NMT (No-Me Teaching) new series 105:
Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi's "Cinema" analogy:
CINEMA SHOW SELF
(i) lamp (i) Self
(ii) lens (ii) pure (sattvic) Mind
(iii) film photos (iii)
subtle thought vasanas latent
tendencies
(iv) lens ==> light (iv) Mind ==> seer / Jiva
(v) screen light (v) Mind-Sense light on World
(vi) screen images (vi) names-forms-objects
(vii) motor (vii)
divine law manifesting latent tendencies
Shri Shankara's is commentary on the Hastamalaka hymn:
(Invocations)
Knowing which
all will be discerned
As being in the
Supreme Self,
To that
Eternal–Knowledge–Bliss,
Originless
& changeless, I bow.
By ignorance of
which, Duality appears,
On knowing
which, Duality disappears,
Like the Rope–Snake,
completely,
To that Supreme
Spirit, I bow.
By the
knowledge of whose teachings,
Our
Consciousness–Self becomes evident,
To that
Sadguru, the Sun that dispels the darkness of one's Ignorance, I bow.
Here certainly, for all living beings, by one's own
natural inclination, indeed there is a wish to accept Happiness & the
desire to abandon Suffering, thus –
"Let there be Happiness for me, let there not be Suffering for me."
In this context someone who possesses full, superior,
abundant merit, having known the Suffering is inevitable & that
"happiness" born of sense objects is without reality, is impermanent,
& is thus suffering, indeed by striving with aspiration, by spiritual
practice, & by perfect very strong abandonment of attachment to some Samsara (illusion), is free from
craving.
With indifference & relinquishment of Samsara he strives. As non-knowledge, or
misunderstanding of our True Nature of the Self & turning away from
Self-Knowledge are the cause & production of Samsara, the spiritual teacher instructs him in the Knowledge of
the Self.
(1) The
instrumental cause of the activity of the Mind, the Eye, & so on;
Devoid of all
conditionings, akin to Space;
Just as the Sun
is the instrumental cause of the World's activity;
That which by
its nature is Eternal Knowledge am I, the Self.
"Mind"
becomes the "thinking Mind"
[manas], the "Ego"
[ahamkara], the "Intellect"
[buddhi], "memory & feeling"
[chitta], which are the 4 aspects of the Mind.
So also of the "Eye
& so on" means the Eye
[vision], the Skin [touch], the Ear [hearing], the Tongue [taste], & the
Nose [smell], which are the 5 senses & sense organs of perception.
And also: Speech, Hand, Foot, Excretion, & Genitals,
which are the 5 organs of action.
From the Supreme Truth, there will be rejected, all the
above without exception, all limitations, such as the characteristics of the
Intellect & others. Therefore of
that it is said quote devoid of all conditioning. It is because of
Being "devoid of all conditionings", indeed
this is akin to "Space" means completely pure like Space. Thus he declares:
(2) Resorting to
that which is of the nature that is Eternal & is Knowledge, the Mind, Eye,
& so on, not possessed of Knowledge, [seem
to] enter into activity, like fire & heat [fire gives rise to heat], the unwavering One, that which by nature
is Eternal Knowledge am I, the Self.
What is the eternal nature of True Eternal Knowledge (bodhi) ?
True Eternal Knowledge (bodhi)
is commonly referred to as ordinary knowing (jnana). But ordinary knowing
(jnana) is generated and brought
forth by the connection or drawing together of the senses, the objects and so
on. The ordinary knowing (jnana) thus arisen utterly disappears &
is destroyed. Hence because of its
character of origin & destruction, it does not deserve to be considered as True
Eternal Knowledge (bodhi).
True Eternal Knowledge (bodhi)
would not approach the True Nature of the Self, with its Eternal Nature, if
there were True Knowledge (bodhi)
that was non-eternal in nature. Such would be a contradiction.
