.40,and Sankara's Viveka Chudamani 19,20,and 363. So Buddhi should control the mind and not the reversal.S.S. and Gita 2:62.Gita 9:22. It is said that desire (for purification or Liberation) without effort is useless, Self-Sadhana purifies our impulses. "Manas Sathyate Shuddhate". Only Truth can purify and sublimate the mind.
To achieve this purification there are Four Exercises.
1) Swadhaya,that is reading spiritual books, bhajan, satsang, to make us aware of the Atma.
2) Japa, this should go on unceasingly, be aware and only come out into the world when it is necessary. To think of 'God' at death is very difficult, if you haven't practiced the Name all your waking life. It is better to start at about eight or nine years of age. Some people die and don't even realise they have died, others get distracted at the last moment, or are confused by the memories of their life. It is not so easy to be like Ghandiji and remember Rama as we die. Nobody experiences death for one is unconscious. Except if you are a Yogi then there is no death of course. Sankara says death is being separated from our desires.
3)Homa, Japa becomes Homa, offer all activities to The Lord all day long.Don't offer Grace just for meals, Brahmarpnam etc is to purify our inner being for all is food for the senses.
4)Brahmiya Kriyate Tanuhu.A Divine Inner Body".(1)
Finally this inner balance leads to purification of the Buddhi. Cessation of the mind is the goal.
The Buddhi is not present in deep sleep just the thought "I am sleeping", we must purify even that thought and become God. Once we have stilled all thought we are God, we enter the fourth or Turiya stage of consciousness.
See all as God, Do all as God.This is through DAYA,KSHAMA,AND SHANTI; Compassion, Forgiving those that trespass against us, and Peace to all, all is God. Love,Love,Love,Prema,Prema,Prema. All is One!This is were helping others comes in for it lessens our preoccupation with ourselves and therefore weakens the ego sense,and helps expand our vision.
KOHAM.............SOHAM.Who am I? I am He!' Drive the thought inward to the Universal "I". By eliminating the illusion of an individual ego. "I"is that background feeling of awareness that suffuses everything.
All these exercises are to purify one's Buddhi so that one may have one-pointedness and achieve Liberation, or loss of illusion and Moha. For a purified Buddhi is essentially a state of no mind,which is Liberation. Love is the answer, infuse our thoughts!
(When a stage is reached that one feels deeply that whatever is being done is happening and one has not got anything to do with it,then it becomes such a deep conviction that whatever is happening is not happening really;And that whatever seems to be happening is also an illusion.)Sri Nisagardatta Maharaj.
We move from thinking we are our own thought, to realising we are God's thought and eventually we realise there was no thought at all,just Bliss.
Questions and statements,Tony and Participants.(It is all opinions.)
Tony.....How do you purify yourself?I'll throw it out to the male side first.
Joyce(Co-ordinator.).....Let's have a minutes meditation first!
P(participant.).....What is the relationship between internal and external purification?Is physical purification required for internal purification?
Tony.....We live in a polluted world,everything is polluted;the water we drink is polluted,the food we eat is polluted,the people we talk to are polluted,we are polluted.There is no difference.Everything is One.We divide the bodies and consciousness up into different planes,but it is actually just one.You cannot have impure mind,body and be physically impure and then try and purify the inner mind.It would be exremely difficult to do,it is all one,the body is what we eat,and our mind is what we hear,read or think.There is no difference between outer and inner purification it's all the same thing.(It seems we have to have purification of the outer to some degree in order to work on the inner.Eventually when reaching the light of the Self all impurity would be burned up.)
P....I think the most purest form of purification would be early childhood,four or five years old,to start the purification process.I have a question.You are saying Sparshan, Darshan and Sambarshan.....If you go through all three of those,in the presence of a Yogi,and touch the feet etc,does the purification process increase?
Tony.....Well I'm not a Yogi but they say if you touch the feet of a Yogi, the fact that you are near the energy, it would help you along in the purification process obviously, but if you go inside yourself then that is as far away as 'God' is . So you can have it come from inside as well. So it helps,it's not absolutely necessary but,for a lot of people,it helps.
P.....Purification can be achieved by first recognising and searching within yourself.First learn to love yourself because by loving yourself you can give this love.Once you have Divine Love to other human beings,towards the Earth,towards Mankind,towards the Universe purification is automatic.
