[Advaita-l] Jivanmukti - Jnana plus Sannyasa pt 4

[Michael Shepherd]

May I add something from experience in the ashrama ?

Those who have been well and spiritually educated up to age 16 are well set for life, could not be better set.

But for most, householder and bread-winner coincide in the next ashrama. 
So we are going to spend that time in an environment which is calling for 'I am the doer..'
But how valuable to attempt to have upasana of the mahavakya in one's working life, let alone at home ! One person alone in a factory, go-down, or office who hold the mahavakya within, can lighten the tone of the whole workplace and lift that burden of 'I am the doer' a little or a lot..

And then vanaprastha becomes, can become, a life of bliss. As someone here said to me, 'It's a time for attending to those aspects of samashthi which have not previously been fully attended to'.. 

One may never attain or choose sannyasa. But I'm sure that there are a number on this site who would acknowledge that -- especially these days of easier communication which don't involve a weary body, and longer lives of retirement...vanaprastha is going to become the glory of spiritual life in the 21st century..

Michael



-----Original Message-----
From: advaita-l-bounces at lists.advaita-vedanta.org
[mailto:advaita-l-bounces at lists.advaita-vedanta.org]On Behalf Of Shyam
Sent: 29 September 2009 04:49
To: A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Jivanmukti - Jnana plus Sannyasa pt 4


Dear Sivam-ji
Pranams.
Thank you for your kind words.
You write:
"It is our conviction that all jeevas are Brahman in lakshyaartham, if not the Mahaavaakyas would be meaningless.  So much so, would it not be important that people realize the ego to be the culprit and try renonuncing it rather than the Ashrama?"
***
My response:
Yes to both! - I dont think it is a either/or here - what Shankara is saying is that the latter ALONE (i.e. sannyasa) is logically plausible if the former (i.e. effacement of the ego) is to be enabled.

After all what is the ego but the conviction of the "aham" pratyaya wedded to the dehatmabuddhi? And in our daily life, we are ever absorbed in the conviction - that aham dehosmi....(ahamidam mamaidam naisargikoyam)..as soon as we wake up at dawn from Maya's sweet embrace of sushupti, in every thing we do, there is an all-consuming ever-present conviction that we verily are this limited individual - eating, talking, working, hearing - we are ever established in that self which is the non-Self....in a rare case, thanks to the blessing of years of Vedanta vichara an insight may be gained that allows an unprepared seeker the conviction of "aham brahmasmi" - unfortunately interspersed with a durvasana-actuated viparita bhavana - where the antahkarana reverts immediately back to the perfunctory ahamidam mamaidam "samadhi". Reversing this situation, so that, where sitting, walking, eating, talking, aham brahmasmi absorption is constant interspersed only
 momentarily with prarabdha--related empirical engagements - is undoubtedly an arduously long journey. And such a journey is impossible without an "ashrama" that allows you sarvakarmasannyasa - where even the maintenance of the body is not allowed to be a matter of concern or an impediment to constant and singlepointed nidhidyasana - where the thoughts akin to the flow of oil (taila dharavat) are all directed towards the Self to the exclusion of every other thought or cognition. On the other hand in any other ashrama, the conviction of "aham idam mama idam" can only keep getting incessantly reinforced no matter how much effort the individual may put in. At least such is my understanding of Shankara's stated position on this issue.

Sunil-ji
Pranams.
You write
"What can be the better way of renunciation than doing Niskaama karma, which is a way of denying the ego-Self."
***
My response:
You are absolutely correct and would be fully aligned with what Bhagwan Krishna has to say in the 18th chapter - provided one is talking about a seeker and not a knower. Can a "knower" i.e. brahmavit, do nishkama karma, and is that the same as sannyasa, is something I shall endavor to discuss in my next instalment of my series. 

Hari OM
Shyam
> 


 

--- On Mon, 9/28/09, Sunil Bhattacharjya <sunil_bhattacharjya at yahoo.com> wrote:

