[Advaita-l] Inward and outward contemplation

[H S Chandramouli]

Namaste.

Under

<< Reg  <<  It

should defintely include inward focus but sometimes I think it gets
forgotten that Brahman is "pervades all this and ten fingers beyond" as
the purushasukta puts it.  The root bR^inn from which brahman is derived
also means growth or increase.  Brahman is as much "out there" as "in
here." >>

But for successful  "inward" contemplation leading to
जीवब्रह्मैक्यज्ञानम् (jIvabrahmaikya
j~nAnam), Vairagya is an essential sAdhana. This is aided by
जगन्मिथ्यात्वज्ञानम् (jaganmithyAtvaj~nAnam). It is essential to understand
that what is “out there” is mithyA. >>,

Perhaps I should also have added that the knowledge that << Brahman is as
much "out there" >> leads to parOksha jnAna only and not to Realization.


Regards

On Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 4:11 PM H S Chandramouli <hschandramouli at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Namaste.
>
> Sri Jaldhar Ji wrote
>
> Reg  << Certainly "who am I?" should be the question every sadhaka should
> ask but why should that require only "inward" contemplation >>.
>
> As per the Advaita Sidhanta advanced by Sri Bhagavatpada,  Realization is
> possible ONLY through  जीवब्रह्मैक्यज्ञानम् (jIvabrahmaikya j~nAnam).
> Hence "inward" contemplation  is compulsory.
>
> Reg  <<  It
> should defintely include inward focus but sometimes I think it gets
> forgotten that Brahman is "pervades all this and ten fingers beyond" as
> the purushasukta puts it.  The root bR^inn from which brahman is derived
> also means growth or increase.  Brahman is as much "out there" as "in
> here." >>
>
> But for successful  "inward" contemplation leading to जीवब्रह्मैक्यज्ञानम्
> (jIvabrahmaikya j~nAnam), Vairagya is an essential sAdhana. This is aided
> by जगन्मिथ्यात्वज्ञानम् (jaganmithyAtvaj~nAnam). It is essential to
> understand that what is “out there” is mithyA.
>
> Reg  << Some experience a massive collapse of sense of self
> where one seems to be nothing at all >>,
>
> This does not represent Realization.
>
> Reg  << Others have an equally massive
> expansion of consciousness where one becomes everything >>,
>
> This indeed is Realization.
>
> According to Sri Bhagavatpada, Realization or the answer to “Who am I”  is
> not possible without recourse to Shruti.
>
> Above is my understanding.
> Regards
>
> On Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 12:03 PM Jaldhar H. Vyas via Advaita-l <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
>> (was Re: [Advaita-l] Anugita bhasya)
>>
>>
>> Owing to all kinds of things going on in my life most of all Shravana
>> masa
>> where daily abhishek takes precedence over everything, I am way behind in
>> taking part in this list.  Hopefully over the next few days I can remedy
>> this.
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, 24 Jun 2021, Ven Balakrishnan via Advaita-l wrote:
>>
>> >
>> > On Ramana it always seemed to me that the quest of ‘who am I’ is the
>> > fundamental question that Advaita is trying to address.  His essay "Nan
>> > Yar” essentially summarises the key aspects of advaitic teaching,
>> > without going into the logical reasoning that Sankara does.  Also this
>> > ‘who am I’ diving inwardly contemplation, strikes me as comparable to
>> BG
>> > in its recommendation to have a constant stream of thought towards the
>> > Self.  It is also I think the implication of Brhad Up 3.5.1 when it
>> > talks about living on the strength of that knowledge and dwelling on it
>> > - as Sankara says in Brhad Up 4.5.15:  neti, neti and renunciation is
>> > the final conclusion of it all.
>>
>> Certainly "who am I?" should be the question every sadhaka should
>> ask but why should that require only "inward" contemplation.  It
>> should defintely include inward focus but sometimes I think it gets
>> forgotten that Brahman is "pervades all this and ten fingers beyond" as
>> the purushasukta puts it.  The root bR^inn from which brahman is derived
>> also means growth or increase.  Brahman is as much "out there" as "in
>> here."
>>
>> I think where the emphasis gets placed depends a lot on the experience of
>> individual mystics.  Some experience a massive collapse of sense of self
>> where one seems to be nothing at all. Others have an equally massive
>> expansion of consciousness where one becomes everything.  Think of
>> Arjunas
>> vishvarupa darshana (though that experience did not go well for him.)
>> One
>> of the reasons I think Ramana appeals to more "modern" types is that in
>> the current culture one is taught to think of oneself as an individual,
>> and the conditions of modernity leave many as alienated individuals at
>> that.  Personally though I am also steeped in modernity, my group
>> identity(ies) is/are more important to me and perhaps that's why I don't
>> "get" Ramana the way others do.
>>
>> --
>> Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>
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