Tony.....That's exactly the fourth exercise..Shanti..Love,Love,Love, Prema,Prema,Prema.It comes under Shanti one of the four exercises...It's Shanti.
P.....I think purification starts with control of the senses,not eating meat and if watching television,watching only non-violent shows.
Tony.....That's how it all started whether you descended as a Being or came up from the animals. Those big girls painted on the side of hoardings in India,shouldn't even look at that.It changes the direction of the mind all the time....Mental Pollution..exactly.
P.....You are what you eat...Purification Process starts with Compassion....eating habits,eliminate killing...etc.
Tony.....Exactly.
P....(Joyce the Co-Ordinator.)Talking about not positive but negative emotions.Feelings like;anger,greed,jealousy,fear,envy...we have them all in one degree or another. Pray about it,meditate about it,....clean your heart everyday you go into meditation and ask to be helped to be cleaned out.Without that you will never be pure.Our feelings bring us to our troubles and we simply got ourselvles into it with what we have been given as a gift....our minds.We can get ourselves out of it.Sometimes people will hold on to a feeling ,a negative feeling intil they die rather than give it up.I've seen it over and over and over.So you have to be honest with yourself.First deal with it...ask for help and may be just may be we will be purified.
Tony..Right..Somebody over here now?
P.....You mention Pollution,I think we are surrounded by negative influences,sensuality,television etc.We have to control our energies,thoughts and direct them on the path of meditation and purification.
P.....Purifying our thoughts starts within,but there are so many outside influences.One thing that comes to my mind,was the onion.Peeling away our faults,no matter how many tears to get rid of negative emotions.Going through all negative emotions peeling away slowly one at a time,slowly but surely.
Tony.....That's a good method,a lot of Yogis use it,they say Neti...Neti...not this ...not this...All the bad thoughts and so called good thoughts and things they eliminate one at a time.They end up with the one thought....Yes..that's what we have to do.
Tony.....There are many different ways and everyone has mentioned an angle of the same thing.So many different people,so many different levels of awareness.So people are coming from different directions all the time.
P.....This gentleman touched on what I wanted to say about continuing to ask the question "Who am I?". Joyce referred to emotions,so often our thought patterns which continually jump up from simple thoughts result in negative emotions,that she listed.But if we go back further the problem stems from believing that we are the body and I think continuing to ask the question"Who am I?" has to be the greatest purification.
Tony....By asking the question "Who am I?",that is the original thought of human beings,the Ego,that is the original fall of human beings:I".Every thought is connected with the "I"-because you own the thought,therefore if you go back to the feeling of "Who am I?",and you eliminate the "I" or you try and find the "I" you'll find the "I"does not exist.There is only one Universal "I".At that point the originator of all your problems and all your impurities and all your thoughts are gone.The chain is broken-the mind doesn't exist-it's just a bundle of thoughts and desires--and they are all connected to the"I" thought.The feeling of"I, once the "I" thought is gone then they go.This is the whole process of elimination.Is to bring the mind in and in and in,whether it's through different practical exercises or meditating.It's to get one pointedness,one pointedness,of concentration and go in and get the feeling like you were a little child.Jesus said "suffer little children come unto me".What He meant was be like little children,an innocent child.
P...(Same person.)...Having said what I have said,I also believe that a certain degree of subtley of mind is required to even be in a level of consciousness to even want to ask the question"Who am I?".To grasp the purpose of asking it,so a certain level of basic purification is already necessary.
Tony.Yes... they say there are "horses for courses",what suits one doesn't suit another.(There are different levels of awareness.)
P...Male..Love All.?.
Tony.....What does it mean?--well someone over here just mentioned it,start off by loving yourself and realising you are not an individual.You are everything and the purpose of loving all and serving all is getting your mind off yourself.It has all got to do with concentration,when you help people,it's not the people that you are helping.You've been given the opportunity to help them so you can help yourself.If you don't help them,they are God's people,God's poor,God will help them anyway.You're helping them to help yourself.It's to reduce your own ego,your own "I" feeling,the more you help people.Many many years ago when I stopped drinking and I used to go to A.A..They had a saying that if you are thinking of other people you can't get depressed,if you are out helping other people it's pretty hard to get depressed,because you aren't thinking of yourself.This is one of the main reasons for Seva,your mind isn't thinking about yourself,you are thinking of this person and that person,and you're not thinking of yourself,and that reduces your"I",thought.That's why "Love All".
