[Advaita-l] Nidhidhyaasana-2

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

Nidhidhyaasana-2
 
Constant claim of my true nature and
discarding the identification with the false while involving in the day-to-day
obligatory actions is nidhidhyaasana. One can do this contemplation on the absolute
fact either sitting in meditation or while still involved in the day-to-day activities
which are obligatory actions arising from one’s own position in the society and
life. Hence Shankara says,
yogaratovabhogatova,
sangaratovasanghaviheenaH|
yadyatbrahmaniramatechettamnandatinandatinadatyeva||
One can be involved in yoga, or
enjoyed the life-activities, one can be in the company of other beings, or
sitting in isolation, what is required is the mind constantly reveling in
Brahman that is of the nature of supreme happiness, independent of any external
circumstances. 
 
Nidhidhyaasana becomes aatma rati and
aatma kreeDa, reveling in oneself by oneself,aatmanyevaaatmanatuShTaH, or
enjoying the world of things and beings as a sport, with the recognition of the
fact that everything in the universe is only reflection one’s own self. 
 
This understanding is required to remove
the play of ego that involves removal of ahankaara or I-ness and mamakaara, my-ness,
with respect to not-self or anaatma. Thus realization involves all the names
and forms that differentiate one object from the other or one being from the
other are mere names and forms, or anaatma or not-self, and thatthey are
neither real or unreal and thus are mithyaa. Thus, while reveling in oneself as
the very essence of everything, all other differences or distinctions are
reduced to not-self which do not have any substantial basis other the self that
I am. Hence anaatma or not-self is recognized only as apparently real and not
really real. Even the body, mind, intellect complex is looked up on as if one
is looking at one’s own shadow. 
Hence Shankara says in
Vivekachudamani as,
chhaayevapumsaHparidRisyamaanam
aabhaasaruupeNaphalaanubhuutyaa,
shareeramaaraatshavavannirastam
punarnasandhatta idam mahaatmaa|
Verse 414
The realized soul who has recognized
that I am the all-pervading existence  consciousness does not get attached to the BMI again, and sees them as
though he is looking at his own shadow, and treats as though it is a waking
corpse, thus with complete detachment without any ownership. In essence, he
looks at the problemsof BMI do not belong to him but belong only to the BMI.
Those who are contemplating in isolation may ignore completely the BMI problems,
and leave them to the nature, while those who are living in the society may
take care of the body problems as required to the degree possible and continue
the obligatory duties that comein life due to their (BMI) praarabda. It is like
pot-space recognizing that I am the all-pervading space, and remains unperturbed
by the state of pot-space, while the pot is still being used for various
purposes as a pot. Thus a realized master, as reflected consciousness,
chidaabhaasa, will operate with his BMI as local entity during all his worldly transactions
that are required of him, at the same time never lose the vision of the
totality that one is.  It is similar
to  a scientist recognizing all materials
are fundamentally or substantially made up of electrons, protons and neutrons,
and yet differentiates garbage from food at transactional level. There is no
confusion in the mind of the knower ontologically from what level oneness is
understood (paaramaarthika dRiShTi) and from what level of reality the
plurality is perceived. 
 
Thus, I-ness and my-ness or ahankaara
and mamakaara are dropped by a jnaani, and in the process the whole world is
looked upon as reflection of one’s own self. For him, the compassion and love
for all beings flow spontaneously. Hence Krishna says that a realized master,
who has given up the I-ness and my-ness by surrendering to Me, the
all-pervading Brahman, is my dearest devotee. Such a realized mater loves all
beings without any hatred, since they are all his own reflections expressing in
varieties of names and forms. Love and compassion flow spontaneously and effortlessly,and
he cannot but act only to uplift the whole society to the best that he can. He
looks at his own BMI, and its pleasures and tribulations as part of their
praarabda,but himself unaffected by these, as he has ceased identification with
them as I am this or this is mine. Hence the BMI has praarabda, since it is
product of praarabda, while he has understood that he does not have praarabda.
Praarabda belongs to prakRiti which is same as maayaa. Thus his mind and
intellect or emotionally and intellectually are surrendered to the totality without
any I-ness and my-ness left and that forms the true sharaNaagati or complete
surrender of the ahankaara and mamakaara.
 
Through shravana and manana one has
intellectually understood the fact, and via nidhidhyaasana the mind or the
emotional center which is locus for all attachments and aversions gets aligned
with the truth. Swami Chinmayanandaji says one needs both mind and intellect
like two wings of the bird to take off permanently to the higher state of
consciousness. Krishna says:
adveShTaasarvabhuutaanaam,
maitraHkaruNaevacha|
nirmamonirahankaaraHsamaduHkhasukhaHkshamee|
santuShTaHsatatam yogi
yataatmaadRiDanischayaH|
mayyarpitamanobuddhiHyomadbhaktaasa
me priyaH|| XII:13-14.
When the I-ness and my-ness is gone,
the associated likes and dislikes get fully neutralized and therefore one
slowly gets firmly established in the absolute truth that I am the totality or
aham brahmaasmi. 
Abiding in the knowledge gained via
shravana and manana is not a discrete process, but is a process that involves a
continuous evolution of the mind. It may take years or even whole life time for
some. As one firmly gets established in the totality, in the language of Swami
Paramarthanandaji, the frequency of perturbation (F), and the intensity of
perturbation (I) and the recovery from perturbation (R) slowly decrease as one
abides in the knowledge.  Slowly one loses
what Shankara calls in Vivekachudamani asvishayaanuchitta – dissipation of the mind
and intellect due to constant reveling on the sense objects; but instead sees
constantly the all-pervading reality expressing as varieties of names and
forms. The world of plurality is perceived as His own vibhuuti or his glorious
expressions as various names and forms. 
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