[Advaita-l] Re: beginners' paradox

[Ganesh Ramachandran]

> For those who have cleansed their sins by austerities, for 
> those who are calm ( or attained calmness ), for those who are 
> not bound to cravings of the body, and for those who seek 
> liberation, to such worthy people, I (ShrI Shankara) compose 
> this teaching on the Self.

As regards this, I once came across an explanation through an analogy. It 
goes like this - say, when you come across a beautiful piece of art, your 
mind is absorbed in it. For a moment, your mind is still and your 
breathing slows down or stops. We have expressions like 'missed a breath', 
'my heart missed a beat', etc. Thus, when the mind is still, breathing 
slows/stops. When you do the reverse, ie, when you slow/stop your 
breathing by pranayama, your mind will automatically become still (that's 
one of the reasons, why pranayama is ordained in rituals).

On the same lines, by reading vedantic texts even though we are not fully 
qualified, we will grow or develop the prerequisites. If one is not 
satisfied, one may read texts like vivekachudamani and attempt to develop 
what is required.

ganesh