P...same person.Enslavement,you are a slave?
Tony.....No,No,it's not being a slave,a slave is somebody that has no will,there is no karma(Seva),in being a slave,for he has to do as he is told.There is no good or bad karma in being a slave,he has to do as he is told.When you are doing good work like this,you are creating good karma of course,if you can eliminate the "I" thought,you eliminate that as well.It's not enslavemenat helping other people,a slave has no choice.
P.... The best method is Namasmarana,and only seeing God,seeing everything pure,and you will see yourself pure.
Tony.....Japa is the same thing.It's like the psychiatrist programming one's mind,he doesn't eliminate the problem thoughts but reduces them to say 5%.The other 95% is the programming the psychiatrist put in there.So for all intents and purposes the bad thoughts are gone.With Japa you are programming yourself,you are programming your mind with God.The Name of God,The Form of God and God are all the same thing,there's no difference.So by doing Japa you increase the Love,you purify by "eliminating" other thoughts from the mind,and constant Japa....well it creates Liberation.
P...same person..In the Baghavad Gita Lord Krishna says see all equally as God.See only the Pure no dirt,everything is Pure.
P.....To purify ourselves,to engage ourselves in good satsang and meditation,jnana,which is a step towards purifying ourself.Talking about food--the concept here is Hindus not eating meat,for more sathwik food,but there are more tamasic food in vegetables.
Tony.....Like eating too many onions and chillis?
P....same person.Correct!In Ayuraveda there are more Tamasik vegetables mentioned--in a book by Sankara--I can't remember the name--advising not eating tamasik food.Talking about eating meat there are so many Saints eating meat,talking about the Buddha.There is a Buddhist concept we take food from other people,whatever they offer we eat.But they are highly spiritual Saints and all.
Tony.....To a highly evolved Yogi(Jivanmukti),it doesn't matter what you eat anyway.
P...same person.Yes!Basically not eating meat to avoid killing.There are lots of people eating meat,they are more spiritual than those who are eating vegetables.
Tony.....It depends on what your level of awareness is,there are four types of Human Being,Human animal,Aspiring Human Being,Human Being and Divine Human Being.
If you are a Human Animal you can do all the things that animals do-mate,eat,sleep,defend whatever.If you are an Aspiring Human Being you have to change yourself from an animal.You have to take on Ahimsa,not killing an animal to eat its meat.
Human Beings are like a flower,a flower bursts into creation and it gets to a certain point,at the end of the day when it closes its petals and it goes back in again.Human Beings are the same,not every flower bursts into creation and comes back in at the same time.Some close earlier some close later,the person still coming out into manifestation,they are more likely to be a Human Animal.If they have decided to close in the petals and come back;whereas they are more likely to be an aspiring Human Being.
Tony....And now we can have the last speaker.
P.....A last thought --to say that cleanliness is next to Godliness,cleanliness spiritually and physically its the same.So for the spiritual and mental we shall take a bath.We take a mental bath whilst we are doing our prayers and meditation,so it washes our mind.It should wash our mind but we don't know how pure we are,or where we are at.So by just doing it,we should eliminate some of the impurities that we think and receive.
Tony....It's no good in wanting to be Liberated unless you have a method of Sadhana.You have to have a practice,you have to have a system.It's no good saying I want to be Liberated,you've got to have a system.You say Morning Prayers,how much Japa do you do on a regular basis,how much Seva do you do.You have to have a Sadhana,if you don't have a Sadhana you're not going to get anywhere,Even if it's just thinking I'm not the "I".
Joyce...Thank you Tony for giving us this opportunity to think about ourselves.I was just thinking you can't love yourself unless you purify yourself,you have guilt about whatever you are doing,that will destroy that self love.Thank you again.
Om Namah Sivaya.... Tony
REINCARNATION
Reincarnation.(Biblical Resurrection.)
I cannot talk about reincarnation without talking about karma, which is the cause; past, present and future karmas. I like to think of lives as spokes on a wheel, they are there all at once, but we concentrate our consciousness on one spoke at a time.
It is the Ego that takes rebirth, which is an aspect of mind, and brings with it all its tendencies from previous existances. These tendencies are in the form of karmic memories.
