A Journal of Universal Religious and Philosophical Teachings
Nectar
# 26
o f N o n - D u a l Tr u t h Adv aita-saty a-amrit am
“Aromatic fields have the blight of weeds; scenic mountains succumb to banks of fog; humanity suffers the curse of delusion. Streams of craving flow everywhere, yet the creeper of passion hides, undetected. If you see this creeper springing up, cut it’s root with the blade of Wisdom.” Dhammapada
Vedanta Reason and Enlightenment Swami Aseshananda
Vedanta Time, Space, and Causation in Indian Philosophy Babaji Bob Kindler
Essene
Sufism
Judaism
The Father and I are One
The Unicity of Being
Jewish Enlightenment
Paravasta Sam Bailey
Sheikha Ayshegul Ashki
Jay Michaelson
Quaker
Baha’i
Jainism
Continuing Revelation
Dharma for the 21st Century
Jain Meditation Techniques
Laura Magnani
Dr. A.K. Merchant
Swami Brahmeshananda
Christianity
Judaism
Nothing But My God
Oneness & Unity
Professor Francis X. Clooney
Rabbi Matthew Peltz
Nectar of Nondual Truth Advaita-satya-amritam C
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10 A Letter to a Long-time Friend by Lex Hixon Via his personal talks and many letters to aspiring beings, the founder of SRV opened doors for spiritual growth, created bridges between religious traditions, and encouraged and confirmed the inner practices of many striving Western seekers after Truth.
12 Space, Time, and Causation by Babaji Bob Kindler From Atomic particles to Atmic particles — that is the way of the intrepid spiritual traveler who calms and refines the densely vibrating mind so as to fathom the many kingdoms of heaven lying within.
21 Reason and Enlightenment by Swami Aseshananda The distinct but related subjects of absolute and empirical Truth and their respective pathways is the subject of another of the late swami’s many discourses, being transcribed for issues of the Nectar journal.
29 Central Nondual Teaching of Islam by Sheikha Ayshegul Ashki Through all practices and religious techniques, the Sufi mystic remembers and concentrates on the One Light, Allah. And by serving the Prophet and the saints devoutly, immersion into that Light occurs.
32 Meditation Techniques in Jainism by Swami Brahmeshananda As a wise saying goes, “Compassion is the last quality to mature in spiritual life; meditation is the final ability.” In this further installment about the peace-filled Jain religion, an indepth exploration of this most subtle and spiritual artform is undertaken.
36 Jewish Enlightenment by Jay Michaelson The correlations and distinctions of religious faith and its evolution, especially pertinent to the last century, make an interesting study — particularly in tandem
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with the subject of Nonduality, which despite its transcendental and formless foundation, is nevertheless fertile ground for discussion around the immanent nature of Divine Reality.
40 Baha’i — Dharma for the 21st Century by Dr. A. K. Merchant Nectar presents its first article on the Baha’i faith and its twin inspirations — The Bab and Baha’u’llah.
45 Nothing But My God by Dr. Francis X. Clooney, S.J. To study, with devotion, the wisdom songs and poems of a tradition other than one’s own is to discover unexpected inspiration, and “a surprise that never ceases to be new.”
50 Continuing Revelation by Laura Magnani A Quaker’s way of knowing is discussed here, with regard to the individual, his or her “leadings,” and deep consultation and prayer with the community.
53 The Father and I are One by Paravasta Sam Bailey With deep and ancient connections to both Judaism and Christianity, the nearly lost and barely discernible tradition of the Essenes gets an overall presentation.
57 Oneness and Unity with the Creator by Rabbi Melech Matthew Peltz Teachings from the Zohar, Torah, and stories from Jewish life grace this offering, which includes the unique way in which Judaism looks at the male and female principles.
60 A Letter to a Long-time Student by Swami Turiyananda The West was extremely fortunate to have the company of several of Sri Ramakrishna’s direct disciples during the 20th century. One of these, Swami Turiyananda, worked personally with many American devotees, and wrote inspiring letters to others.
“It is only through a diverse and core comprehension of the nature of nonduality that all religions are seen as equally important facets in one priceless universal gem of Truth.”
Publisher’s Page
Notes on an Advaitic Journal At the basis of Advaita as the philosophy of Shankara and his gurus, there is Advaita as experience. Advaita as experience represents that supreme place where all diversity merges in its Essence. It is not combatant or immiscible with qualified or dualistic approaches, but rather provides them their place of consummate arrival. Where actual practice rather than mere book learning is emphasized, where religion, philosophy and spirituality are not separate from one another, where knowledge and love, reason and devotion, are never divorced from each other, there does the truth of authentic nonduality effloresce. Historically speaking, experiential Advaita originated with the ancient Rishis. Therefore, the Upanisads contain the nondual truths of the Vedas which declare: idam mahabhutam anantam aparam vijnanaghana eva, "This great Being is endless and without limit. It is a mass of indivisible Consciousness only." The SRV Associations form part of a worldwide movement of spiritual aspirants devoted to the study and practice of Vedanta and Divine Mother Wisdom. The ideals of this ancient pathway to God, exemplified in the lives of Sri Sarada Devi, Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, are the original and eternal perfection of the Soul and its inherent oneness with Reality, the manifesting of divinity in our lives, selfless service of all beings as God, and reverence for the ultimate unity of all sacred traditions. To this end our purpose is to study, worship God, and contemplate Truth so that spiritual realization may flourish. This is the Advaitic way.
With reverent gratitude, we heartily thank the contributing writers of this issue of Nectar of Nondual Truth who have so graciously and selflessly shared the wisdom of their respective traditions and practices.
Nectar Moves to Donation Basis SRV Associations has now placed U.S. editions of Nectar on a donation basis, with a suggested donation commensurate with what other magazines charge. Since its start in 2000, donations have been the major factor in sustaining Nectar. Further, our practice has always been to distribute this Wisdom-journal regardless of a person's ability to pay: students, fixed and low income persons, prison inmates, spiritual institutions, etc. This is simply part of our seva (service) and mission. Though Nectar is now officially free to everyone, we invite you to continue contributing according to your ability and inspiration, and we trust in everyone’s continued generosity and vision.
Satya (Truth) Amrita (Nectar) In Sanskrit, amrita (nectar), also means Immortality – and this is, indeed, what we are offering: opportunities to become aware of this Amrita that is our very Essence via the rarefied teachings from Vedanta and the World Religions and Philosophies that appear in each issue of Nectar. Our new order form gives Nectar’s well-wishers the opportunity to assist in SRV’s free distribution program financially, and also practically, by providing names of persons, organizations, and religious and spiritual centers. Please fill out the enclosed form today.
Our Mission Nectar of Non-Dual Truth is SRV Associations’ heartfelt offering of highest Wisdom to the human community. It is the sincerest form of love and service we know to disseminate nondual Truth and teachings which transmit pure knowledge, pure love, and true universality. Through Nectar we are working out SRV’s mission of spiritual upliftment and education. And for those of us who are devotees of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda, and also students of Babaji Bob Kindler, it is our great privilege to assist in this mission to our capacity. Please join us; this is a universal movement.
staff of Nectar of Nondual T ruth Publisher
Editor Babaji Bob Kindler
Sarada Ramakrishna Vivekananda Associations an Annual Publication
Associate Editor Annapurna Sarada
For more information concerning the SRV Associations or Nectar of Nondual Truth please contact: SRV Associations, PO Box 1364, Honoka'a, HI 96727
Production Lokelani Kindler
Phone: (808) 990-3354 e-mail: srvinfo@srv.org website: www.srv.org Nectar Subscription is on a donation basis only No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without permission from the publisher. Entire contents copyright 2011. All Rights Reserved. ISSN 1531-1414
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Acknowledgement Image of Ramakrishna’s Disciples Courtesy of Vedanta Press 800-816-2242 Photos on pgs. 32, 44, 45, & 46, courtesy of Ramnand Tiwari
Contributing Writers Swami Aseshananda Swami Brahmeshananda Sheikha Ashyegul Ashki Laura Magnani Dr. Francis X. Clooney Dr. A. K. Merchant Jay Michaelson Rabbi Matthew Peltz Lex Hixon Paravasta Sam Bailey Babaji Bob Kindler
Editorial The recent expansion of the Nectar of Nondual Truth journal to a full-sized magazine has ushered in a flood of articles on the different religious traditions of the world. This is well to the liking of the Nectar staff, who have often been faced with the opinion from different quarters that the journal should become a voice and vehicle for the Vedanta only. We have decided against such a move, as beneficial as it may be to some, and kept with the universal idea which suits both the need of these times (for the re-emergence of true Religion) and the ideal admired and exemplified by our great Teacher, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Besides, to us, everything is Vedanta — Advaita Vedanta. It is only through a diverse and core comprehension of the nature of nonduality that all religions are seen as equally important facets in one priceless universal gem of Truth. The result of this all-inclusive decision is seen in the pages of Nectar year after year, a healthy and inspiring gathering together of a veritable host of wisdom perspectives, all laced with the heart’s devotion of each respective writer, which go a long way towards meliorating the present human condition — its societies, its higher education, its deeper inspiration, its expanding environment, and especially the evolving atmosphere of its individual and collective mind. This last is most important in this day and time, for as Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi, has stated: “From pure food one gets pure blood; pure blood begets pure thought; pure thought leads to pure mind, and Pure Mind is God.” It all begins with food, then, which, as we know, is not restricted to what we ingest physically every day of our lives (“man does not live to eat; he eats to live”), but must and does include the intake of teachings on spirituality pertaining to the true goal of human existence which nourish the mind, intellect, and soul, wholistically. In brief, all problems that mankind faces will be alleviated or held in check if the mind is informed of the truth. And in this superlative transmission mankind will eventually come to understand that there is no “my” truth or “your” truth; there is only “the” Truth. To tell what that is, and to identify it, both, is to recognize its immutable and all-pervasive nature. Unlike relative truth (vyavaharika), which the spiritually unawakened take for “their” truth, Absolute Truth (paramartika) does not change from age to age, race to race, religion to religion. One will know it by its superlative “ring,” disparate with regards to all other sounds and vibrations, the primogenitor of all wise ideas, utterances, and expressions — like a great bell which contains intrinsically its own orotund sound and all that emanates from it. Verily, Truth is nondual; it can neither be exclusively possessed nor fully expressed by any religion. All denominations, all darshanas, fall short of its extremely pellucid, thereby shocking, transmission. To take all the denominations and darshanas and place them side by side, together, for study, every one of them emitting and admitting light like the many windows of a great mansion (“My Father’s Mansion has many chambers”), is the singular idea of the Universalist. Such a being has a personal platform, no doubt — his or her own cherished stall in the grand stables of the Cosmic Overseer — and this philosophical foundation acts to facilitate a copious and interested inspection of all other positions and perspectives lying strewn across the infinite landscape of Awareness. Such variety, unlike the varieties of maya, keep the lover of Divine Reality focused on Ultimate Reality and free from sidetracks and deviations. Others may make excuses, justifications, and concessions for these very detours; the Advaitist does not. As Gaudapada has stated, “The Advaitist has no quarrels with others — dualists, fundamentalists, debaters — those with pertinacious stances. He has found the Truth, and now simply rests in It.” In the abundant pages of this issue of Nectar will be found a further and ongoing testament to the truths of all religious traditions and spiritual pathways — Vedanta, Sufism, Jainism, Judaism, and more. This particular issue introduces articles on less familiar pathways such as Quakerism, Baha’i, and Essene Christianity. And commingled with all these honorable religious perspectives is a rich admixture of innovative philosophy, from the perennial to the evolving to the freshly emerged, all awaiting sedulous study. Thus, another dole of Nectar has been gathered, brewed, and is bubbling forth and over, providing the discriminating reader, the serious student, and the practicing adept alike with rich and rare refection that is ripe for the taking. Let us begin by skimming some foam off of the top, quaffing the ambrosial nectar of nondual instruction from the minds of the sincerely seeking shishya and the willing preceptor. Peace, Peace, Peace. May Peace be unto us, May Peace be unto all!