> From: Sunil Bhattacharjya <sunil_bhattacharjya at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Jivanmukti - Jnana plus Sannyasa pt 4
> To: "A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta" <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
> Date: Monday, September 28, 2009, 8:54 PM
> Anbu Sivamji,
>  
> What can be the better way of renunciation than doing
> Niskaama karma, which is a way of denying the ego-Self.
> 
> --- On Mon, 9/28/09, Anbu sivam2 <anbesivam2 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> 
> 
> From: Anbu sivam2 <anbesivam2 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Jivanmukti - Jnana plus Sannyasa
> pt 4
> To: "A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta" <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
> Date: Monday, September 28, 2009, 12:58 PM
> 
> 
> Shyamji,
> 
> It is an interesting discourse by you.  Appreciate it.
> 
> I have a question for you.  It is our conviction that all
> jeevas are
> Brahman in lakshyaartham, if not the Mahaavaakyas would be
> meaningless.  So
> much so, would it not be important that people realize the
> ego to be the
> culprit and try renonuncing it rather than the Ashrama?
> 
> Regards,
> 
> On Mon, Sep 28, 2009 at 9:13 AM, Shyam <shyam_md at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > They, in whom this consciousness of Self (vrttih)
> being ever present grows
> > into maturity (paripakka), ONLY THEY attain to the
> state of Brahman (praptah
> > sadbrahmataam); OTHERS merely deal with
> words!(shabdavadinah) Such persons
> > are only clever in discussing about Brahman (kushala
> Brahmavaartaayam) but
> > have no realization (vrtti-heenah), suraaginah being
> attached (to the world)
> > they too as a consequence of their ignorance are born
> and die again and
> > again.
> >
> > This is where renunciation assumes centerstage. As
> long as one is a active
> > member of society, there are certain inescapable
> domains that are still
> > operative in one’s functional status. One has
> duties, and responsibilities.
> > The most basic necessities to support life – food
> clothing and a home - need
> > to be taken care of. For this what is needed is
> wealth. If one is young this
> > means having a occupation that generates wealth. If
> one is older and
> > retired, one may not need to work but one is then
> concerned about making
> > sure that the wealth already earned is maintained with
> interest or that
> > one’s pensions, or 401Ks, are accruing
> appropriately. In addition one has to
> > relate to one’s relations – and fulfil various
> duties – spouse, child,
> > parent, and in-law and even grand-parent,etc – every
> member of society will
> > have at least one if not all of these roles that
> require to be played and
> > played actively in every spirit of those roles.
> >
> > Trying to cultivate an aura of detachment or
> disinterest as even one is
> > fully enmeshed in this societal role-playing can be
> disastrous and is
> > certainly not advisable/if it were even possible, and
> can only lead to
> > conflict situations. If you are an employee you cannot
> let atmavichara allow
> > your productivity to be hampered nor as a spouse can
> you excuse yourself
> > from the innumerable obligations that go along with
> that role. At every
> > stage of life, there are countless sources of worries
> and tensions –
> > personal progress at work, illnesses in one’s
> immediate and even extended
> > family, death of near and dear ones, taxes, education
> and marriage of one’s
> > children – the list goes on and on. How can such a
> life be made compatible
> > with the ideals of constant and unrelenting
> atmavichara? It is simply
> > impossible for it to be so. Any attempt at it can only
> be at the cost of
> > seriously failing in one’s roles as a active member
> of society and can
> > assume
> >  significant ethical and moral repercussions and
> dilemmas.
> >
> > So the solution according to Shankara is the ageless
> prescription found in
> > the Shruti itself - etaM vai tam AtmAnaM viditvA
> brAhmaNAH
> > putraishhaNAyAshcha vittaishhaNAyAshcha
> lokaishhaNAyAshcha vyutthAyAtha
> > bhikshAcharyaM charantIti.
> >
> > "Having realized this very Self, BrAhmaNas give up
> desires for offspring,
> > wealth and heaven, and take to mendicancy."
> >
> > Here it is important to note that Brahmanas here
> refers to people with
> > Self-knowledge – according to Shankara who states
> this in categorical terms.
> > It is not referring to people with pandityam or Vedic
> scholarship, but
> > specifically to “knowers of Self”
> >
> > As a matter of fact Shankara in the BUB (2.4) holds
> that renunciation is
> > prescribed AS PART OF the instruction about Brahman
> asya brahmavidyayaa
> > angatvene sannyaso vidhisitah. He also is clear-cut
> that this renunciation
> > which is characterized by abandonment of all actions
> IS SUBSIDIARY TO the
> > knowing of Brahman - Parivrajyam
> sarvasadhana-sannyasa-lakshanam angatvena
> > vidhitsyate.
> >
> > In the same vein as well, in his Br Up vartika,
> Sureshwaracharya expresses
> > this quite explicitly.
> >
> > An ascetic (yatih) who has not given up desire may not
> attain liberation