From the point of view of the Divine, there is no free will, for all is God, but from the Ego view point of the individual there is the illusion of free will. There is General law (God's Law) and then the individual and society. The individual acts in a society according to his free will, but all conforms to the general law. The individual must act and his action is a function of his mind. There are thoughts, which function as seeds and they sprout and become actions. The actions then appear to be free will to the concerned individual.
There is a concept in Yoga of three bodies and five sheaths or koshas. The physical, the subtle, and the causal bodies. The body, or food sheath, the energy sheath, the mind sheath, the intellectual awareness sheath and the bliss sheath.
It seems when we die that we move through these sheaths one at a time. Associated with the body is an etheric energy sheath, which is part of the larger energy sheath. This looks like the body and survives for sometime after death. When the entity drops this sheath it is called the "second death". The personality then progressively withdraws through the other sheaths depending on one's level of awareness and spirituality. The Mind Sheath dissolves and goes back to the Universal Mind. After dropping the mind, one then moves into the Intellectual Sheath. This is where the greatest manifestation of the ego is and also awareness. The Causal is the last sheath and is the deep sleep sheath. It seems these movements are very subjective and some people stay in the sheaths longer than others. Moving up the planes requires swooning or a death in order to progress. This is where the expression "second death", comes from.
So basically it seems that what takes rebirth is the Intellectual Sheath and Causal Sheath, picking up new bodies and a mind on the way, and bringing previous tendencies with it.
So it seems that Liberation is actually realising that the ego is just an aspect of mind and intellect, and then rising above our karmas. That is allowing them to dissolve back into the primal energy or "Shakti". This allows our consciousness to merge back into The Universal and escape the illusory dream.
Sometimes an advanced soul may keep a thought so preventing final dissolution. This thought is a pure desire to help humanity. So we have Masters, and Avatars, like Jesus or Bodhisattvas like Siddartha Buddha. It seems this thought is aware of unity and has no sense of individuality, it just creates an Ego to help humanity. So in actual fact the Ego is the Mind. Divine descents are Karana Janimas or a causal births not due to karma.
So the cause of rebirth for ordinary people is desire and tendencies, or karmic memories. Depending on our karmic vibrations we take birth in a family and life suitable to these vibrations. It is not usually possible to expiate all our karma in one lifetime so the The Universal Mind allocates a portion to be experienced. Of course at the same time we are creating new bad and good karmas. It is interesting to note that good karma caused rebirth as well. For one must return to receive the fruits of our actions.
So in order to prevent rebirth we have to eliminate all karmas, the tree has to be uprooted completely not just pruned. There are three types of Karma: past, present and future. We can do a lot with the present so influencing the future. Even the effects of past karma can be alleviated by doing good works. We can bury the effects of our past karma under good works. Prana is stronger than Karma, so past Karma can be burned up and not sprout. Prema or Divine Love and Shakti cannot be stopped, it is the essence of our being, but we have to earn Grace to alleviate Karma.
During this learning process we continue being born, not only on the physical plane but also in the Heaven Planes. Depending on our karmas we take birth on different planes, the higher being the more blissful. However after our resting time we have to be reborn again to expiate our karma,and progress towards Liberation. Some higher beings like Devas may take birth so that they may be liberated from their "Happiness." Some of the lower beings are hardly conscious at all between lives. They just die and reincarnate without any time on the Heaven Planes. This situation probably applies to the majority of the population, hence the massive overpopulation of the planet. Also population is added to by animals becoming human and taking birth. In fact we are sending billions of animals, from the slaughter houses, to the subtle plane, where many take rebirth as humans. Unfortunately they bring their resentment of humans with them, hence massacres and the like.
So one has to develop the Awareness Sheath, this is done with Devotion to Divinity and directing our thoughts away from this illusory world.
It is also difficult for the ordinary person to distinguish good from bad karma. Some is obviously bad or good but if other karmas lead to spirituality how can that be bad even if painful?
The most effective way to avoid creating future karmas is by surrendering to God. By surrendering the fruits of our actions to God we incurr no karma,"nishkarma karma. "This is easier said than done and one needs to be vigilant, otherwise the Ego and all its desires gets entangled in the action and we don't surrender properly. We are still not detached from the fruits of our actions. This is why it is so important to have a habit of devotion and prayer, so that our minds are full of good vibrations.