Babaji Bob Kindler Spiritual Director, SRV Associations ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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Nectar of Advaitic Instruction Questions from Our Readers
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nterprising and intrepid spiritual travelers love to expose themselves to the cutting edge of nondual guidance and instruction, and also to encounter and come face to face with the harsh realities and hard knocks that this world is constantly meting out in often unforeseen and sporadic fashion. “I will know that you are mine,” says the enlightened being to the apostle, “when you cease to react to the repetitive cycles of ignorance and suffering which form a necessary part of this world, and of maya.” In order to rise to such an equanimous platform, the wise and ardent seeker asks those most pertinent questions which have no answers in any other place than the sacred and peaceful confines of holy company.
“Your article on ‘Comprehending Nonorigination’ in the last issue of ‘Nectar’ brought a central dilemma right back. I need to ask a few questions. Back in 2008 I was reading a blog on Advaita that prescribed a ‘direct path’ approach, and spoke of Vivekananda’s teaching as ‘Neo Advaita.’ What is that? Also, it said that a ‘direct path’ will espouse the ‘blasting’ of all concepts, including any ‘series of bodies one would take,’ indeed, any set of concepts altogether. It said to ask ‘Who’ is reincarnated, or, how could energy coalesce, in any way, that resembles anything else? Who is it who has remaining samskaras? It stated, ‘forget karma.’ I was intrigued by the force of the statements, and the bold assertion of claiming Freedom now. But since then I have been left with a feeling of desolation. If discovering the irrelevance of this manifestation is the ultimate Freedom, then why go on? If ‘I’ abide as conscious energy, why the botheration of being embodied? Of course, this sounds nihilistic, and therein lies the rub. I love life. I love the manifestation of the beauty around me, as well as the horror. Is there a reconciliation of approaches here?” Neo-Advaita is a term that has been bantered about recently by some American Vedantists. It means really “new” advaita, meaning, I think, the most current expression of Advaita thus far. Therefore, there is no slur cast on Vedanta by the term’s usage. Swami Vivekananda’s is the most important contemporary view and expression of Advaita, along with Ramana Maharshi. But the latter did not really leave a lineage behind, though he left many influences. Before commenting on your dilemma, I must comment on the “blog” you read. The “direct path” is not a path; it is a state of mind, a subtle-most understanding under which all other paths and darshanas get revealed and integrated — not cast away or defeated. Do lakes and rivers get defeated and destroyed when water is discovered? They are shown to be of one nature, despite varying appearances. The great beauty and facility of India and her unique way of religious and philosophical comprehension is that every path and way is brought to the fore for inspection, and each has something important to offer. The great Advaitist, Shankara, fashioned deep commentaries on the Yoga system of Patanjali. His 4
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teacher’s teacher, Gaudapada, created a karika on the Upanisad of the ancient Indian Rishis and its platform of the sacred Word, AUM. In my sight there is no exclusion here, no in-fighting. It is all pure revelation. Advaita allows for the closest examination possible of the Consciousness of man, and if that scrutiny requires the Tantric perspective of deification of matter and objects, or the Sankhya view of classification of all wisdom principles, or the Yogic method of intense individual self-effort in order to gain samadhi, then nondualism verily becomes all these in turn, i.e., puts these on and wears them. When it does so, and when it takes them off, it is Itself only. It has no eye, single or double. It is all-pervasiveness, beyond views and sophisms. Its ability to assume all without changing is its supreme excellence. It must be Brahman. “To see God one must see as God sees.” This is how Meister Eckhart, the Christian mystic, said it. Dualistic Christians did not like this, and he was tried as a heretic but passed away before sentencing. Advaita always suffers in this world. Advaita is not exclusion; that should be affirmed first. It is not elitism in philosophy. It is not exactly all-inclusionism either, for its station does tend to strip away everything lying in the realms of change and cause and effect. But it does so in order to reveal the essence — Svarupa, Atman, Brahman — not to do away with what Is. Even maya, the changeful, is in Brahman — is there, as Sri Ramakrishna said, like poison in the snake. The three positions of nondualism, qualified nondualism, and dualism are scopes of reference. They are barometers to help measure and plumb consciousness, not set up religions or conflicting schools of thought. The greatest beings put these three on alternatively from time to time so as to tune in to the differing levels of thought that mankind is coursing through in relativity. It is not a competition. The issue is not whose way of seeing is better. The issue is “How can I afford others their most practical, fitting, and complete view given their abilities and capacities at this time?” Some scholars and Brahmin priests once asked Vivekananda if he was an advaitist or a dvaitist. He replied something to the effect of “I am a dvaitist when I am in this body, and an advaitist otherwise.” This is the practical Advaita. One cannot do away with
maya as long as one inhabits her realm. That is why Sri Ramakrishna advised that we propitiate the Divine Mother of the Universe, whose worlds these are, for the release from them and all ignorance concerning them. The Avatars man the station of dualism as much as they do nondualism, for most beings operate at the dual level (forlorn is the person who has no station, unless he be fully enlightened). In Yoga, one never destroys the vrttis (thought-forms) outright. “Nothing doesn’t exist.” The thought-forms simply return to their source, which is unoriginated, like everything else. You cannot destroy what is never born or created. These pseudoadvaitists who imagine that they understand nonduality are constantly contradicting themselves, and each other. They never really understand the comprehensive nature of Consciousness. Rejecting and denying all and everything as a mere mental exercise (like karma, samskaras, and reincarnation), they soon run the risk of denying the one who is doing the denying! Then their Advaita begins to smack of that old nemesis called nihilism or void-ism. India has seen a few schools of that ilk come and go. But nonduality never does — come and go, that is. Beings simply arrive or return to It, “That” (moksha, mukti, kaivalya, samadhi, satori, nirvana, fana), and then they know what It is. And that arrival will necessitate the neutralization of karmas and the attenuation of samskaras. Statements such as “Blast your karmas,” “forget karma,” and the like are assertions of mental attitude and philosophical station. They represent the attitude one takes in nondualism. They do not rightly apply in the arena of that intense self-effort you have to accomplish in order to consciously occupy the nondual state. Only fools try to pretend away overlays and illusions. The wise seek these very things out and prove them empty — render them defunct. Thus, karma and reincarnation are relative laws, not absolute ones, and being relative one will have to meet them on their own ground to disintegrate them. Thus, I am not in favor of a nondualism that overlooks or tries to sidestep spiritual practice — sadhana. That illusory snake in the rope you are seeing, if ignored and left uninspected, may just snap back on you one day and deliver an actual bite of ignorance and suffering. Then where will your fine philosophy be? Here, in maya, the physical world of cause and effect, we are at battle. We require armor, shield, and weapons to protect ourselves. And what about the utterance, “Freedom now.” That is a fact of real Existence. But the statement alone cannot destroy the complacent soul’s preoccupation with the unreal. For that one will need guidance, practice, study, worship, and the other divine accessories of a well-balanced spiritual life. Until the descent or appearance of real Nondual Awareness, we are verily attempting this freedom on the cusp of our own limitations in order to transcend the world-bewitching maya. Those who succeed in this most sublime of all endeavors will find themselves “back in their own nests” when the play of maya subsides. As Sri Krishna says, “Those who know Me are never born at the time of creation, nor disturbed at the time of dissolution.” “Me,” here, means not just the Cosmic Being, but Nondual Reality. Those who only speak of Advaita and thereby ignore the presence of karmas, samskaras, and the boon of spiritual practice will only
find themselves emerging from the womb again, clueless as to their whereabouts, the only sound ringing in their ears being the sound of their own wailing as they face off with maya once again — mismatched. Advaita does not destroy love; it validates it as the main ingredient of life — all life. If you love life then just be sure that you love dharmic life, divine life, Eternal Life — all three as per your present capacity. For life lived in ignorance of one’s true nature only echoes death, again and again. If you breathe consciously, then breathe in “I am Brahman”; hold the breath saying “I will always be Brahman”; breathe out saying “I am not the world.” This latter affirmation means that there is no world separate from Brahman. That being the Truth, should we then go forth and create one? If you understood my article in the last issue of Nectar, then be exceedingly glad for what Is, for what exists naturally, for what never changes or transforms. And if you cannot survive yet at that “peak” advaitic elevation, come down a few hundred feet to qualified nondualism, or a few thousand feet to dualism, and take up the practices waiting there to help qualify you. The Avatars, seers, sages, rishis, yogis, and saints do this all the time; they shift necessarily on constantly shifting ground. As Sri Ramakrishna, the master of nondual Samadhi, stated: “One cannot hold the highest note on the flute forever. One needs to come down from it and play with the other seven notes (seven lokas of embodiment/seven charas, etc.) of the scale.” For it is there that, if your life’s instrument be tuned properly, all the melody, harmony, counterpoint, and beautiful ensemble is going on. Overall, cheer up! The world apart from Brahman is unreal. Only Brahman is Real. What part of that apt Vedic conclusion is grounds for sorrow? “In my view, the sages expounded Truths to be considered. They hardly asked for images to be worshiped, rituals to be performed, or scripture recorded and presumed infallible. You often seem to focus more on the messenger than the message. The fact of whether the author is a factual person or not is not critical. Buddha did not create Buddhism, nor Christ Christianity. Much scripture attributed to Buddha and Christ (and Adi Shankara for that matter) originates from his followers and may or may not reflect the whole truth.” Some of what you state is true, placed in one context. But Christ is Christianity, and Buddha is Buddhism. Those noble pathways would not have appeared without them. We do not discard the bottle before drinking the contents, and we must also read the label before drinking. The savior/messenger is the bottle, the contents are the eternal Reality. The label is the revealed scriptures. All three are part and parcel of one divine plan for earth and its suffering, striving masses. As Lex Hixon once told me, and I agree, “There is no hope for people outside of true religion.” Having said that, you are not correct in assuming that the great ones did not advise ritual. After Buddhism’s decline, Shankara taught nondualism to those who were ready for it, but in the meantime he re-established temples and reconstructed divine images for the common people to worship. Even enlightADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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ened people love worship. Having seen the worst that ritualism has to offer here in the modern West, do not assume that there are not places, and that there were not times, when worship was sincere, devotional, and able to lead the soul to the loftiest heights of realization. Narada states such in his Bhakti Sutras. Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi, said, "People have been worshiping God through rites and rituals from time out of mind. Do you presume to say that such paths are fruitless and ineffective?" We are to deify this world in order to see it as Brahman; there is hardly any other way — at least that is so complete and all-pertaining. My authorities in this are the enlightened seers and the revealed scriptures. I stand by them, especially in the insane world of today, where even religion gets overlooked and denigrated in the rush for either material goods or some onesided transcendence.” “I recently ordered the versions of the Vivekachudamani you advised. In all honesty, I am remembering, point by point, the reasons that I stopped reading Shankara long ago. I want to ask a couple of questions concerning Shankara’s philosophy by comparing it with the ideas in one of your books. Your book, The Avadhut, is to me a masterpiece of uplifting and illuminating spiritual literature. I do not say that to flatter; it is simply a fact in my experience. There is so much about the main character in the book, the avadhut himself, that not only moves me but moves me closer to a more dedicated walking of the spiritual path. Two points I’d like to mention now are the avadhut’s appreciation for natural beauty — an appreciation that is spiritual but nonetheless appreciative — and secondly, his respect for every human being he meets. He sees the good in every person he meets, no matter how lowly. In the Crestjewel [Vivekachudamani], though, I don’t see that. In speaking of the human body, for example, the point is often made about how it is merely a mass of fat and fluids and such, and it is called ‘disgusting.’ But when the human body is informed by a living soul, (or the natural universe is similarly informed by Ishvara), it has a beauty that reflects that which informs it. To say that these have no beauty and are simply disgusting is, for me, like reducing the beauty of a red, ripe apple to its appearance and nature when it lies rotting on the ground. In like manner, the appearance of a beautiful, smiling human face, or the beauty of an athlete’s body is quite different from the mocking ‘grin’ of a skull or the stink of a pile of bones. Shankara’s outlook feels life-negating to me in this regard. Secondly, in regard to unillumined beings, there is much talk of ‘fools’ and people being ‘stupid.’ I have a tendency to be cynical sometimes and to see the worst in people, and these expressions do not establish me in either compassion or peace of mind. I work on counter-acting these tendencies and seeing what is good in people, and I also try to see their negative characteristics as expressions of their confusion and suffering so as to deepen my compassion. I feel dismay when I hear Shankara calling people fools and designating them as stupid. It feels unloving to me.” As to Shankara, his time was at the end of the Buddhist period when religion had entered a corrupt cycle. There was 6
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much building up to do. The Koran reflects war, as that was what Mohammed had to deal with on three borders of his country during his life. The scriptures of each particular time reflect a little of this conflagration, necessarily. One might take that into consideration when studying them. But Western sensitivities aside, Shankara was in full knowledge of all the six darshanas of India by the time he was 8 years old. He was illumined by the age of twelve, then left home to find his guru (Govindapada, Gaudapada’s guru) and was teaching grey-beards thereafter while in his teens. The Avadhut had nothing on him. We do not need the trika sages to understand Shankara. He was the living resurrection of the entire Siva tradition. Your dilemma is not unlike that of others in this period of time, and in this world. Attachment to the body, trying to make something of it that it is not, is the constant preoccupation of the ignorant. Thus they fall, again and again, into cycles of rebirth. Everyone from Krishna to Buddha to Sri Ramakrishna have said so. You seem to be confusing true strength and sage advice with hardness and callousness. There is no doubt that Shankara calls a spade a spade, i.e., are there not many fools and stupid people in this world? It is all about the old wake-up call. I term this the “dash and splash” method. Some deliver truth with a dash of empathy. Others use the splash of cold water in the face method. When we get over this preoccupation with the kid glove syndrome we will find that Shankara uses them both — whatever it takes to awaken people to their true nature and extract them out of unnecessary suffering. God knows that there are plenty of unavoidable sufferings in the embodied condition, so why “pile more gloom on gloom?” To put a finer point on it all, your penchant for criticism may have blinded you to the many bliss-filled slokas on the principle of samadhi which inundate the entire Vivekachudamani scripture. Who could not love, or fail to understand, in the face of these nectar-like words: The incomparable sea of pure Awareness called Brahman, with its immeasurable, bliss-filled swell of the Atman, into which my mind melted, like a hailstone falling into a vast ocean placed me into an incomparable state of ecstasy, forever. Put another way, when the outright delight of samadhi is uncovered and enjoyed, the wise simply cannot understand the fascination that phenomenal existence holds for worldly people. Everything the seers say and teach, from that point onwards, is an attempt to lift beings up, these forlorn benighted masses, to a better and more noble existence. Is the body in the way of this vision? It is so long as it is not renounced, flatly and perfunctorily assigned to the category of the anatman — the nonself. When renounced outright it then becomes “the temple of the Lord,” albeit a temporary one. But what flagging beings fail to comprehend, due to body-orientation, is the stationary Temple, the Atman. “This is to let you know that I have been able to maintain a consistent meditation during the period of the Mahavayu this
“.... let your family see you as dharmic, a spiritual person, no matter what the consequences. Chances are they are only waiting, just under the surface, for someone to shine a light on a better path for them, for work in the world is tedious and boring overall — and ultimately unfulfilling. You have seen that; they have not. There is a higher aim and a higher end. Show it to them as you yourself attain it. And be willing to take flak, ire, gossip, and all other signs of their personal insecurity which may come up in the interim.” past month since our last meeting. My hour sessions usually take place between 3:00 am to 4:30 am every night. I practice japa with the mala, reciting silently the mantra you gave to me, followed by mantra for the Divine Mother. As I go into quiet mind, I am finding that I can sit with a monk-like composure, very erect, noble and still, and I come into the feeling of strength and ethical worth which is very heartening. I find that this marked change in my sleep pattern to be not particularly noticeable, as I usually get a couple more hours of rest after meditation. However, I continue to grapple with an increasing number of stress-points. All my stuff needs selling or placing in storage, and some family matters in my relationship with my kids has come up. I am concerned that my children are beginning to see me in a critical light. Have you encountered this in others’ experiences with their families?” First, I am glad to find that your meditation regimen is maintaining itself. I am sure that, if it is kept alive and well, more results, and positive ones, will be forthcoming over time. The breaking of old patterns around sleeping and eating — I am all for this, especially in this very constricted and conventional society. To be free is to be one’s own Self, and therefore not only experiment with changes to routines, but create new ones and stand by them until results are seen. Spiritual Life itself would be one of these experiments, at least at the outset. Breaking out of the “norm” is what we are talking about. Swami Vivekananda has said, in this day and age particularly, that “duty has become the hot midday sun whose fiery heat is eating into the vitals of humanity.” Welcome alterations are in order, then, especially for that intrepid spiritual traveler who wants freedom first and foremost. I cannot tell you what to do with regard to your “stuff.” I know what I would do (“where’s the blowtorch!”), but that might not help your particular set of circumstances. All that I can advise was said in our last meeting, and that is to get off the fence (indecision) as soon as possible so that the mind can settle into life — both terrestrial and spiritual. And pertaining to that, duty may be the midday sun, etc., but a man has to make a living. Generally I would say that adhering to what one does best, in order to make money, is best. You see others in the sangha working. They are Vedantists, but their work is figured. One needs to make money for one’s sustenance, one’s ashrama, and for one’s dharmic children. On that score, and as you know, I am a bit critical of the modern day family. If dharma is there, all well and good, but where it is missing there is nothing of substance brewing. In
