Experience VS Knowledge......

[IndraDeva Ishaya]

The Study of The Self (Svadhayah) VS the study of The Study of The Self is
a common problem we face today in our search for Liberation (from the Ego,
from Maya, from pain and suffering, all one and the same, in my
experience..) and I am happy to see that in the midst of much mental study,
some still have a firm hold on their passion for Liberation and
Enlightenment that first put their feet on the Path of Return, and hunger
for the Innocence of living in the Present Moment.

Someone mentioned that knowledge is like food, and I have used this
metaphor myself in instuction, but with a very slight variation: A little
of the correct food allows us to live a very fulfilling life, gives a
healthy, graceful, efficient body. Too much of the correct food, even the
most sattvic, does the opposite, by creating a graceless, encumbering body,
that makes life miserable and nigh unliveable.

We should all be aware that a balance is necessary for development of
Higher States of Consciousness, a balance between knowledge and personal
practice. The only knowledge that I see as practical is the knowledge that
leads us to the path, and the knowledge that informs us of possible
pitfalls and keeps us on the path. Any more than that is just an
encumberance.

As the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali state:
>Svadhyayad istadevata samprayogah
>>Study of the Self leads to complete Union with the most agreeble form of
the Supreme Being.

Study of the Self, not study of books, scriptures, seminars, the words of
gurus or yogis or Teachers, but an zealous, earnest turning of the focus
from the Outward manifestations of the Senses to the Inner manifestation of
the Eternal One within the Seeker.

The words of the Great Sages of ALL Paths ultimately points our fingers
back at our own hearts. That is important to realize. On my personal path,
it is of utmost importance to turn the focus Inward at all times, even out
of meditation and in our everyday lives. That is the only way that we can
bring the Inner Samadhi out into everyday life, and manifest Nirvikalpa
Samadhi.

I have my own tools for Inner Contemplation, but I honor all paths that
lead the Focus inward. The nature of the mind is to seek greater happiness
for us, and the only paths that can lead the mind inward are those that
charm the mind at ever deeper levels. This is vital, to have a method of
Inner contemplation that can make the 5 Actions that Master Patanjali
possible.

Purity and Contentment are  immpossible w/o having something stable to rest
upon instead of the contantly changing illusion of the Waking State of
consciousness.
Striving for Pure Action and Perception will be an endless pursuit, for
without an inner experience of the Ever Pure Eternal One, there is no
experience of Purity in the transient natur of Maya.
Austerities (adopting relative boundaries for the sake of Eternal Freedom)
serve when they are on the middle path, neither too tight nor too slack,
they cannot restrict but must be gentle boundaries that guide us wisely and
keep our steps sure and allow us to enjoy the path. They can and will lead
to an deep Inner experience of Truth, but I have rarely seen an individual
that adopted Austerities from a place of Personal Judgement achieve any
sort of lasting Self Knowledge. Most efficient is Inner Inquiry from a
personal desire to Know the Self, for then it is effortless and very
powerful.
And Study of the Self..... w/o an inner experience of the Self, how can
there be study of the Self? Once there is a stable experience of the Self,
however, there is a constant resource of purity, stability, contentedness,
always present to rest upon.
Isvara Pranidhana is also a useless pursuit w/o an experience of the One.
One must have an experience of Isvara to surrender to, so again, one must
seek inward.

For time immemorable, the ego has lead us outward, seeking for fulfilment,
and this has gotten us absolutely nothing, except pain, suffering, anguish,
and death. Only the wise have realized the wisdom of inner contemplation,
and have created their individual paths for Return. Unfortunately, the
masses have a habit of taking wisdom and turning it into tradition and
habit, as we see with the religions of today.

I have come to this board to learn, and grow in my personal experience of
Advaita Vedanta, and do enjoy reading the entries. I love seeing new
applicants to the board almost every day that I check my email, but for the
sake of the innocent, I ask that we spent more of our time off of the
boards in inner contemplation, so that the Inner Wisdom will shine thru in
our words and perhaps someday we will speak with great wisdom, from our
Unified Experience of the One, rather than debating the words of Sages that
I'm sure would rather have us standing side by side with them in splendor
rather than bowing down to them.

Shankara did not achieve Union thru study of scriptures, but thru Self
Inquiry. Trotokacharya did not achieve union from groveling at Shankara's
feet, but thru Service and a Great Desire to find the Eternal Presence of
the One in all things. Seek these things and the same will not be far ahead.

Namaste, my friends.....

Jai Isham Ishvaram,

IndraDeva Ishaya

PS: I am interested in what methods of inner contemplation that these board
members practice, and in specific, the the methods that the different
schools of Vedanta endorse and teach. Thank you.

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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