The mind has six mental states; subconscious, conscious, super-conscious, higher mind, illuminated mind, and intuitive mind.
What I have been able to glean from experience and all the teachings is that there are various conceptual divisions in the mind. Some people have different names for these concepts but that isn't important. There are seven Lokas, or planes, up and seven lower.
1.) There is the gross material body and the etheric body together, on the lowest plane.
2.) Next there is what I will call "the Astral," which has seven subdivisions,4 lower (pretlokas) and 3 higher heavens. The heavens are learning planes with astral schools and libraries.
3.) Next is the Mental which has seven sub-planes, consisting of 4 lower planes of form (Rupa), and 3 higher planes that are formless or Arupa colours and energies.
4.) Finally there are the Spiritual Planes, Buddhic and Atmic and obove this Divinity, Anupadika and Adi.
This is all conceptual and a mental construct of course but let it be said there are lower and higher planes, and different groups have different names for the same thing.
I cannot talk about reincarnation without talking about karma, which is the cause; past, present and future karmas. I like to think of lives as spokes on a wheel, they are there all at once, but we concentrate our consciousness on one spoke at a time.
It is the Ego that takes rebirth, which is an aspect of mind, and brings with it all its tendencies from previous existances. These tendencies are in the form of karmic memories.
From the point of view of the Divine, there is no free will, for all is God, but from the Ego view point of the individual there is the illusion of free will. There is General law (God's Law) and then the individual and society. The individual acts in a society according to his free will, but all conforms to the general law. The individual must act and his action is a function of his mind. There are thoughts, which function as seeds and they sprout and become actions. The actions then appear to be free will to the concerned individual.
There is a concept in Yoga of three bodies and five sheaths or koshas. The physical, the subtle, and the causal bodies. The body, or food sheath, the energy sheath, the mind sheath, the intellectual awareness sheath and the bliss sheath.
It seems when we die that we move through these sheaths one at a time. Associated with the body is an etheric energy sheath, which is part of the larger energy sheath. This looks like the body and survives for sometime after death. When the entity drops this sheath it is called the "second death". The personality then progressively withdraws through the other sheaths depending on one's level of awareness and spirituality. The Mind Sheath dissolves and goes back to the Universal Mind. After dropping the mind, one then moves into the Intellectual Sheath. This is where the greatest manifestation of the ego is and also awareness. The Causal is the last sheath and is the deep sleep sheath. It seems these movements are very subjective and some people stay in the sheaths longer than others. Moving up the planes requires swooning or a death in order to progress. This is where the expression "second death", comes from.
So basically it seems that what takes rebirth is the Intellectual Sheath and Causal Sheath, picking up new bodies and a mind on the way, and bringing previous tendencies with it.
So it seems that Liberation is actually realising that the ego is just an aspect of mind and intellect, and then rising above our karmas. That is allowing them to dissolve back into the primal energy or "Shakti". This allows our consciousness to merge back into The Universal and escape the illusory dream.
Sometimes an advanced soul may keep a thought so preventing final dissolution. This thought is a pure desire to help humanity. So we have Masters, and Avatars, like Jesus or Bodhisattvas like Siddartha Buddha. It seems this thought is aware of unity and has no sense of individuality, it just creates an Ego to help humanity. So in actual fact the Ego is the Mind. Divine descents are Karana Janimas or a causal births not due to karma.
So the cause of rebirth for ordinary people is desire and tendencies, or karmic memories. Depending on our karmic vibrations we take birth in a family and life suitable to these vibrations. It is not usually possible to expiate all our karma in one lifetime so the The Universal Mind allocates a portion to be experienced. Of course at the same time we are creating new bad and good karmas. It is interesting to note that good karma caused rebirth as well. For one must return to receive the fruits of our actions.
So in order to prevent rebirth we have to eliminate all karmas, the tree has to be uprooted completely not just pruned. There are three types of Karma: past, present and future. We can do a lot with the present so influencing the future. Even the effects of past karma can be alleviated by doing good works. We can bury the effects of our past karma under good works. Prana is stronger than Karma, so past Karma can be burned up and not sprout. Prema or Divine Love and Shakti cannot be stopped, it is the essence of our being, but we have to earn Grace to alleviate Karma.
