[Advaita-l] Trees have life- bhAshya

[sriram]

Dear Sri Viswanathan
The harmones control the moods and brain controls the secretion of  these 
harmones through sympathetic nervous system.A man is declared dead when his 
brain is dead.So I think brain is the seat for consciousness and by 
anaesthesia it is put to sleep and the individual does not feel any 
pain/sensation which shows that brain is the cause for our consciousness.
R.Krishnamoorthy.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Vishwanathan Raman" <raman.vishwanathan at gmail.com>
To: <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 3:35 AM
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Trees have life- bhAshya


> Dear Shri Murthy,
>
> The points were not mine, but given out by my Guru. I am sure the learned
> members of this list will be able to cite references from the Sruti for 
> each
> of these. However I myself am only a beginner and am not very well versed 
> to
> give you the quotations right now, but we can take statements from Bhrugu
> Valli of Taittariya Upanishad, where the five sheaths (PanchaKoshA's) are
> negated to realize the ultimate Truth.
>
> However I try to give here my basic understanding of these points (again
> from whatever I understood from my Guru's teaching's). If you find any 
> flaw
> with my understanding, please point them out so that I can try to get a
> better grasp on the subject from my Guru.
>
> - Body intrinsically cannot have consciousness because if that is the case
> then there will be no concept of death. The fact that the SthUla  SarIra
> (categorized as anAtmA) is left behind in death implies that Consciousness
> is something other than the body.
>
> - Similarly mind is also categorized as AnAtma, because there is a knower 
> of
> the mind. 'I' know the conditions of my mind (that it is sad, happy, angry
> etc). The principle employed here is "I am different from whatever I 
> know".
> Thus the mind becomes the object of 'I' the subject. Further with modern 
> day
> drugs one can control the moods of the mind, implies that mind is also a
> (subtler) material and hence comes under anAtmA. Note that we cannot say
> brain is the controller of the moods, because the brain exists in the dead
> body also.
>
> - So based on the above we can say that the first two points follow. As to
> the 3rd point, an example that my guru gives is that of light. Though in a
> lighted room light is present everywhere, it can be perceived only where a
> reflecting medium is present. While one can always counter / question
> analogies, I would say that one needs to have Shradhdha in the Sruthi
> Pramana and the teachings of the great AchAryA. Same applies to the fourth
> point as well.
>
>  Again the points that I have stated above are my own way of trying to
> understand my Guru's teaching and at this point seems to have satisfied my
> intellect. However you or the other learned list members are always 
> welcome
> to question / comment on the above, so that it will help in my "Manana'
> process.
>
> PranAms,
> Viswanathan
>
>
>> From: H.N.Sreenivasa  Murthy
>>
>>  Pranams to all.
>>
>>  Dear Sri Vishwanathan Raman,
>>
>>           The five points given out by you  are very thought provoking.
>>  The first four points, are they mere statements to be believed in only 
>> or
>> they are statements of facts which have been verified  and which can be
>> verified. If they are verified and verifiable facts  what is the 
>> methodology
>> for examining/verifying them?  How can I make them a living Truth within
>> myself?
>>
>>           Help in that direction will immemsely benefit  the mumukshus .
>> Please share your understanding.
>>
>>  With warm and respectful regards,
>>  Sreenivasa Murthy
>>
>> Vishwanathan Raman <raman.vishwanathan at gmail.com> wrote:
>>  I would like to add one point here (based on my understanding of my Guru
>> Swami ParamArthanandA's teachings).
>>
>> He often says 5 points in his classes, that we need to remember whenever
>> we
>> talk about Consciousness aka Existence (Note the capitalized forms of 'C'
>> and 'E'), which I would like quote here for the benefit of the list
>> members.
>>
>> (1) Consciousness or Existence is not a part/product/property of the body
>> /
>> mind complex.
>> (2) Consciousness or Existence is an independent entity that pervades and
>> enlivens the body / mind complex.
>> (3) Consciousness or Existence is not limited by the boundaries of the
>> body
>> / mind complex.
>> (4) Consciousness or Existence survives even after the disintegration of
>> the
>> body / mind complex.
>> (5) The surviving Consciousness or Existence is not experienced not
>> because
>> it is absent but because the medium of transaction (body / mind complex)
>> is
>> not present.
>>
>> Thus whenever we talk about gradations in Consciousness what we are 
>> really
>> talking about is the Reflected Consciousness (ChidAbhAsa) and not the
>> Original Consciousness (which is Sat-Chit-Ananda).
>>
>>
>>
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