[Advaita-l] 2 questions

[Belavadi Shankar]

In my previous reply I seem to have made some mistakes.
Upon reading it myself I noticed them. First one if GF. I do not know what
it means. PLEASE IGNORE IT.
Let us consider simplest example: If an insect bite my finger I feel a
little pain. Then I say something bit my finger.
But if that finger is numb, like after anesthesia was given, then I don't
say anything. as if  it is NOT your finger,
although that finger is still there intact. So my 'consciousness'
determines this. This is also called Atman - which
is the same as Brahman.
My personal example:  A few years ago I was hospitalized for some Urinary
bladder procedure. Since I did not have
given a little extra dose so that I can have a longer recovery tie. While
laying down on my back I noticed that I could
not move my legs or any part of my lower body. I tried hard. I could not
even feel my legs when I tried to touch them
as if I DID NOT HAVE LEGS. I began to wonder if they removed my legs!!
Immediately I remembered what Astavakra
said in the Upanishads. "The body is not you, what do you care if it is
taken away" something.I cannot explain in simple
terms since I am still understanding.

On Tue, Nov 27, 2018 at 4:09 PM Sujal Upadhyay via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> Pranams Shri Umesh ji,
>
> Please find answer below.
> 1. How am I different from my body and senses experientially?
> A: When you practice either OM chanting or Neti-Neti, the result is that,
> you begin to separate yourself from thoughts, body and desires. The scenes
> that mind create can be now understood to be different. This experience
> happens when you i.e. 'I' does not get involved in the scenes created by
> mind or does not involve or gets itself dragged in the inner mental chatter
> that constantly goes on. In other words, you experience yourself as a
> witness (sakshi).
>
> 2. How do I know my consciousness is the same as universal consciousness?
> A: After practicing Neti-Neti or chanting OM, all that is not 'I' is
> negated i.e. attachment from mind for all that is anAtmA (not-Self) fades
> away. So now mind is no more attracted towards it, so whether the object is
> lying in front of you or not, there is no longing and so no attraction
> towards it. This is also true for attachment and bonding toward any person
> like friend or family member.
>
> So when nothing is left for mind to get attached to, it turns towards it's
> source, from where it gets it's power to function, as mind cannot stay
> without clinging to any object. So it attaches itself to Brahman, which is
> higher authority.
>
> Throughout the process of negating what is not 'I', mind, body, intellect,
> thoughts, desires, vritti-s, etc, there is not a single moment when you
> will experience that 'I' is lost. 'I' is the first person, the witness.
> Without this 'I, you cannot be aware of any other thing. So without first
> person 'I', there cannot be 'you' - second person or 'he' - third person.
> 'I' which is consciousness always exists. You cannot negate yourself, try
> it in meditation, you cannot.
>
> After negation of everything else, what is left is just 'I', but this 'I'
> is not ego or something limited, it is experienced as infinite, with no
> boundary. Soon this ever expanding experience of 'I' cease to exist. Now
> there is no other one to experience anything. This state cannot be
> described as there is no second one to describe it, there is no witness
> either. But when mind comes down from this non-dual state of nirvikalpa
> samAdhi, it tries to retain this state, so it pulls with it, Bliss, deep
> peace and ofcourse the sense of existence (sattA). Hence, even in dual
> place, one experiences deep peace and bliss. This Ananda is regularly and
> daily experienced by advanced meditators.
>
> Since there is no individual identity left like Salt doll trying to find
> the depth of ocean melts into it, loosing it's identity, what is left is
> ocean, Brahman or Atman only. In this way, one experiences that 'I' is same
> as Brahman i.e. individual consciousness is same as universal
> consciousness.
>
> sAdhanA ends when there is no more need to 'enter' into samAdhi by regular
> meditation. One experiences no samAsra in nirvikalpa samAdhi (Brahma Satya
> jagata mithyA, JnAte tatve ka samsAra, neha naAnAsti kinchana) and in
> waking state, one experiences that all else is Brahman - sarvam khalu-idam
> Brahma
>
> In order to experience separateness, one needs sattva guNa as dominant guNa
> and of course grace of guru. By questioning your attachment or saying
> neti-neti like in Atma ShaTaka / nirvANa ShaTaka, mind is so pure that it
> detaches itself from the object or person or emotion or any kosha that is
> under question and turns deep within. If this does not happen, then one
> does not experience this separateness. So advaita is not for everybody.
>
> OM
>
> Sujal
> "To disconnect from the self and to become Aware of anything else is
> nothing but unhappiness" - Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi
>
>
> On Tue, Nov 27, 2018 at 12:29 PM jayakumar via Advaita-l <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
> > Dear Sri Umesh,
> > Namaste. Your two questions are answered below very briefly as well as
> > elaborately with the science, logic, cognitive understanding and enjoying
> > the benefits through shifting 'my' identity and not through experience of
> > Consciousness.
> > Brief answers :
> > 1. How am I different from my body and senses experientially? Answer :
> You
> > are experiencing your body and sense and their perceptions only because,
> > you are the Consciousness.
> > 2. How do I know my consciousness is the same as universal consciousness?
> > Answer : Because, you are in the Consciousness which is a single 'entity'
> > of a higher order of reality close to deep sleep. Deep sleep is identical
> > universally.
> >
> > <content clipped> <listmaster at advaita-vedanta.org>
> >
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