During this learning process we continue being born, not only on the physical plane but also in the Heaven Planes. Depending on our karmas we take birth on different planes, the higher being the more blissful. However after our resting time we have to be reborn again to expiate our karma,and progress towards Liberation. Some higher beings like Devas may take birth so that they may be liberated from their "Happiness." Some of the lower beings are hardly conscious at all between lives. They just die and reincarnate without any time on the Heaven Planes. This situation probably applies to the majority of the population, hence the massive overpopulation of the planet. Also population is added to by animals becoming human and taking birth. In fact we are sending billions of animals, from the slaughter houses, to the subtle plane, where many take rebirth as humans. Unfortunately they bring their resentment of humans with them, hence massacres and the like.
So one has to develop the Awareness Sheath, this is done with Devotion to Divinity and directing our thoughts away from this illusory world.
It is also difficult for the ordinary person to distinguish good from bad karma. Some is obviously bad or good but if other karmas lead to spirituality how can that be bad even if painful?
The most effective way to avoid creating future karmas is by surrendering to God. By surrendering the fruits of our actions to God we incurr no karma,"nishkarma karma. "This is easier said than done and one needs to be vigilant, otherwise the Ego and all its desires gets entangled in the action and we don't surrender properly. We are still not detached from the fruits of our actions. This is why it is so important to have a habit of devotion and prayer, so that our minds are full of good vibrations.
The mind has six mental states; subconscious, conscious, super-conscious, higher mind, illuminated mind, and intuitive mind.
What I have been able to glean from experience and all the teachings is that there are various conceptual divisions in the mind. Some people have different names for these concepts but that isn't important. There are seven Lokas, or planes, up and seven lower.
1.) There is the gross material body and the etheric body together, on the lowest plane.
2.) Next there is what I will call "the Astral," which has seven subdivisions,4 lower (pretlokas) and 3 higher heavens. The heavens are learning planes with astral schools and libraries.
3.) Next is the Mental which has seven sub-planes, consisting of 4 lower planes of form (Rupa), and 3 higher planes that are formless or Arupa colours and energies.
4.) Finally there are the Spiritual Planes, Buddhic and Atmic and obove this Divinity, Anupadika and Adi.
This is all conceptual and a mental construct of course but let it be said there are lower and higher planes, and different groups have different names for the same thing.
KUNDALINI LIFE FORCE
Kundalini is our own Universal Mind. It rises in the Heart and goes directly to the brain on awakening. Prana or energy is the instrument of Kundalini-Sakti, Sakti/Grace isn't the energy but the Creator/Goddess/Saguna Brahman of the energy, . With the disturbance of the gunas, action or karma begins. There is only karma and prana in this universe.SAGUNA BRAHMAN IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE VITAL FORCE .
The nightly surges may or may not be kundalini-prana.
Let us assume that they are, then it is a cleansing action that is working on the mind, particularly the intellectual/awareness sheath or Vijnanamayakosa. As the sheath is cleansed so to speak the surges will diminish, until at a more advanced level they will be barely perceptible in meditation.
There may be some disturbance of thoughts and ideas during this cleansing, like a broom disturbs all the floor not just that which it is sweeping so to speak.
There is only one way to control the surges and direct them and that is through, prayer or japa/rosary, (or something similar as an affirmation.) It has to be channeled back so to speak, so it flows much easier as it accomplishes its Spiritual task so to speak. Otherwise unchanneled prana may disturb the mind or the sexual activities in the lower cakras, instead of rising to the Heart Cakra initially.
This is the importance of practise or sadhana. One has to concentrate on Prayer or a Godform of some kind. Or even an affirmation of some spiritual nature. 'Who am I' will do fine. The first time the prana surged in me, or the first time it really was heavy, I fell over in shock. I was sitting cross-legged on the floor meditating. I had felt surges throughout my life from childhood, but attributed it to rocks and my surroundings etc. This time it was heavy for I had stepped on to the path through taking up meditation, so opening the door so to speak. I had also taken up some preparatory breathing exercises or pranayama.Many people sometimes wake up in bliss, which lasts for a few moments or minutes and is probably due to a direct awakening from deep sleep as opposed to transversing the dream plane. It has happened to me on occasions and on awakening from meditation sometimes. Recently I awoke from my unconscious meditation in a bliss state and it lasted an hour or more. I or something was observing the bliss state, and the world was more ephemeral and didn't matter at all. I couldn't really tell if I was the state or was even separate from it. It lasted just as long as I was observing, as soon as I started to function in the world it began to diminish progressively....The memory or residual is still there though......
