[Advaita-l] ***UNCHECKED*** Vivekachudamani - Summary - Part III

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

continuation from part II
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Next discussion is about bandha or samsaara- kO nAma bandhaH – what is bondage.  In simple terms bondage is forgetting my real nature that I am Atma, and mistaking anAtma as myself. This results in ahankaara and mamakaara – I-ness (identifying with local BMI) and mamakaara (my-ness) claiming ownership of things and beings. 

How does it come? It comes since I am ignorant of my true nature.
  
How does it grow? Due to ignorance of myself, I take local body, mind and intellect as myself and act to make myself complete. Hence bondage grows when I act with the notion that I am doer, identifying with BMI. In essence, it grows due to lack of inquiry about oneself, the world and Iswara. The notion of doer-ship and enjoyer-ship arises with identification with anAtma – resulting in likes and dislikes (raaga and dweshas), kaama and krodha (desire and anger), punya and paapa – the merits and demerits. It becomes big samsaara spreading like a banyan tree in all directions. 

How does it go away? If non-inquiry is the cause for bondage then proper inquiry based on the Vedantic teaching becomes a means to eliminate samsaara or bondage. The inquiry should result in disclaiming that I am not this anaatma, and claiming that I am pure sAkshI. As a sAkshI, I am pure conscious-existent entity. Abiding in my true nature as sAkshI involves recognition as a fact that 

1. I am not a part, product or property of the body 
2. I am an independent enlivening entity lending existence and conditioned consciousness to the body-mind-intellect, BMI.
3. I am not limited by the boundaries of the Body. I pervade the entire universe as existence principle. 
4. I survive even when the body dies – na tve vaaham jaatunaasam … 
5. The surviving consciousness-existence that I am cannot express due to lack of medium to express. 

III The third topic deals with mayavAkya vichaara from V222-V263.

In this part, Shankara shows the jagat kAraNam is pure existence based on Chandogya Upanishad sat vidya – sadeva soumya, idam agra aseet…The enter universe is shown to be just naama ruupa or names and forms superimposed on the cause, pure existence. It is similar to the names and forms of all golden ornaments are just superimposition on the substratum gold. Brahman, the infiniteness, is defined as sat chit ananda as its swaruupa lakshaNas  or intrinsic nature. Brahman, being infinite cannot be a cause for anything, and being infinite, there cannot be anything that can exist separate from Brahman. Hence Brahman is said to be the apparent cause for the apparent creation. Just as moon light does not belong to the moon, the existence of the world of objects and thus the world itself does not belong to the objects. Wherever is the world, there is the Brahman as existence is there. My nature is pure consciousness which of course exists since we are not
 discussing non-existence consciousness. MahAvAkya involves the equation of the existence-consciousness that -I am- is the same as the existence in the form of the world of objects. For this identity only Vedanta becomes a pramAna. 

Epistemologically also the existence of the world is established only when the conscious entity establishes the existence by knowledge of its existence. I see the world is there, therefore the world is there. In the deep sleep I do not see the world since the instruments of perception, the senses and the mind, are folded. Hence from my point the world including the space and time are not there. Whether they exist or not becomes an indeterminate problem. The determinism comes only when the consciousness enters into the equation. 

Hence mahAvAkya establishes the identity of myself as Brahman where consciousness that I am and existence in the form of the world are united for me to be conscious of the existence of the world. parmamAtma expressed as pure existence, and JiivAtma expressed as conscious entity, become one in every perception that involves subject-object apparent duality. Since I am Brahman, being limitless, I am pure ananda swaruupa. All other happiness(es) that I get is only reflected happiness. Hence, recognition that I am brahman or I am full by myself involves recognizing that I am happy by myself, since happiness is my own nature.  I am ananda swaruupa and this aspect is discussed from V222-V263

IV The forth topic deals will Nidhidhyaasana V259-V417.

Nidhidhyaasana or constant reflection on the teaching is required since the mind is not completely prepared for the Vedantic teaching. There are still lingering raaga dweshas or due to incomplete purification of the mind, particularly the lack of complete shamAdhi Shatkasampatti i.e. shama, dama etc. NidhidhyAsana involves withdrawing from the notion that I am jiiva and abiding in the nature that I am Brahman. It is not only understanding but abiding in that understanding or internalizing the teaching, called as jnaana niShTa. It is also called aparoksha anubhuti. Pratyaksha is direct perceptual knowledge and paroksha is indirect knowledge. aparoksha jnaanam is not opposite paroksha nor it is pratyaksha which are relevant to objectifiable knowledge but it is clear understanding with an assertion that I am the Brahman or I am infiniteness that pervades the whole universe. It is not an experience but clear understanding what I am, all the time. 
Pasyan, sRinvan, etc are being done by the senses in my presence but I am not the doer while all the doing is going in my presence due to prakRiti. In nidhidhyasana, this teaching of Shruti is kept in mind all the time so that mind does not go apashruti just as the musician goes up and down while still within the boundaries of Shruti which is there in the background. Nidhidhyaasana causes a gradual transformation – it is not discrete event. In the process the FIR gets reduced. That is, the frequency of perturbation from my natural state, F, the intensity of perturbation from that state, I, and recovery time from perturbation, R, goes down slowly. I become more and more peaceful as I abide in that knowledge that I am. This is expressed as 3Cs – calmness, Cheerfulness, and Confidence. 
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Continued in Part IV