Explanation of the Complete and the Incomplete
ad...@sadguru.us
Chapter: 20 Sub-Chapter: 1
Explanation of Complete and Incomplete
ShriRam
1. The numbers of living beings is vast. The mind is vast. The five elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Space elements , the three gunas (Rajas, Tamas, Sattva), the Inner-Self, and the Primal Illusion are all spread out all over.
2. The "Attributeless Brahman" (Nirguna) is also vast and all-pervading. Thus the question arises; "Is there one vastness that is entirely undifferentiated, or is there some differentiation in the qualities of their expanse?"
3. The self is unseen, which gives rise to the doubt; "Is the Self (Atman) "with attributes" (Saguna), or is the Self pure, "without attributes" (Nirguna)?
4. The listener gets this doubt and the doubt persists, and he begins speculating about "What is the Self?," and "How is the Self?"
5. Please listen now to the answer to the first doubt. Be attentive and don’t make everything confusing in your mind. Let the power of discrimination allow you to look and see for yourself in your own experience
6. Living Beings function according to the capacity of the physical body and the capacity of one’s power to do activities and make decisions, and we can see that nothing is more swift than the mind.
7. However, the swiftness of the mind is limited. It is not limitless in its expanse. If we look, we see that the expanse of the earth is also limited.
8. Similarly, we can naturally see that Water and Fire (Light) are not complete in their expanse. Understand that even the swiftness of Wind is limited in its expanse.
9. Space and Parabrahman are both complete in their expanse, invisibility, and density. There is no imagination in this.
10. The three attributes (rajas, tamas, sattva), the stirring movement of three attributes, and the entire Illusion itself, all come to an end. Their expanse is incomplete, and limited. It is not possible to say that they are complete in their expanse.
11. The Self and Brahman (Niranjan) are the two names that are always used to represent two sides of the individual self (jiva), and the pure untainted Consciousness (Shiva). In order to aid in the understanding of the meaning of this, something must said in order to convey some meaning.
12. The Self and the mind together are very fast, and their expanse is very vast, but their expanse is not limitless. This can be seen by observing with a clear and tranquil mind.
13. If the attention is to the space above, the mind and Self are absent in the space below, and if the attention is to the space below, they are not in present in the space above. They do not pervade everywhere at all times.
14. If looking ahead, they are not looking behind, and when looking back, they are not not looking ahead. If looking to the left, they are not looking right. Thus, the self and the mind do not pervade all directions.
15. For example, if flags are placed on all sides of you, how can you touch all of them at the same time? After understanding this, experience for yourself that the mind and the Self are not complete in their expanse.
16. Sometimes it is said that the Sun rises and reflections appear in the water. But this simile is not entirely appropriate for what is called "Attributeless Reality" (Nirguna Parabrahman).
17. The simile of "the space in the pot" (at the level of the Self) and "the space in the room" (at the level of Universal Consciousness) is also used, but there is no accurate comparison that can be used to assign any similarity of Parabrahman to the expanse of anything.
18. The Space element is but a small fraction of Brahman, and similarly, the mind is but a small part of the Self. The experience and realization of this can be gained from this indication.
19. How can Space and the mind be similar? Those who use subtle thought about this are the great ones who understand completely.
20. If the attention of the mind is is looking ahead, what is behind (past) is non-existent. What comparison can used to in compare the expanse of the mind to the complete expanse of Space?
21. Parabrahman, the Supreme Reality, is unmoving. A mountain can also be said to be unmoving, but can one say that they are the same?
22. How can one say that Knowledge, Ignorance, and wrong-knowledge are the same? Reflect on this see in your own experience.
23. Knowledge means "to know," and Ignorance means "not knowing." Wrong-knowledge means seeing one thing, and taking it to be something other.
24. When the "knowing" and the "not knowing" are kept aside, what remains is only the five gross elements. When this play of the five elements is thought to be real, this is what is called the wrong-knowledge of living beings.