other words, let your family see you as dharmic, a spiritual person, no matter what the consequences. Chances are they are only waiting, just under the surface, for someone to shine a light on a better path for them, for work in the world is tedious and boring overall — and ultimately unfulfilling. You have seen that; they have not. There is a higher aim and a higher end. Show it to them as you yourself attain it. And be willing to take flak, ire, gossip, and all other signs of their personal insecurity which may come up in the interim. The end justifies the means. “Would you describe what you mean by “humility” in the guru/student relation? While I may have thoughts of my own as I walk the path, I know it is not my place to argue with the guru. Many years ago, I was sitting with other Krishna devotees with the master and someone asked him if it was alright to disagree with him. He said yes, it was, but that the main point should be to understand his point of view, and that disagreements should only be engaged in if expressing them helped in understanding that. Therefore, as a good disciple, I make understanding my guru’s point of view my sole motive. I don’t believe the guru needs someone who comes forward just to argue, or even to assert his own point of view just to assert it. I am showing up to learn. Then, also, there is the version of humility wherein a person crawls like a worm and asserts constantly how he is nothing. I could not do that. It doesn’t seem to me that embracing humility means renouncing dignity. But I am interested in learning, and the point of that is to become more fit as a sadhaka. So perhaps you would clarify the kind of humility you expect as a teacher?” All that you relate here regarding the ego, the guru, the disciple, is sound. In the Gita, The Lord states: “To those of you who do not carp and cavil, I will transmit the highest Truth.” Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi, says “If you look upon your guru as an ordinary person, then you will not make any appreciable spiritual progress.” These types of statements provide us with a way to approach divine reality, and give us an attitude adjustment, if we need one. On the other hand, Swami Vivekananda states that Sri Ramakrishna told him to always question the guru, which the great Swami did for quite a long time in His own case. Putting this all together, we find that 1) Divine Reality (Brahman) and authentic teachers (acharyas) are not to be inappropriately questioned; 2) that the revealed scriptures (shruti) are to be taken at face value; 3) that the kind of questioning the student engages in and that is encouraged pertains to the nature of Reality ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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(immutable and transformationimperfect — in both body and less) and the problems of relativmind. So if this is God’s honest “....dharmas come and go, rise and fall, ity (maya), rather than to mattruth, please help me to see it. ters of fault-finding and personal I’ll paste Jimmy Carter’s stateemerge pure and then suffer deterioration. opinion. As Holy Mother has ment below because it specifiThe Bhagavad Gita stated, “Is Brahman something to cally addresses this issue.” be talked or argued about, like fish The issue you raise here is is one of those marvelous spiritual testaments and greens in a marketplace? It is an important one, and some the only thing that is always enlightened beings are as yet which escaped most of this ensuing untainted by the mind and tongue unenlightened about it — as the encrustation, and interpolation by well-meanof man.” former President expresses in the Personally, and with regard message you pasted in for me. ing but unillumined commentators.” to my students, any sincere aspiFirst of all, the expression, rant will naturally listen to what I “inferior birth,” does not refer to have to say and take it to heart. For, the matter is not about me, our true nature, Atman (which is genderless), but to how and in but about the spiritual progress of the sadhaka. What I teach what condition one is born. This is a matter of karma and the consists of what the Great Masters transmit, what the revealed desires which form it. Additionally, it applies to society’s view — scriptures relate, and my own spiritual study and experiences not God’s view, the luminary’s view, or true religion’s view. In over lifetimes, forty years of that coming in this lifetime alone. the case of the Gita, it, and every other scripture of the world As Sri Krishna states, only children and fools fail to comprehend feels the effects of the passage of time in some way. This is the the import of the scriptures, and the unique merit of the guru. “long efflux of time” which Krishna mentions in the Gita, Argumentation, false humility, the sense of superiority, gainsaywherein dharmas come and go, rise and fall, emerge pure and ing, an overinflated opinion of one’s own status, and other fabrithen suffer deterioration. The Bhagavad Gita is one of those cations of the unripe ego are all signs of arrogance and insecurimarvelous testaments which escaped most of this ensuing ty. The ego uses these to compensate for its own shortcomings. encrustation, and interpolation by well-meaning but unilluOne might get by for a time using such tactics on the world and mined commentators. its people, but it simply will not wash with the spiritual teacher. If women were thought to be inferior in Krishna’s time, it Soon it will all catch up with the perpetrator and could create a was only that men ignorantly or deviously had made them that big mess. way, and it became a part of Krishna’s duty to raise them up. He did that by conquering the kingdoms around Him, taking all the women slaves from these kings and placing them under His pro“I’ve been studying the Gita. I’m working on chapter 9. All tection. Thus, many souls got emancipated. along I have been taking the Gita as pure Gospel, eating up The next point to consider is that Krishna is speaking in this every word. But then I came upon a verse that made me do a passage in question in terms of “yuga dharma,” and not in terms double-take. Krishna is describing the benefits of bhakti. He of “sanatana dharma.” The former sites a mere age, while the latsays that even sinners can become righteous if they turn to ter represents eternity. From age to age things change. But one Him. Even those of inferior birth can obtain the Supreme thing remains constant to the Avatars: the weak must be proGoal if they take refuge in Him — those of inferior birth, He tected. That is why children are protected by all, for instance. says, like “women.” The commentator goes on to explain that In like fashion, women are generally deemed the weaker sex, women are of imperfect birth and as a class are less developed physically. This fact has given rise at times to their exploitation in mind than men. Is this true, Babaji? In your recorded disinstead of their protection. Even their protection has often courses on the Gita, although you read the verse, you did not placed them under the gun of exploitation. This is why the raiscomment upon that particular portion. Does this mean that ing of women is of paramount importance in the Ramakrishna you do not agree with it, or perhaps wanted to avoid a controOrder today, as exemplified by Vivekananda. The appearance of versial topic? It was coincidental that just the day before I the Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi, along with Her worship and read this, I had read about Jimmy Carter leaving his long-time significance, also heralds this ideal. Baptist church because they were using passages from the Overall do not worry about this single sloka. Stick to all the Bible to put women down. He made some very enlightened multitude of valuable teachings in the Gita and do not get put comments in regards to religion and equality which I found to off by any particular one. Then you will become one of those ring true. Now that I see this sloka in the Gita, I’m wonderwho proves forever wrong the fallacious idea that women, both ing why it’s there, who wrote it, and how damaging it could be as individuals and a class, are inferior, when in fact, they may just if used wrongly. I’ve heard you say that all men are not crebe the superior gender. ated equal, that our birth depends on our karma. Did I choose {We print below former President Carter’s message. Its nona female body because I needed an imperfect birth? as if I needcompromising stance is an example of dharmic direction and true spired to belong to a lower caste? I’m only asking because it has itual merit, in contrast to that of religious hypocrisy} certainly not been my experience so far in this life. I look around me and I have generally found that it is men who are 8
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Losing My Religion for Equality by Jimmy Carter (Submitted Tuesday, July 21, 2009)
I understand, however, why many political leaders can be reluctant about stepping into this minefield. Religion, and tradition, are powerful and sensitive areas to challenge. But my fellow Elders and I, who come from many faiths and backgrounds, no longer need to Women and girls have been discriminated against for too long in worry about winning votes or avoiding controversy — and we are a twisted interpretation of the word of God. I have been a practicing deeply committed to challenging injustice wherever we see it. Christian all my life and a deacon and Bible teacher for many years. The Elders are an independent group of eminent global leaders, My faith is a source of strength and comfort to me, as religious beliefs brought together by former South African president Nelson Mandela, are to hundreds of millions of people around the world. So my deciwho offer their influence and experience to support peace building, sion to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable interests of humanity. We have decided to draw particular attention decision when the convention's leaders, quoting a few carefully selectto the responsibility of religious and traditional leaders in ensuring ed Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and equality and human rights and have recently published a statement was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be “subthat declares: “The justification of discrimination against women and servient” to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a pastors or chaplains in the military service. Higher Authority, is unacceptable.” This view that women are somehow We are calling on all leaders to chalinferior to men is not restricted to one relilenge and change the harmful teachings and “It is simply self-defeating for any gion or belief. Women are prevented from practices, no matter how ingrained, which community to discriminate against playing a full and equal role in many faiths. justify discrimination against women. We Nor, tragically, does its influence stop at ask, in particular, that leaders of all relihalf its population. We need to the walls of the church, mosque, synagogue gions have the courage to acknowledge and or temple. This discrimination, unjustifiemphasize the positive messages of dignity challenge these self-serving and ably attributed to a Higher Authority, has and equality that all the world's major outdated attitudes and practices — provided a reason or excuse for the deprifaiths share. vation of women’s equal rights across the The carefully selected verses found in as we are seeing in Iran where world for centuries. the Holy Scriptures to justify the superioriAt its most repugnant, the belief that ty of men owe more to time and place — women are at the forefront of the women must be subjugated to the wishes of and the determination of male leaders to battle for democracy and freedom.” men excuses slavery, violence, forced proshold onto their influence — than eternal titution, genital mutilation and national truths. Similar biblical excerpts could be laws that omit rape as a crime. But it also found to support the approval of slavery costs many millions of girls and women control over their own bodies and the timid acquiescence to oppressive rulers. and lives, and continues to deny them fair access to education, health, I am also familiar with vivid descriptions in the same Scriptures employment and influence within their own communities. in which women are revered as pre-eminent leaders. During the years The impact of these religious beliefs touches every aspect of our of the early Christian church women