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/