Selections from the ShAkta upaniShads -1 (bahvR^icha)

[Srinivas Sista]

>
> >It is only admitted by advaita that the universe (world) is an
> _apparent_
> >transformation of the substratum Brahman, not a real transformation.
> With this we negate the reality of the empirical world. OK. But if this
> empirical world is an illusion, then what am I who am part of this
> empirical world? I'm an illusion too!
>
> >So the universe is a result of the vikShepa shakti of avidyA.
> By this am I correct in my understanding that the empirical world that I
> experience is a result of my ignorance? But when I myself am an
> illusion, what is my ignorance? Wouldn't that be an illusion too?
>
> Again wouldn't that make jnana, sadhana and whatever effort that I might
> take towards salvation which are part of my experience, illusions too?
>
> So where's the Reality in all this?
>

The Drk of all these Drysyas(mentioned above) is the reality!!

regards,
Srinivas.

>From  Thu Apr 23 19:48:08 1998
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Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 19:48:08 -0400
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From: Ramakrishnan Balasubramanian <ramakris at EROLS.COM>
Subject: Re: Selections from the ShAkta upaniShads -1 (bahvR^icha)
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Chandran, Nanda (NBC) wrote:

> By this am I correct in my understanding that the empirical world that I
> experience is a result of my ignorance? But when I myself am an
> illusion, what is my ignorance? Wouldn't that be an illusion too?
>
> Again wouldn't that make jnana, sadhana and whatever effort that I might
> take towards salvation which are part of my experience, illusions too?
>
> So where's the Reality in all this?

Please understand illusion is _ONLY_ in the pAramArthika sense. There is
a tendency among people to jump between the two, pAramArthika and
vyAvahArika, indiscriminately. That is what you are doing in the above.
The shruti's role is to _negate_ the unreal. Brahman is _self evident_
and cannot require a proof to reveal him.

Read the classical texts on advaita and all such doubts will disappear.
There is no substitute to reading _classical texts_ and understanding by
oneself. Please so not think a book such as the vivekachUDAmaNi can be
skimmed through and advaita understood easily. One must carefully
reflect over each verse. For starters look at Atmaboda (5). Think over
it carefully and not just assume it to be understood, though it may seem
very simple.

Rama.

>From  Thu Apr 23 18:12:54 1998
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Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 18:12:54 -0500
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From: Parisi & Watson <niche at AMERITECH.NET>
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Subject: The Nature of Realization
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I would like to ask a question that sounds a little stupid even to me,
but that I don't quite see the answer for never the less. I am in the
grips of Ramana's teaching that our sense of awareness or I-am already
is the Self, and that all that is needed is to remove our identification
of the Self with the non-self. Would it not be possible for me or anyone
at all, at least in principle, to abandon all attachments and false
identifications of an individual and limiting nature? Let's say for the
sake of discussion that I do it. What would be different? I would still
perceive the world through my physical senses, I would still have the
sense of touch through 'my' body and no other, and so on. My feelings
and reactions would be changed based on my new orientation, of course.
But other than that, what would suddenly be dramitically different? And
if nothing would be all that different, then is realization more just a
change of perspective and attitude than an actual experience? If so,
then I would think this fact might change the way we think about it.

Robert.