avidya (was Re: message to my friends)

Gummuluru Murthy gmurthy at MORGAN.UCS.MUN.CA
Fri Aug 14 09:44:45 CDT 1998


Some random thoughts on avidyA which the List might have seen before,
either from me or from others. If anyone is tired of it, please throw
it in the trash bin.

Our natural state of being is paramArtha. But out of that great ocean of
paramArtha, like bubbles we emanate, have a transient life and go back
again to paramArtha. And during this transient life of a bubble, we are
overcome by avidyA, give ourselves individuality and grow to become
bigger and bigger. Little do we realize that as we grow bigger in that
transient bubble stage, our life as a bubble will be longer and longer.
Then we go back again to the ocean, loose our individuality and gain
moksha. Our life and the many embodiments we go through is avidyA, the
bubble thinking it is not the ocean.

Now, the bubble does not have to loose its shape to attain moksha. It
can happily ride as part of the ocean knowing that it is not a bubble
but is the ocean itself. This is what is implied in Isha upanishhad,
verse 2: (kurvan eva iha karmANi jijIvishhet shatagm samAH ..) wish to
live for hundred years doing your karma. That knowledge itself is moksha.

Regards
Gummuluru Murthy
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