I notice mild and pleasant movement during meditation, these days, and as Sarada Devi said, Japa will raise the Kundalini, or Consciousness.
Kundalini arising to the Crown Cakra doesn't result in Moksha the Kundalini-Prana or mind has to be absorbed into the Heart or Self. In the end the timing of all this is Karmic as is everything.....
It is probably a little late to wait until the surges occur.
One should be doing meditation and japa/rosary either constantly in the back of one's mind or doing meditation before retiring to bed. It is wise to meditate at a similar time everyday. A few minutes will do. I used to do the corpse pose and grab meditation at work during the day sometimes. This pose has the benefit of easily de-energising the muscles, so there is no tension.
You say 3 am used to be your usual meditation time. Yes, this is the Brahma Murtha and advised for spiritual seekers. Unfortunately most of us work and cannot meet this schedule in many cases. However if you are used to meditating at this time, then 'God' is looking for the appointment. You may have to change the regular appointment time, then the energy will be absorbed/transmuted into the normal meditation.
There are only two ways of getting help, either from a Realised Master/Mukti or from your own Inner Self, which amounts to the same thing.
The other problem to avoid, as I mentioned in my original post, is psychological and psychosomatic, due to not enough Spiritual Direction.
It may require intense prayer and meditation/japa for a while, but the answer truly lies 'within'. Which is the only advice I can give, as I am not a Jivanmukta or Realised Master.
Ramana and others say that if one just repeats the mantra it is ineffective; one has to be emotionally involved with it. The Vedic sounds of a mantra have to be concentrated on, so rote is impossible, if one is doing it properly. If I had a penny for each time I heard the Gayatri chanted incorrectly, I would be a rich man. The sound of OM/AUM of course is within manifestation and is not Liberation itself. Sakti is not the energy per se but Saguna Brahman that projects it.
I know to many, my opinions on Kundalini are somewhat different. That is because IMO 99%+ of so called Kundalini-Prana isn't! One has to identify if one is 'experiencing' the cleansing prana, for K of course is everything as, the Universal Mind. So K-Prana is a Spiritual event.
1.There are the movements of energy impulses at the biological nerve level, and this may be due to any physical condition; arthritis, pinched nerves, spine problems, psychosomatic etc etc.
2.There is the movement of prana in the nadis, that may not be necessarily in the Sushumna. Acu-puncture type movements of energy can take place and this may not be K-Prana. These may seem to be spontaneous and out of control, and painful.
The five pranas or modes are quite complicated to the uninitiated. Without going into them to deepy, they are involved in breathing, and expulsion and sometime it seems they get out of sync. Badly performed pranayama can cause this as well.
When a person is dying there is a feeling of a need to defecate, for this is the prana starting to leave. A good example is my best childhood friend died a few months ago, of a heart attack. He felt an urge to defecate so he went upstairs to the toilet and took a book with him. His wife found him some time later leaning against the wall, book on his knee and dead as a doornail!--a heart attack!
Kundalini being the Universal Mind is everything and doesn't make random mistakes IMO, in stimulating the cleansing of the kosas or sheaths. The nadis and sushumna, (the tunnel of light), are after all only concepts and constructs to describe the connectors of the body to the kosas. A person not on the spiritual path is not going to be subconsciously cleansing their vijnanamayakosa are they? There has to be a trigger!!!
Finally as Sarada Devi says, Japa will raise the true Kundalini-Prana, perhaps even emperceptibly. IMO opinion if one has a true K experience happening it is more important to pay attention to their behaviour not the experiences. If one isn't becoming more spiritual, following a sadhana, becoming vegetarian for example, and in fact becoming a Sadhaka, in some form.
Finally one has to take into account that Lakshmana Swami says the K goes straight from the Heart to the Brain, and not from the Muladhara. This indicates to me that pranas may or may not be of a spiritual nature. i.e cleansing or otherwise.
The yardstick to me though is that a person become more the spiritual, less attached to the world and its sensual activities and pleasures. That is the difference between the pranas and kundalini-prana
Yes I agree with that statement of Ramana's. Sometimes when 'God'
calls we aren't ready in our ego mind, so we look for ways to slow
it, change it, divert it into illusion etc etc.