served as deacons, priests, bishlives. They help explain why in many countries boys are educated ops, apostles, teachers and prophets. It wasn't until the fourth centubefore girls; why girls are told when and whom they must marry; and ry that dominant Christian leaders, all men, twisted and distorted why many face enormous and unacceptable risks in pregnancy and Holy Scriptures to perpetuate their ascendant positions within the relichildbirth because their basic health needs are not met. gious hierarchy. In some Islamic nations, women are restricted in their moveThe truth is that male religious leaders have had — and still have ments, punished for permitting the exposure of an arm or ankle, — an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate deprived of education, prohibited from driving a car or competing with women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chomen for a job. If a woman is raped, she is often most severely punsen the latter. Their continuing choice provides the foundation or jusished as the guilty party in the crime. tification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women The same discriminatory thinking lies behind the continuing genthroughout the world. This is in clear violation not just of the der gap in pay and why there are still so few women in office in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also the teachings of Jesus West. The root of this prejudice lies deep in our histories, but its Christ, the Apostle Paul, Moses and the prophets, Muhammad, and impact is felt every day. It is not women and girls alone who suffer. founders of other great religions — all of whom have called for proper It damages all of us. The evidence shows that investing in women and and equitable treatment of all the children of God. It is time we had girls delivers major benefits for society. An educated woman has the courage to challenge these views. healthier children. She is more likely to send them to school. She earns more and invests what she earns in her family. Questions, observations, and insights regarding the issues of the day or It is simply self-defeating for any community to discriminate problems in spiritual life may be directed to Nectar‘s editorial staff at against half its population. We need to challenge these self-serving and srvinfo@srv.org and will be duly addressed in succeeding issues. outdated attitudes and practices — as we are seeing in Iran where women are at the forefront of the battle for democracy and freedom. ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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◆ Lex Hixon
A letter to a long-time friend
The Divine Spark of Religious Traditions In the same way that one cannot compare an apple to an orange, more importantly, one cannot adequately compare religious traditions to one another. Each is a facet of the priceless diamond that is God, or pure, conscious Awareness. In a letter to a Christian friend of his, Lex Hixon delves into this salient fact — not in order to convince his friend of the superiority of a universal view, but in order to confirm the truth of his own preferred and selected religion in a nonexclusive way. Consciousness, infinite Love — is designed to find sustenance in ear friend, I felt an instant response upon sacred Truth, just as the body is designed to find its sustenance in reading your letter. I will enjoy perusing the food and water, sunlight and air. Scientific and practical daily, book you sent, but the response comes even factual truths are also true, but sacred Truth is a much higher before reading the book. I did notice that order of intensity and reality. To deny that empirical truth is at Gregory Higgins states: “This text has emerged least relatively true (relative, that is, to personal and cultural out of my experience of teaching theology to high school stuassumptions) would be foolish. But to deny the existence of dents.” Here is part of the problem. I am enclosing a book of sacred Truth, or to place sacred Truth into competition with Christian teaching for adults, for mature Christians such as yourempirical truth is sheer madness, is spiritual suicide and genoself, not for beginners (although Celebration of Faith can cercide. Sacred Truth is our sustetainly be appreciated by anyone, nance — not just for a brief wherever they are on their “The approach is one of great spiritual span of earthly existence, but journey, as George Regis would for eternity! If polluting our say). These talks were originalmaturity — not trying to fit theology to the earthly environment is a crime, ly given in Russian over Radio what about polluting or even Liberty and were addressed to modern human mind, but to lift the modern entirely negating our eternal the whole Russian people, mind into the true realm of theology.” Awareness? This kind of pollubelievers and non-believers. tion creates hell. God does not But the inner approach is one create hell. Every child has the of great spiritual maturity — not right, it seems to me, to be born into trying to fit theology to the modern mind, but to lift the modern a clean planetary atmosphere. How much more does every soul mind into the true realm of theology. To paraphrase a certain have the right to be born (we foolishly call it death) into a clear American leader, the point is not what theology can do for you, understanding and experience of eternal life? but what you can do for theology.
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In spiritual growth, which is incessant, one never brings down the ideal to fit one’s personal psychology or cultural conditioning but always attempts to ascend along the path, leaving behind the high school level of thinking about religion that most “modern” people are fixated upon. “Let us lift up our hearts,” says the priest, at the high point of the Divine Liturgy. Now to the points you raised: the virgin birth, the divinity of Christ, the absolute uniqueness of Christianity among the great sacred traditions of the planet, the existence of hell and heaven. I’m sure you could have extended this list, but my response would be the same. All of these are sacred Truths. The human being — as a soul, as an eternal stream of consciousness, not outside of but within its Creator, Who is infinite 10
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Each sacred tradition on this planet is unique, unrepeatable. Each one contains the fullness of Truth. It would be criminal to force a Christian to study Buddhism and to question the Christian Truth in the light of the Buddhist Truth. Why? Because both are true, so such a process is unnecessary and dangerous as well, since such a person may lose confidence in the truth of his or her own original tradition and may never reach a full confidence in the truth of the other religion. We should explore other religions only with complete confidence in the fullness of our own and the fullness of the others. Even then, it is dangerous, for the mind can play tricks and one can end up with little or no confidence in religion at all — that is to say, bereft of an abundant and clear source of spiritual nourishment.
Whatever else you have, my friend — your open-mindedness, your study with Krishnamurti, your healthy sense of irreverent humor — you have the fullness of Christianity. Do not barter this for anything! Do not give away the gold of faith in all the Christian mysteries in exchange for the glass beads of rationality, modernity, open-mindedness, or superficial mental comfort. Sacred Truth operates in a different way from empirical truth. Delighting in the mystery of the Virgin Birth is not comparable to asserting that the earth is flat. The virginity of Mary is just a spark to ignite our meditation on the inconceivable mystery of our Lord’s manifestation on earth. Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam have their own sparks, which gradually create the precious fire of love and wisdom in the sincere hearts of millions. But your spark is a Christian spark, not a Buddhist spark. You are not denying the truth of Buddhism but you are simply kindling a fire in your own hearth, where your family and friends and the larger community can experience the warmth. Religious institutions can attempt to suppress empirical truth in what they may sincerely think to be the interests of sacred Truth. I believe this to be a mistake which can become a disease. By doing this, religions inadvertently place their sacred Truth on the same level as empirical Truth. The earth is not flat. This superstition has been disproved. However, the Virgin Birth and the larger mystery which surrounds it, the Divinity of Christ, will never be disproved. They are sacred Truth. They are the resurrection and the life. They are not a theory or a “belief-system.” They take us beyond all theories or systems, as do the sacred Truths of all the noble religious traditions. Without sacred Truth, we would be confined within and consumed by our various personal and cultural theories and systems. Sacred Truth does not confine or oppress, but liberates. Social systems are very capable of confirming and oppressing, as are personal subjective notions about the meaning of life. If religion gets sucked into being a social system or a personal notion, then it has ceased to operate on the level of Sacred Truth, which is its only proper level. My dearest love to you and yours, Lex Hixon Lex Hixon received his Ph.D. in World Religions from Columbia University in 1976. From about 1971 to the late 80’s he conducted a weekly radio show in New York City called ”In The Spirit,“ interviewing spiritual teachers from around the world. Among his books are Great Swan, Mother of the Universe, Heart of the Koran, Atom from the Sun of Knowledge, Mother of the Buddhas, and Living Buddha Zen. For more information inquire at: www.lexhixon.org For “In The Spirit” Series information inquire at: www.srv.org
Tujhse Hamne Dilko Lagaya I have finally understood, O Lord, that everything exists in Thee. Every heart is ultimately united in Thee. Nothing exists but Thee! O Beloved, Your Grace has returned me to my eternal abode, and Your Love has permeated my heart, Indeed, is there a heart which exists that is devoid of Thy Love, when nothing exists but Thee? God and Goddess, man and woman, Hindu, Mussalman, Christian — all are brought into existence by Thy own inscrutable Will. What are these beings without You? They all exist in Thee! Churches, Temples, Kaaba — all places of worship; You fashion them and cause all beings to bow down there. You have become the worshipper, the act of worship, and the place of worship. Nothing exists but Thee. From the life heavens, throughout the boundless universe, and even into the dark nether regions, wherever our souls journey, we find only Thee — for nothing exists but Thee. Matchless is Your Presence, O Lord, I have found nothing which compares to it. Contemplating it, this humble singer, Jafar, has become illumined, and this simple Truth has dawned upon his understanding — that nothing whatsoever exists but Thee! Jafar
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◆ Babaji Bob Kindler
Space, T ime, & Causation “We shall crush the stars to atoms, and unhinge the universe....” The best definition for the singular Sanskrit word, Maya, is: “the worlds of name and form in time and space based in causation.” In this article, two charts are offered, proposing a new particle theory — one that could unite Science and Theology. A future issue will feature the principal of Causality, with its own separate chart.