25. The Inner-Self is the witness, the observer. That which is of the individual self (Jivatma), becomes the Pure Self (Shivatma), and moreover, it is the Pure Self that takes birth as the individual self.
26. The individual self is subject to birth and death, and it does not escape the cycle of birth and death. Therefore, God has stated; "I will come in every age taking birth."
27. The individual self is a limited being. Through investigation and the power of discrimination, the "Universal Self," or God, is seen to be filling the entire universe. This "Universal Self" cannot escape the appearance of worldly existence.
28. Knowledge (jnana) and Ignorance (ajnana) are equal in that they both exist in the form of attitudes, or states (vritti). Pure Knowledge (Vijnana) is the withdrawal from states, or the absence of states (Nivritti). This Supreme Knowledge can be recognized without delay.
29. The universe has been created out of Knowledge. Knowledge has expanded to a great extent, and has taken the form of many changes. This is the nature of Knowledge (Jnana).
30. The eighth body, or the "Great Causal Body," at the level of universal awareness, is the Primal Illusion. This is this highest level of Knowledge (Jnana). In "Pure Knowledge" (Vijnana), one is bodiless Consciousness.
iti shreedaasabodhe gurushishya sauvaade | poornaapoornanirupananaama samaasa pratham
Thus in Shri Dasbodh, a dialogue between the Guru and disciple, Sub-Chapter 1 of Chapter 20, named "Explanation of the Complete and the Incomplete" ends.
__________________________________________________
To give the gift of free food click this link: |
Rodger
Self is self,whether seen or unseen,whether seeing or not.
Seeing and/or not are both self and attributes.
If,when,it is seen that self sees,self is seen.
No other besides self to see.
No doubt regarding self,for I am,you are,the world is.
The swiftness of the mind IS limited...there's no such thing as an
open mind.
Nothing more swift than the mind? Seeing the swiftness is.
Whether attending to above or below,self and mind are limited to
here,now.
Being is limited.The individual being is limited being.
'Universal Self' (or God) does not fill the universe,exactly.God is
filled with,as,the universe.Is this.
The 'entire universe' cannot escape God...being God...being Being.
The 'entire universe' is 'Universal Self'.
God cannot escape God and every appearance is God...God's
appearance...the RE-appearance...the RE-flection that is God,in and as
God's entirety.
The entire universe is God's RE-creation,or the Universal Self in RE-
flection...as IT really is,for there is no other.
Ram
In this passage, he is referring to the mind as the seer. Apart from
mind, nothing is seen.
>
> - Show quoted text -
Rodger
apart from the seer?
All the seeing is just the seer,which is you?
You are the seer seeing,so the seer is seen as seeing?
The Self is seen?
>
> > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
Ram
Richard
'In "Pure Knowledge" (Vijnana), one is bodiless Consciousness.'
Is not the bodiless consciousness a formless Being Who has
consciouness, and not some nebulous cloud-like substance?
Ram
Knowledge in the sense that it is untainted by objectivity.
Ram
in the original post, would be to try think of the world appearance as
varying frequencies of energy and light. At the gross manifest world
(stone, dead wood, rubber, etc.), you have light and energy frequency
and deterioration which is considerably slower than at the level of
organic bodies like plants, animals, insects, bacterias, etc. Those
are the inert and the physical/biological bodies respectively.
Then if you were also to think of thoughts and intellectual
determinations in terms speed of frequency and light, we could say
that this ability of the 'mind' to conceive and imagine is operating
at even a much faster frequency and speed than even physical light
itself. Physical light afterall has been measured and it has been
determined that the speed of the mind cannot be measured. The easiest
example to illustrate this is to simply close your eyes and conceive
of yourself as being somewhere. Distance does not apply to the speed
of mind, as the speed of light is directly proportional and relative
to distance. This is the subtle body which has a faster frequency of
energy vibration and a relatively brighter luminence about it as it is
not as dense and inert as the barely energetic gross material world.
The body of thoughts and ideas, feelings, emotions, etc.