There is no Ego stronger in the world than that of an unrealised
spiritual seeker.
I had energies from a young person, but it really surged as an
adult. There is a lot of psycho-babble and rubbish written on this
subject as well of course. It is the realm of psychotics,charlatans,
false gurus, hurdy-gurdy men, as well.
I can only write from my own experience and comparing notes with
Ramana's teachings. I was lucky that at the time of the great surge,
I was already practising some Sadhana of sorts. After that I was
thrown in totally to being absorbed in this spiritual path, and
doing meditation and japa. I was using an Ishtadevata, as well. Also
I had a Sufi guide name Ibn el Rasa, whether he was a spirit or from
my own subconscious he was helpful-------take the middle path was
most of his advice, if I remember. Of course in a previous life I
may have gone through something similar to ERAs. Nowadays I am aware
of the movement of energy during pre meditation but I don't dwell on
it, I just stick to my point of meditation between the nose and lip,
and Om Namah Sivaya in the background.
In the end result we can only take our own advice.........
I realise that what I am saying is heresy to many people, who are attached to their 'surges'. That sounds funny actually hahahah. However my last paragraph reproduced below shows that my judgementalism only goes as far as the resulting spiritualiy.
> > The yardstick to me though is that a person become more the
> > spiritual, less attached to the world and its sensual activities and
> > pleasures. That is the difference between the pranas and kundalini-
> > prana.<<
I am aware it is all one, but the pranas are broken up so to speak to play roles, udana, apana etc, and of course Kundalini-Prana. My observation about many people, particularly Westerners, claiming K-Activity is not very enlightening. Many are attached to Sex, the surges or whatever, and I see little to claim a modicum of Spirituality. Many are charlatans, and many others are deluded or suffering from some mental breakdowns.
In the end result the K-Prana activity is to result in a more cleansed Vijnanamaykosa and subsequent rise in 'awareness'. I am sure my opinon is very similar to many in India.
As Lakshmana Swamy says prana raised to the sahasrara may result in some increase in siddhis but that is all. IMO it will not go down the amrita nadi to the 'Heart', if the vijnanamayakosa isn't cleansed of its vasanas and samskaras. So if it cannot do that, it begs the question doesn't it?
Much of the K-activity in the end may just be people observing and experiencing the pranamayakosa, Vivekananda remarks on this
I'm not trying to be judgmental or rigid. I am expressing an opinion that it is not a tantric one in the common understanding. Then again nobody in tantra will admit there is another step to Moksha via the concept of the amrita nadi as Ramana says.
They believe the union of Siva/Sakti occurs at the Sahasrara and that is it.-Kula-Arnava-Tantra 8:109. I find this text quite confusing and contradictory. 9:14 it talks of Nirvikalpa Samadhi and then goes on to talk of it as an ecstasy which is an experience and therefore Saguna. They are in the main attached to the surges and ecstasies. Bliss is not the end result it is the final impediment to Moksha. Tantrikas even talk of Sahaja as being ecstatic as well. So here we are dealing with what the Sufis call 'states', and others Samadhis, in term somewhat different to Vedantic or Buddhist. Ramana says that in true Samadhi there is only Peace, as does Jesus. Ecstasy is a kind of memory that occurs approaching and leaving Samadhi.
The ultimate though is that once one merges with 'God'-one becomes God and the mind is destroyed, according to Ramana.
So there is a lot of different interpretation here as in Vedantic Samadhi and Buddhist Samadhi for example, a lot of semantics.
IMO opinion still, what passes for K-acivity can be explained in other ways, in many cases...I understand my path is more Advaitic than Tantric and this may lead to some being confused by my statements of opinion................Tony.************************************* The intoxication of the Sufis is probably savikalpa samadhi of some kind, or they obviously remember it. Many people sometimes wake up in bliss which lasts for a few moments or minutes and is probably due to a direct awakening from the bliss sheath as opposed to transversing the dream plane. It has happened to me on occasions and also on awakening from meditation sometimes. Recently I awoke from my unconscious meditation in a bliss state and it lasted an hour or more. I or something was observing the bliss state, and the world was more ephemeral and didn't matter at all. I couldn't really tell if I was the state or was even separate from it. It lasted just as long as I was observing, as soom as I started to function in the world it began to diminish progressively....The memory or residual is still there though...........Tony.
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