T
he chart presented on the facing page, created on Christmas Day of 2009 as a gift to my students and devotees, is aptly named “From Atomic Particles to ‘Atmic’ Particles.” Beginning its inward march in the realm of classic physics, and using the old standard measurement of a micron, it is stated that this tiny amount of physical space is equal to the smallest thing the human eye can see. Of course, the eye can see a human hair, which measures some 50 microns. But a red blood cell is not discernible by the naked eye and must be calculated by a much smaller measuring unit called the nanometer. Here, Quantum Physics enters the fray, and cites the miniscule scale of tiny bits of matter like the DNA molecule, the glucose particle, and the hydrogen atom. Place some ten of these latter elfin structures side by side and you will conceive of how small a nanometer is. The question might well be asked at this point, what is the point of all this? That is, after the fundamental fact of a universe consisting of particles has been established, and as scientific determination of points of matter reaches such microscopic proportions, where does it end? Where does it all go? This is precisely what the ancient rishis examined, only they did not have or need an electron microscope to figure it out. In short, one does not have to create a particle accelerating or decelerating chamber for the simple reason that the mind is already that. Through the acquired ability of focused Awareness to abandon at will the body and senses, the adept meditator enters into rarefied realms of finer particles, unknown to others, and beholds what the Tantricists of ancient times called Sristhi Rahasya, The Secret of Creation. This secret really consists of the fact that creation and evolution are ultimately myths, that all these worlds, inner to outer, are being continually and spontaneously projected by the mind’s Awareness. In this regard, Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi, has stated: “Objects are just thought made manifest.” Placed in Buddhist terms, the whole world, all worlds, are nothing but the “void illuminating mind.” They are “void” because they consist of nothing but vibrating particles changing at a billionth of a second. They are “illuminating” due to the mind’s intrinsic connection to the source of origins, the Word, the Light of Brahman. So this is where all of this measuring of matter is headed, or should be headed. If Western science, psychology, and religion are to be open-minded, then the next step in Quantum Physics 12
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should not be to render the phenomena of this universe into material particles only, and the next step in Psychology should not be to relegate the human condition to a collection of neuropeptides in the brain, and the next step of religion should not be to champion a fictitious separation between God and mankind. A real step must be a profound footfall, and it must necessarily leave an impression. The impression we must be left with, then, both as human beings and as truth-seekers, is one of the formless nature of existence — the Nirvana of the Buddha, the Beatific Vision of Christ in the Wilderness, the Samadhi of Sri Ramakrishna in contemporary times. Only this will permanently mark life as truly meaningful and worthwhile; everything else is just constant flux and change — including our so-called modern advancements — with no purchase point, no place of arrival. These statements are emphasized in the chart under study by the expression, “the disappearance of physical space.” This is the beginning of formlessness because it signals the absence of physical matter in tandem with the still existing presence of the observer. This is why it is likened to the dream state, wherein objects are evanescent but the participant is still sporting among them. Additionally, all objects experienced within are adeptly projected by the dreamer, which is another key. Better yet is the example of deep sleep, where all forms are gone, but an ever awake presence is underlying. These three states of existence — waking, dreaming, and deep sleep — are essential to Vedantic understanding. Their recognition in present times is a gift of Gaudapada and can be studied deeper in his famous karika. Here, we pick up the right hand side of the chart, moving upwards. The disappearance of physical particles, as has been mentioned earlier, allows for the revelation of prana and, therefore, the worlds of the ancestors. So many cultures, so many religions, worship the ancestors. Their world lies hand in glove next to ours, and we always feel their influence and presence as a result of that intimate proximity. And most souls who are born here on earth are coming forth from that realm of the forefathers, as that is the pool (beyond physical gene pools) out of which these “formless” souls, who still have desires for earthly pleasures, emerge. And though there is need for the physicist to draw back here due to the lack of sensual perception and its “proofs,” the metaphysician is welcomed due to the insights that spring from studying this particular level of science. Unfortunately, occultists, clairvoyants, and other opportunists huddle around this thin veneer of a realm, many of them exacting both superficial preoccupation and a shady living from its shiny surface.
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Sensationalists, hatha yogis, shamans, and others also gravitate it goes on eating.” Taking this observation to a deeper level, the to this area of existence, some fixated on the energy of life force desire for eating thorny bushes lodges deeply in the brain of the and the various and alluring “tricks of prana” it demonstrates, camel, forming a samskara or mental impression there. When and others only desirous of observing, learning, and moving on. the camel body dies, the contents of its brain empty into the To further explain the space of prana, or pranamayakosha, pranic sheath and, due to its prevalent desire for the taste of and the realm of the ancestors in relation to the principle of reinthorny greenery, it seeks for a host that will provide it with just carnation, a teaching on the process of dying can be given. But such a repast in the future. Camel parents, of which there are first, a word must be said here — that Vedanta does not emphamany, are available in great numbers — much to the delight of size the mortality aspect of dying, or even the vaunted “art of the camel driver. A further note could be added here in terms of dying,” but rather the transcendence of the very idea of death, refinement of consciousness. We have mentioned that a human which is illusory. If one still thinks in terms of nothingness after soul has the potential to rise up and out of lower realms of exisdeath, even Western science, tence. The animals are also what to speak of the world’s effecting such a rise by degrees. enlightened sages, have suffi- “...if the embodied being has practiced identifica- Take for instance a cow. It does ciently demonstrated that tion with the Witness/Atman, it no longer under- not pain itself with thorny “nothing” does not exist (i.e., bushes, but rather quietly grazes even matter only converts to goes this dreamlike metamorphosis, and can even on soft grasses, providing milk energy). But if one believes in a to others via that process. This skirt the realms of the ancestors, celestials, and life after death, a so-called postis a sign of evolution, not only mortem emancipation after gods to arrive at a much finer plane of existence.” on the level of gradation of earthly life ends, then read on. species, but also through the Many have heard of the subtle operations of a benign “silver thread,” or that subtle cord that connects the soul to the presence overseeing the growth and sustenance of all creatures. body (the word “soul” in Vedanta means the mental complex, And so we see the import of that Awareness that remains not the real Self). Over the period of an ordinary man’s life, how after atomic particles dissolve. It is all one all-pervasive he thinks and acts leaves a series of impressions (samskaras) on Awareness, no doubt, but beings devoid of its cognizance adapt his mind. These get stored up, not just as habits and complexes It to various qualified and limited usages. This is rather like which he formulates and holds in his brain’s subconscious memblowing bubbles out of one uniform body of soapy liquid. The air ory in this lifetime alone, but as definite directive forces that will within the bubble is the empty ego, and the membrane itself is predicate his future movements in terms of rebirth. the body/brain complex. But who is the one blowing the bubWhen a man leaves his body, then, the previously accented bles? One gets closer to The Great Bubble-blower (Cosmic and unresolved contents of his brain empty up and out through Mind) along the trajectory of this dreamlike ascension into formthe silver thread under the auspice of prana and its powers of lessness. transference. Those subtle contents, holding all that is in store Continuing with the chart on page 13, the mind/soul refines for him in the future, are deposited into a pranic container, someitself, and pranic particles give way to particles of thought, called thing like an invisible bubble, called a spirit body by some, which chit matra. The Sanskrit word for particle is matra. Therefore, then goes looking for a human host. If measuring in increments particles of food or matter are called anna matra, of prana, prana of time, this process could take about a hundred earth years as matra, and of thought, chit matra. The cross-section of pranic the soul “rests” and “plans” in turns. Importantly, the real Self, realms have within it lower, intermediate, and higher heavens. Atman, which is never subject to either movement (since It is The ancestors occupy the lowest heavens, the angels and celesall-pervasive) or transmigration (since It is ever-stationary), tials the next rung of the ladder, and the gods and goddesses looks on from a detached witness standpoint. Of course, if the (here signifying lesser manifestations of divinity) take up resiembodied being has practiced identification with this dence and dominance in the higher pranic plateaus. On the cusp Witness/Atman (sakshi bhutam, the Witness of all phenomena), of this high heaven is where the chit matra becomes so fine that it no longer undergoes this dreamlike metamorphosis, and can the soul, coursing along in involution, finds some very profound even skirt the realms of the ancestors, celestials, and the gods, to personages there — munis, siddhas, devas, and devis. Some of arrive at a much finer plane of existence — can even merge in these beings are so profound that merely making their acquainthe Absolute, “like a hailstone falling into an ocean.” tance results in the ability to destroy the tendency of taking birth The analogy of the camel who eats thorny bushes, menin lower realms ever again. tioned by Sri Ramakrishna, is helpful here. We may have often In this regard, Swami Vivekananda has stated, “The gods and wondered, in our inmost thoughts, why there are so many goddesses are just big men and women,” indicating, among other camels, so many cows, so many humans. It is all based upon things, that some great souls who have transcended earthly life desire. Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi, has told us that the crehave taken a more prominent position in the sweep of worlds ation (projection) is going on because so many beings have not and are now presiding over thousands of souls in their subtle bodfulfilled their desires. A camel is certainly one of these beings. ies, much like a religious leader would do here on earth. This The Great Master has said, “A camel eats thorny bushes until its also clarifies that recurring phenomena called the conqueror, gums bleed from laceration and blood gushes from its mouth; but still world leader, genius, etc., who are powerful souls in the realm of 14