> > EVEN IF HE IS A KNOWER OF BRAHMAN (brahmaveditve)
> Therefore the COMBINATION
> > of knowledge of Brahman WITH RENUNCIATION (sannyasena
> samucchayah) is
> > mentioned here as a means to liberation (mukti).
> >
> > …I do not think we can find a more clear-cut
> assertion than this!
> >
> > and further Sureshwaracharya clarifies...and uses a
> beautiful expression
> > here for nidhidhyasanam...
> >
> > Therefore having COMPLETELY abandoned actions which
> proceed only from
> > infatuation the one of clear intellect overcomes
> ignorance by knowing of
> > Oneness; he of himself meditates on his own Self as
> the Atman which itself
> > is knowledge (jnanamevaatmanaatmanamupaseeno) and
> becomes immortal (amrto
> > bhavet)
> >
> > And he quotes a Shruti here – Bhallavi Shruti –
> sarvah sannyasatkarmeva
> > jnanaatkaivalyamashnute – ONLY HE who has taken to
> sannyasa attains
> > liberation through knowledge.
> >
> > The institution of sannyasa, as a ashrama, thus
> becomes both sacrosanct and
> > indispensable for a Self-Knower. This is because one
> is ethically, and
> > within the realm of dharma, dissociating oneself from
> society. The
> > innumerable spheres of responsibilities and the entire
> gamut of societal
> > obligations are formally and permanently severed in
> toto. And this is where
> > a ritualistic or formalized procedure is generally
> prescribed and described
> > to reinforce what is ultimately a inner or mental
> renunciation. And one
> > cannot be underscored enough what a blessing it is to
> have such a formalized
> > process in Sanatana dharma since beginning less time.
> >
> > It is interesting in this context to see what Elgin
> Skorpen’s views are:
> > “So from either perspective, strict Kantian or
> compatible life-ideals, the
> > result is the same. What the modern candidate for
> religious renunciation in
> > the West is considering is, in fact, a "teleological
> suspension of the
> > ethical," and that is something that ex hypothei he
> will not and cannot do
> > lightly, and he may well experience fear and trembling
> if he does” and
> > contrasts it with “the Hindu thoroughly internalizes
> morality as a
> > representative of a class, so that moral conflicts are
> resolved not by
> > modern reason but by appeal to authority -- in this
> case the authority of
> > scripture” And he draws the following conclusions -
> 1.Western religious
> > renunciation cannot be justified from the moral point
> of view; 2.the Hindu
> > pattern, in contrast, is acceptable from the moral
> point of view given the
> > premise that renunciation is a necessary means to
> self-realization, and 3.
> > though
> >  Hindu religion and anthropology are "ill-suited to
> Western social
> > practice," nevertheless, the Hindu pattern of
> renunciation "proposes a
> > course of human growth leading up to renunciation that
> might better serve
> > the renunciate ... than does the Western pattern."
> >
> > One consumes one’s body mentally to the funeral
> pyre, and with this comes
> > the strong conviction that all societal ties are
> severed in toto with no
> > exceptions. This alone liberates the individual to now
> focus all his efforts
> > and time exclusively towards atma vichara in an
> all-encompassing manner.
> > Then alone can there be a gradual dissolution of the
> perfunctory mental
> > modes of indisciplinary content, and a resulting
> enhancement of singleminded
> > and one-pointed devotion to the Self. This is what
> Shankara means when says
> > “For the other has not got his conviction about
> differences removed.
> > ..because of his seeing hearing thinking and knowing
> differences he believes
> > "I shall get this by doing this". In the case of such
> a man who is engaged
> > thus there CANNOT be any establishment in Brahman for
> he is possessed of the
> > ideas arising from his attachment to false
> transformations”
> >
> > Elsewhere Shankara again says this: Indeed, it is not
> possible that one who
> > wants to go to the eastern sea and the other who wants
> to go in the opposite
> > direction to the western sea can have the same course!
> And that
> > (jnana-nishtA) is opposed to coexistence with duties,
> like going to the
> > western sea. It has been the conclusion of those
> versed in the valid means
> > of knowledge that the difference between them is as
> wide as that between a
> > mountain and a mustard seed! Therefore it is
> established that one should
> > have recourse to steadfastness in Knowledge ONLY BY
> relinquishing ALL rites
> > and duties.
> >
> > It is the effacement of these ideas of non-self alone
> that constitute
> > vasanakshaya. And in this sense alone is vidwat
> SANNYASA the PROXIMATE cause
> > of jivanMUKTI – in the words of Swami Vidyaranya –
> vidvat sannyasasya
> > jivanmukti hetutvat.
> > Even a trace of vasanas has the effect of quickly
> dragging the seeker
> > downhill – akin to a ball - prachyutakelikandukah
> – a sport ball that has
> > fallen from the hand – and which very rapidly falls
> down the stairs, to use
> > a poignant analogy from the VC.
> >
> > (to be continued)
> >
> > Hari OM
> > Shri Gurubhyoh namah
> > Shyam
> >
> >
> >
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