Then again, it is also said indeed that by the term True
Eternal Knowledge (bodhi), simple
perceptual awareness (chaitanya) is
meant. True Eternal Knowledge (bodhi) is also not simple perceptual
awareness (chaitanya) which is the
knowledge produced by the "perceived object" such as jars & such,
all of which are inert.
The "perceived object" indeed is ordinary knowing (jnana), as a ordinary knowing (jnana) of the jar is brought into
existence for & is apparent to "me". Likewise, the ordinary knowing
(jnana) of some cloth is brought into
existence for & is apparent to "me". This is what is actually evidentially being
experienced. Thus we see the non-eternal nature of that kind of knowing & the
way it is not of the True Nature of the Self. And so, the Self being of the
True Nature of Eternal Knowledge (bodhi)
is arrived at. [to be continued]
Notes [by blog author]
on Happiness:
In the context of Non-Duality, the Sages tell us that Happiness is
our Real Nature, as one sense of Ananda in Sat – Chit – Ananda,
Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. For the same reason that we seek Self-Knowledge,
seek to know our own Identity, we likewise seek Happiness, which is our
Identity. Cessation of Existence is inconceivable, so that those who identify
with a Body will fear Death. Enlightened or Ignorant, either way, such
cessation of Existence is unacceptable because we intuit that this would bring
an end to Happiness.
Self-Knowledge & thus true & lasting Happiness are gained
by the removal of Ignorance as to our own Identity. So to inquire: Who
am I ? & to subjectively find the "Inquirer" to be the
answer, to be that pure Existence & Happiness – this alone is the final & lasting solution to our
unending search for Happiness.
When I breathe, turn left or right, think this thought or another,
all is done to increase Happiness or to decrease the loss of Happiness, for
this is the only motive for anything. Complete Self-Knowledge includes the
recognition that as Happiness itself, we can never find it outside, & once
realized, we can never lose it.
In the meantime, the very mean, mean, "meantime", we
chase external objects of desire in a Dream–World. When partial Happiness is apparently attained for the
moment, that anxiety of the Mind relaxes, & a glimmer of true Happiness is
experienced. But as the Buddha advised, in telling us that the nature of
Worldly Life is suffering:
1) to not get what you want is suffering
2) to get what you don't want is suffering
3) to get what you want also includes suffering because we sense that what
appears in Time, with a beginning, will certainly have an end be lost.
4) whatever the happiness enjoyed when you get what you want, you still sense
that you could have more or better, may have once had more or better, &
that "others" already have more or better.
Real Happiness never ends & has never left us, even if only
dimly appearing as the "reference background" by which we
"measure" lesser happiness. We always know just how happy we are, or
are not. We often know the same about others. Ever we "measure"
against that "reference background" of perfect Happiness which
is our own True Nature, the unwavering Reality of Happiness which is our very
Existence.
Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi's "Upadesa Saram" with
~ 10 Meditation points by his disciple,
Master Nome:
(22) The Body, the Senses, the Prana, the Intellect,
& ignorance are not I, the one Being.
That is inert, for it is unreal.
1. The Body, subject to Birth & Death, constituted of
parts, changeful, objective, inert in itself, & sporadically experienced,
is not the Unborn, Imperishable, Undivided, partless, changeless, non-objective,
continuous Being–Consciousness. It is
not I. The one Being alone am I.
2. The Senses, subject to appearance & disappearance,
multiple, changeful, objective, known by the Mind in a particular state of Mind,
inert & unknown to themselves, & sporadically experienced, are not the
non-appearing yet never vanishing, singular & Undivided, changeless, non-objective,
unknown by the Mind & transcendent of all States of Mind, un-sensed & self-luminous,
continuous Being-Consciousness. They are not I.
The one Being alone am I.