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higher mind but who, in order to realize their nondual Self, take nings. Its Word is the seat of all manifestation, and all expresup a birth in the relative world of gross matter in a human form. sion resulting in apparently separate worlds that appear distinct Thus there are an infinite amount of burgeoning possibilities in from Reality is contained essentially within It. It is in this sense the infinite “fields of the Lord,” and one should remain open to that even the subtlemost of dualities like birth and death, them. bondage and liberation, form and formlessness, are rendered As we course up the ladder of the present chart under study nonactual, or apparent only. Reality is one indivisible and (page 13), the realm of the spiritual luminary appears, especially homogenous whole, despite all appearances otherwise or to the and expressly to those who are blessed enough to perceive it. contrary. This is the “stuff” that spiritual realization is made of, This is where the particles of existence become so rarefied that and it will become more discernible as deep and concentrated even subtle forms are all but absent. This is why the term studies of this nature go forth. “causal” must be applied. The particle of intelligence, After the jnana matra has dissolved into Om, or the jnana matra, is a shining verity, packed with Laya, the only step to make from there is an power that is not merely atomic, but Atmic. extremely subtle one. Swami Brahmananda Back on earth, the power for destruction has stated that this is where true spiritual “...benighted souls became all the “rage,” with the splitting life actually begins. The chart has hanker after the unreal and of the atom. Such discoveries as this, assigned several names to that upperwith their promise of granting greater most spiritual strata, like Brahman, substanceless things of the wealth, greater fame, greater power Svarupa (Essence), and Absolute over others, caused scientists, politiReality. The greatest of all beings, world, and will take births in matter cians, and businessmen to run about like the Divine Incarnations, are again and again in order to enjoy them. for decades in a vociferous frenzy, most conversant with It, but this like hens cackling at the manifestaapplies only upon departing from It This is rather like feasting on tion of a fresh hatching of insects on and taking on a form. In other the barnyard floor. Meanwhile, words, these luminaries can, at will, marshmallows and cotton candy beyond even the idea of destruction, take on a form while still remaining to gain nutrition.” seers, sages, raja yogis, and other lumiconscious of Brahman as their true naries focused instead in deep meditation nature, their Eternal Abode. Others fall upon the jnana matra and, piercing that, victim to forgetfulness, to ignorance. As Sri released a benign force for the highest good of Ramakrishna has so aptly related, “The more all beings in all the many realms. lives that people live in ignorance, the more they come to The word “causal” has been brought up. The realm of believe that birth and death are real, and that God is not.” the spiritually illumined ones is interwoven inextricably with the The divine memory of the luminaries is a most amazing realmless realm of Om, the primal Word into which all things thing. The left hand side of the chart on page 13 shows the dissolve, and out of which all emerges. The chart states this as process of assuming form, of gradually lowering oneself into the laya matra. The word “laya” signifies that which has undergone bath of subtle and grosser particles, like getting into hot water a dissolution. So here, finally, is the dissolution of all particles. It bit at a time. Further, the assumption of form can be done in is the realm of formlessness where all bodies, whether gross or ignorance or in consciousness. That is, the unillumined soul is subtle, are rendered free, emancipated. It is the causal state, like “dragged from birth to death and death to birth,” as Swami deep sleep, since it is the origin of all things which partake of Vivekananda states, by what Sri Krishna calls trishna, desire. form. The teaching of Christ to John takes on greater signifiSuch benighted souls hanker after the unreal and substanceless cance and makes more sense here: “In the beginning was the Word, things of the world, and will take births in matter again and and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” again in order to enjoy them. This is rather like feasting on Taking up this saying in the incomparable light of Vedanta, marshmallows and cotton candy to gain nutrition. And the cirin the realm of the jnana matra, it can be safely and cogently cus of this world will be only too glad to feed the transmigrating unwrapped. To begin, God, Reality, has no beginnings, so Its soul again and again in this fashion. But the illumined ones. Word must supply that. The Word is the source and servant of with their divine memory, never stray from their connection to all causes for that which is Causeless. Brahman, Reality, cannot Brahman. If they take on embodiment at all it is due to fulfillbe a cause for anything, being ever pure. So this is the meaning ing some divinely guided and oriented mission. of “the Word was with God.” It is inseparable from the Lord, but Tracing the left hand side of the chart on page 13, now from has the potential for appearing separate. This is why one sometop to bottom, we see how the conscious soul takes on the always times hears that God and His Word are one and the same, while difficult prospect of form. Unconscious souls never know themat other times the distinction of God from His Word is proselves, so are unaware of the splendors which exist in subtle and claimed. Further, “the Word was with God” is meant to convey causal realms. This is much like remaining uncognizant during that, while the Word can appear separate, and is responsible for the deep sleep phase. But conscious souls have, as Sri Aurobindo has stated, “come up and down the amber stairs of birth and death” formulating all the worlds of name and form in time and space, so often, that they know the way. They have known the Truth, it nevertheless remains always unified with God. and the Truth has set them free. In conclusion: Reality (God) is free of origins and beginADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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Out of the Causal body, then — called Om, Hiranyagarbha, Lord Brahma, Cosmic Mind, Mahat, etc. — higher Awareness, now putting on the garb of an individual soul, seeks to gravitate into the subtle realm where the powers of mental projection are encountered. Following the present theme of our teaching — the miniscule particle — the conscious soul desirous of embodiment is now effectively congealing particles, from causal to subtle to gross, into denser forms, in similar fashion but opposite of what was done previously when dropping all forms and merging into Brahman. The taking on of the physical body, the final and most concrete form, is a careful undertaking for the illumined soul. Whereas others are as if on a roulette wheel, gambling and hoping for the best circumstances, the luminary (as we have read in the Tibetan Book of the Dead and in other salient sources) is busy choosing country, parents, gender, and many other fine points of life in order to facilitate the optimum chances of success for his or her divine mission. The role of past karmas here, or lack thereof, determines so much of this process. As has been related earlier, what a man thought of and acted upon in previous lives is now imminent and ready for fructification. If he was wicked, violent, careless, callous, stubborn, etc., he can hardly stop himself from being “born in ignorant wombs,” as Sri Krishna has stated in the Bhagavad Gita. But the illumined soul is like an excellent archer, and hits the intended mark perfectly due to his wealth of spiritual experience. The world, even in all its ignorance, welcomes this great one into its fold, grateful for such a compassionate being on earth. The prana and psychic prana vibrate in rare and unusual ways when such an auspicious event occurs, and other sincere souls are already making their way, consciously or unconsciously, towards the location of this special soul’s birth. In the center of this chart on page 13 is the image of God in human form. The upper strata, where the finer particles hum with all-penetrating wisdom, is called Visvarupa, the Cosmic Person, and the lower strata, where the gross particles congeal, is called Viratrupa, the universal form. It is all Brahman, as the Mahavakya (Great Statement) at the center of his being declares, but as the ancient rishis proclaimed, Brahman is with form and beyond form as well. Its formless essence is nirguna, free of all attributes and overlays, and Its appearance in form is saguna, a taking on of qualities for the express purpose of manifestation. This chart also incorporates aspects of the Kundalini Yoga system. Noted at several pivotal points along the expanse of this divine form are the names of the chakras, or spiritual vortexes, centers of divine energy where Reality sports in the human form via awakened intelligence, or Shakti power. The three aspects of individual, collective, and cosmic consciousness are also indicated, signifying yet another way of both classifying and explaining the inscrutable miracles and movements of Divine Reality. As the Mundakopanisad quote at the top of the chart relates, the entire universe, its many aspects, and universes unseen, make up His all-pervasive form. It is clear that the ancient seers beheld the Lord and Mother in everything, and everything in Them. And to experience this Divine Couple was possible and encouraged for all, the needed 16
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element in this undertaking being a firm grasp on one’s own divine nature as Consciousness. As Sri Ramakrishna intimates in His great quote at the bottom of this chart, the mind, congealed, has the ability to dissolve into its Source, Brahman. Those atomic particles, like the granules of a sugar cube, will then melt away by degrees in rapt and focused meditation, sweetening life immeasurably in the process. If there be any purpose for this pretended game of evolution and involution, one of the secrets lies here, in space — desha.
Kala, Time: Its Role in Enlightenment Kala, time, also exerts a profound influence over all processes. When considering space, the makeup and study of particles naturally comes to mind. But when contemplating time, the prospect of enlightenment should come to the fore. The appearance and phenomenon of the individual soul as it transmigrates from one mode of existence to the other is a most interesting and crucial study. Unique to Indian philosophy and religion, this process, called evolution and involution, is not restricted to physical space only, as in Western science, or even limited to heaven, earth, and hell like in Theology. It takes in the entire sweep of the many-tiered “Mansion of God” with all its “many Chambers.” And the all-important spiritual element finds its rightful and necessary place via Vedic truth and culture as well. This is true wholism, as well as authentic universality. Vedanta, and all of the Indian darshanas, differ in their conception of time and creation from Western science and theology. Christian theology sticks doggedly to the idea of a seven-day creation theory by a creator, and science trusts in a billions-of-years evolutionary scheme on the physical level only, while Indian seers perceived both the illusory nature of time and its appearance in cycles, in that order, and only then taught about time. Utilizing time in incremental measuring units, the rishis, early on, fashioned a system that saw beyond conventional thinking and was more fitting for the noble facade of time that Maya has conjured up. In this system, three hundred and twenty human years equals one year in the celestial regions, and twelve hundred of these celestial years is reckoned as a Mahayuga (a Mahayuga also gets divided into four Yugas, called satya, treta, dvapara, and kali). Seventy-one Mahayugas form a Manvantara. Fourteen of these Manvantaras are a Kalpa (which is said to be one day of Lord Brahma’s life). And that Kalpa is four billion, three hundred and twenty million earth years. Further, if we take one hundred of these Kalpas and put them together, we can reckon Lord Brahma’s entire lifetime, which gives a clue into how long any given extended cycle of manifestation will last before Pralaya — the dissolution of all name and form into a timeless condition until the next grand cycle begins anew. The life of the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva, then, responsible for overseeing one grand cycle of creation, preservation, and destruction, lasts a very long time. This fact acquaints the individual mind with the Cosmic Mind and some of its ramifications. Some have heard of the Cosmic Mind of God in the West, or God’s Mind. In Eastern conception, many facets of it have been introduced to humanity, allowing for a closer relationship with this Lord as the Supreme Personality.
