Nature of Consciousness - Advaita

[S. Suryanarayan]

On Sat, 24 Jul 1999, J. Kingston Cowart wrote:

>
> Namaste, Suryanarayan,

***
 Namaste John,

>
> (I hope I do not err in addressing you thus.)

****
Certainly no error at all. The prefix "Sri/Srimathi" to the name is
used in India while addressing or referring to a person, to indicate
respect/reverence. When it is understood that this respect/reverence
is always implied explicit indication becomes redundant.


> Thank you very much for your clarifications.
>
> At 11:35 PM 7/23/99 +0530, you wrote:
> >Rama though appearing grief stricken and searching for Sita is
> >'still not immersed in the ignorance of maya' but is only acting
> >as a human would under the circumstances.
>
> I have said (elsewhere) that the one awake beyond the dream, being
> nonattached, simply allows the existential self to continue with
> the dream undisturbed.  For that reason, it still calls itself by name--
> (since it is awake only within, and not beyond, the dream).
>
> This is in keeping with the image of the birds in the peeple tree, is
> it not: the one acting, the other never not watching?

*****
My understanding on the above question is as follows:

A  Gyani/Realized person does not have any residual personality to be
awake within the dream. The Gyani established in Sahaja Samadhi is
forever awake beyond the dream. Any reference to her/his body-mind
habitation by the Gyani as 'I', is only for the sake of others. There
is no doership in her/his actions that we attribute to the body-mind.
So, there is no residual ego at all. Bhagavan Sri Ramana (merely "Ramana"
henceforth) has compared this non-ego ( what you refer to, as existential
self?) to a rope burnt to ashes which retain the shape of the rope. The
ashes look like the rope but is no rope.

>
> How does that formulation fit with a proper understanding of
> advaita Vedanta?

> John

I can't claim much understanding of what is said to be 'advaita vedanta'.
Whatever understanding that may have come my way is the result of my
reading Ramana literautre and remniscences of his devotees available as
books.

However, when I recollect Ramana's answers to similar questions a desire
did crop up in me to give expression to this limited perception.

Namaste,

Surya...