Above this, you have the speed and density of vibration of the Causal
Body. The causal body, is the universal body the form of the mix of
the gross and subtle dancing of varying light and energy frequencies
to create the apparances of various perceived forms arising from
imagination and conceptualization. This is from where the world
appearance appears and back into where it disappears. Its speed is
faster than the speed of the mind, as the appearance appears first
before it is registered in the mind, and disappears before the mind
knows that it is gone. At this level of the Causal Body, the
frequencies of energy patterns are brighter and energetic in some
places, and less bright and not so energetic in other places. This
depends upon the subtilety of the interplay of the mind and the
vasanas(desire and habits), and the strength of the energy behind the
various gunas, and in what proportion to each other.
So, for some imagery, if you were to have infinite space filled with
lightbulbs that appeared to have edges or borders, but when examined
closely, one could see that the borders where simply slower frequency
vibrations of the same energy that was on both sides of what merely
appears to borders. Really, all of the vibrating frequencies, no
matter how fast or slow, how dense or subtle, and the Space in which
they appear are one substance. Shadow and Light dancing together in
Space, if you will. The more subtle the mind, the fewer shadows of
objectivity.
That substance in which all of this coming and going of appearances is
SatChitAnanda, or "Knowledge" (Jnana). This is Consciousness, God, the
Inner-Self. It is aware of both the knowing and known, as well as the
knower of the knowing. This is Brahman with and without attributes as
one homogeneous substance. This is Maha Akasha, or Great Space. It is
the Primal Illusion, or the eighth body at the level of universal
consciousness.
Samartha says:
28. Knowledge (jnana) and Ignorance (ajnana) are equal in that they
both exist in the form of attitudes, or states (vritti). Pure
Knowledge (Vijnana) is the withdrawal from states, or the absence of
states (Nivritti). This Supreme Knowledge can be recognized without
delay.
29. The universe has been created out of Knowledge. Knowledge has
expanded to a great extent, and has taken the form of many changes.
This is the nature of Knowledge (Jnana).
30. The eighth body, or the "Great Causal Body," at the level of
universal awareness, is the Primal Illusion. This is this highest
bodiless Consciousness.
To carry the metaphor farther if one is to think of the frequency
vibration and energy level at the vibratory level of Jnana, which is
Power of Consciousness, and the light that illumines all of manifest
appearances, in contrast to mere worldly light, and various concepts
and imagings that operate at the speed of the mind, one might begin to
get a glimpse of Vijnana or Pure Knowledge which admits to no other.
All distinctions are long evaporated memories of transparent shadows.
Even the notions of varying frequencies and non existent memories are
fallacies.
Ramdas makes a nice illustration of the pot in the jar and the pot in
the room. This is often used to symbolize more than one meaning. The
tone of the talk is about the Self (Atman) and Reality (Brahman). But
he also poetically speaks about the comparison of the mind with the
Self, and Space with Parabrahman. I've tried to address this somewhat
by indication above, but the words fail. It is a strong statement that
he says, "This Supreme Knowledge can be recognized without delay."
He also says:
25. The Inner-Self is the witness, the observer. That which is of the
individual self (Jivatma), becomes the Pure Self (Shivatma), and
moreover, it is the Pure Self that takes birth as the individual
self.
principle of the living being, the Jiva. Jiva truly is only Shiva.
Jiva or Atman passes away after a shorter period of time, and Shiva
passes away after a longer period of time. This is why Brahman is also
called Parabrahman. Because even after the appearance and
disappearance of creation, sustenance, and destruction, (Brahma,
VIshnu, and Shiva), Brahman alone remains after all the gods disappear
and every appearance is gone. Thus it is said that the Sadguru, who is
Parabrabhman, is more powerful than all of the gods, and that he gives
the knowledge about Vijnana.
To finish the metaphor is not possible. The vibrancy of the frequency
of Vijnana cannot be known and any notion of its luminence cannot be
conceived. Even the labels of frequency and light have no place. The
origin of the source AUMm, and the resting place of the substance of
AUMm.