3. The Prana,
subject to coalescence & dispersion, entrance & exit, of various types
& conditions, active in various ways, objective, not knowing itself, & non-eternal,
is not the space-like, neither entering or exiting, un-conditioned & not
multifarious, invariable & ever un-moving, non-objective, self-known, &
eternal Being-Consciousness. It is not I,
the one Being alone am I.
4. The Intellect which appears & disappears, the form of
which is thought, which is objective, which is not known by itself, which is
not Eternal, & which is changeful, is not the non-appearing yet never
disappearing, Formless, thought–transcendent, non-objective, self–known, Eternal,
ever–changeless Being–Consciousness. It is not I. The one Being alone am I.
5. Ignorance which is
as if darkness could be in light, which is imagined & gives rise to the
imaginary, which is not Eternal, the cause of for all differentiation, which is
not known itself, & which is not self–existent, is not the ever–shining,
self–luminous, real & not imagined, eternal causeless & without effect,
undifferentiated, self known & self-existent Being–Consciousness. It is not I. The one Being alone am I.
6, I am only the one Existence. There is no other Existence,
& there is no other “I”.
7. The one Being alone is real & alone exists. The
unreal is ever non-existent. There are no degrees of Reality. Degrees of
unreality are as unreal as the non-existent itself.
8. Consciousness alone exists. The inert is truly unreal.
All, from the Ignorance to the Body, not being self–known, or not
self–existent. They are un-real. The self–existent & self–known is alone
real. Therefore, know the Knower.
9. The Knowledge of not being the Body, Senses, Prana, the Intellect, & Ignorance is
not for the Body, Senses, Prana, the
Intellect, & Ignorance they are. They are inert & un-real. The Knowledge is for the Self, which is truly
I, which is the Real & which is Knowledge itself.
10. Inquiry that negates all misidentifications reveals the
true Identity of the ineffable Being, which can neither be conceived nor
negated.
(23) The Illuminator of Existence is
Consciousness. Where is there another ?
As Existence is indeed Consciousness, so Consciousness indeed is
“I”.
1. The Self is Being–Consciousness. Other than Being, there
is no other Existence. Other than Consciousness, there is no other Knower or
Illuminator.
2. Being–Consciousness cannot be known by or through anything
other than itself, for the non–existent cannot realize, & the Known cannot
know.
3. Self-Knowledge is that in which the Self is the Knower,
the Known, & the Knowing, & which is of the nature of indivisible Consciousness.
Consciousness is the Knowledge. 4.
Existence is I. Consciousness is I. I always exist. I always know this Existence.
5. I am. I know that I am. The Knowledge that I am is
inseparable from the Existence of I am.
6. There is never a doubt about Existence. Even if such a
doubt could be conjured up, I would exist to know the non–existence.
7. Consciousness ever shines; I always know. Even if there
were any of not knowing or being bereft of Consciousness, that condition would
still be illumined by Consciousness; I would still know.
8. Since Being is Consciousness, there is no other to know.
Consciousness being “I”, there is simply no other “I”. I do not become Consciousness.
By my nature, I am Consciousness, & there is no other quote “I”.
9. I do not become Consciousness. By nature, I am
Consciousness. I do not become Being. By
nature, I am Being, & there is no other “I”. Self–Knowledge reveals this.
10. The essential Teaching is true Knowledge. True Knowledge
is Consciousness as it is. "As it
is" is just Being. Just Being is the Truth of “I”.
The above themes & 1600 pages more are freely available
as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft
Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through:
www.jpstiga.com/
http://jstiga.wixsite.com/nonduality/
or with Caps-sensitive:
http://sdrv.ms.YPOgkX/
Duplicates available on
:
jstiga.wordpress.com/
"
There is no Creation, no Destruction, no Bondage, no longing to be
freed from Bondage, no striving for Liberation, nor anyone who has attained
Liberation. Know that this to be Ultimate Truth."
–
the "no creation"
school
of Gaudapada, Shankara, Ramana,
Nome
– Ajata Vada
for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see:
www.ajatavada.com/