When the Vedanta speaks about the phenomena of creas has been said, projected by the mind, not created out of nothation, preservation, and destruction, what is really being stated is ing. A creation out of nothing is an obvious impossibility. projection, sustenance, and dissolution. To give a simple analoEverything exists. It is more a matter of whether worlds and gy, waves rise up, sport a moment, then fall back into the ocean. their objects are in a state of manifestation or nonmanifestation. Millions of them are doing so all of the time, ad infinitum. What When all is in a state of nonmanifestation (Unmanifested is remarkable is not so much the multitudinous sportive play, but Prakriti), worlds, beings, and objects simply do not appear. They the fact that both ocean and water remain the same and retain are nevertheless held in abeyance, or in potential. This is where their inherent nature in all this constant motion. By all appearthe Word, AUM, comes into play. All beginnings are in the ances, form is getting assumed and released; Word, and even these are nonactual, only but all forms are drawn out of one indivisapparent. ible liquid with a single essence. When this fact is understood, further “To introduce the finer Whereas this analogy applies well to realizations such as nontransformation points of the subject of time embodying souls and Brahman, it also and the nonexistence of birth and death pertains to waves of time. The Cosmic can dawn (see my article in the previous to an aspiring sadhaka Mind does not “create” them out of nothissue). To make this cosmological assering, it projects them out of the ocean of tion clearer is to state simply that what is to help him or her court potential (Unmanifested Prakriti) lying human beings on earth perceive of as a enlightenment itself, which is a within the Great Mind Itself. Both the void is actually only a period of nonmanimathematical sign for infinity, and the festation. Realizations such as this will state completely free of time. snake swallowing its own tail have been put to rest such considerations like the used as symbols for this illimitable princi“big bang” and what happened before it, The ordinary mind, ple. or concerns like the extinction of a species however, is not aware of the The fact that Brahman pervades all or a race, etc. Basically, nothing gets born, cycles of time also shows time up to be i.e., nothing gets created, and nothing esoteric secrets of time, illusory. The condition of a man resting dies, i.e., gets destroyed. Existence Itself, in the deep sleep state (sushupti) illuscall It by any name, is eternal. All that especially at the outset of its trates the disappearance of the concept of comes out of It — like lokas, universes, incarnation. It must be time. There he is “lost to the world,” as planets, worlds, people, bodies, objects — the saying goes. No family, job, or locaare equally eternal. The only distinction trained, over time, about time, tion, much less any worry about time, necessary to make is between the sentient belabors him there. Ego has quit botherand the insentient. And both these catein order to make ing him too — for at least as long as deep gories are unborn, but one seems to the best use of time — all so sleep lasts. And besides the Brahman change while the other remains completestate wherein no separate observer exists, ly static and immutable. In this relation, that it can transcend time.” there is a witness of time. Called the Svetasvataropanisad states: “The everSivakala, His name lends itself to many conscious subject and the unconscious object, connotations, including destroyer of time, the master and the dependent, both are victorious over death, witness of all phenomena, etc. He unborn.” This immutability is called Aparinama in Sanskrit, or destroys the illusion of time so that the sincere seeker can realize Nontransformation. The illusion or absence of birth and death the timeless, deathless nature and receive, acknowledge, and is called Ajativada, or the path of the unborn. These two allenjoy the enlightened state of pure Awareness. This is the living important axioms need to be introduced and taught about often liberated condition, Jivanmukti. to Western society, and focused upon in both its daily life and its In typical Vedantic fashion, the aspirant after truth learns refashioned, refurbished philosophy. how time is both helpful towards an enlightened end and, as The seven upper worlds of the Vedic cosmological system already stated, ultimately illusory. To introduce the finer points contain three which constitute the worlds of return, and four of this enthralling subject to an aspiring sadhaka (practitioner) is which, though they are not subject to rebirth, nevertheless lie in to help him or her court enlightenment itself, which is a state the realm of form, albeit very subtle form. These worlds are completely free of time. The ordinary mind, however, is not Bhurloka, Bhuvarloka, Svarloka, Maharloka, Janaloka, Taparloka, aware of the esoteric secrets of time, especially at the outset of its and Brahmaloka (also called Satyaloka). The reader should note incarnation. It must be trained, over time, about time, in order that all seven are categorized so as to fall under the heading of to make the best use of time — all so that it can transcend time. Maya. This gives us a more thorough definition of this perplexAs Sri Ramchandra has stated, “Enlightenment dawns on the mind ing word. To repeat, maya is simply the worlds of name and form in stages.” With this in mind, we explore the topic of time via a in time and space based upon causation. This makes sense, since clear visual aid (chart on page 19) and some wisdom teachings. the definition of Absolute Reality, Brahman, is that it is nameAccording to Vedic cosmology, the gradation of lokas, or less and formless. realms, is broken into seven upper and seven lower, with each Thus, the chart shows the realm of Maya, a cube of multiple overlapping dimensions containing the seven upper and lower subdivision holding countless worlds of its own. All of them are, ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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“Existence Itself, call It by any name, is eternal. All that comes out of It — like lokas, universes, planets, worlds, people, bodies, objects — are equally eternal. The only distinction necessary to make is between the sentient and the insentient. And both these categories are unborn, but one seems to change while the other remains completely static and immutable.” worlds. Additionally, the lower worlds are called patalas, roughly translated as “sunken grounds,” and are where lost, confused, and demented minds take up their dream-residence based upon their own darkened state — in turn based upon the actions they perpetrated in life on earth. Earth, the Bhurloka, is a pivotal one, then, for there the human soul makes or breaks itself with regards to bondage and liberation. As pertaining to all worlds — lower, intermediate, higher; gross, subtle, and causal — they are not actual locations. They are mental projections fashioned at the behest of the cosmic, collective, and individual mind, combined. All worlds exist in Consciousness, then, while Consciousness does not exist in the worlds. That is, Consciousness, pure and indivisible, cannot be made to inhabit a world or a form. As one wise Western philosopher, Plotinus, put it, “The body is not a location for the Soul.” Rather, the unawakened mind, with the help of the insentient maya, fashions the worlds and then imagines itself sporting there. This is rather like a wizard who conjures an enchanting world with his magic wand, then, fascinated by his own design, enters into it to play there, accidently leaving his wand outside. Once inside, however, he forgets that he created said world and mistakenly gets trapped therein. This is similar to the condition of the benighted soul, dreaming and in forgetfulness of his birthless, deathless, timeless, spaceless, causeless, divine nature. It now becomes clear, and in perfect context to this subject, why Sri Ramakrishna has said: “The mind is both the doorway to heaven and the gateway to hell. One must make a friend of it.” Another word for maya is Samsara, though that word has its own connotations as well. And though the word has been defined as “rounds of birth and death in ignorance based upon karma and suffering,” a more complete rendering might state “a dream transmigration in assumed bondage based upon the relative laws of karma leading to unreal suffering.” Whatever the case may be, the benighted soul’s feigned journey, which seems real enough to it, begins here, as indicated at the lower left hand side of the chart under study on the facing page. Contrary to so many other perspectives, Vedanta avers that the entire idea of time is really so that beings can work their way out of this falsely superimposed separation from Reality that they have created. And soberingly enough, no god will help them do this, and no devil will keep them from it — for both god and devil are dubious concepts that have been hammered out in the furnace of the unillumined mind over countless eons. This is not saying that god and devil do not exist; it means that they exist in the mind of mankind, like all other ideas — like space and time. If the objection is raised that God cannot be limited to the mind, that is exactly the point. God, Reality, cannot be limited. The 18
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idea of god and devil that one has in one’s mind, being an idea, is not Reality. Reality is formless, as has already been stated, transcendent of ideas and concepts. Thus, Swami Vivekananda says, “There is no god, there is no devil; there is only the Great Self.” Now, one can call this Great Self by the word “God” if one wants, but it might be more fitting to keep Reality both nameless and formless, as It is. Lord Buddha was not an atheist, as some would opine. When asked if there was a God, he said, “Did I say there was a God?” When asked, next, if there was no God, then, he stated, “Did I say there was no God?” This noncommittal attitude is beneficial at times, for many of us have seen what a confused mess fundamentalist religion and theology has made of the otherwise honorable principle of the personal God. As beings work their way to realization of a freedom that is ever within them, this march over time culminates in unity with Reality. Christ defined this via the nondual statement, “I and my Father are One.” Freedom of this ultimate type was called Mukti in Sanskrit by the ancient rishis. However, as one scours the scriptures, and takes in the stories, teachings, and experiences of the saints and seers, the existence of a few conditioned types of mukti are noticed as well. In terms of the transmigrating soul (mind) of the jiva (embodied being), the entire matter is about Kramamukti, or gradual enlightenment — what my guru used to call a “post-mortem emancipation.” Though not the best case scenario, it nevertheless applies to beings who are as yet unable to cognize and realize their stainless immutable Self, Atman. Kramamukti can be likened to a sleeper who, though awakened in the morning, falls back asleep, then is awakened again. Even when he is up and around he is still sleepy-headed, and does not come into full awareness until late afternoon. Perhaps he really “lives” only at night. Our chart under study reveals what criteria are to be satisfied for Kramamukti, all placed in the perspective of what the soul is laboring under that keeps it from seeking freedom. The unripe ego, participation in deluded thinking, obsession with matter, identification with the physical form, and running after material objects for the sake of fleeting pleasure make up this list in part. But as our happy and good fortune-conferring elephant-headed god, Ganesha, points out: “Once hearing of the Essence, all tasks will be accomplished and all confusions will end.” This describes well the fortuitous occurrence of Kramamukti, for when all facets of the aforementioned list are seen as projections of the spiritually unawakened mind in Maya, the prospect of a noble and blissful freedom becomes desirable and enters the realm of possibility. The next stage of enlightenment is the wonder of Jivanmukti. Great souls have spoken of it, from the ancient Lord Vasishtha to the more recent Shankara, and forward in time to
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the contemporary divine personage, Swami Vivekananda. The path to its attainment is paved at the outset by such practices as the observance of morality and the calming and centering of the intellectual mind. Later, as the chart reveals, the boon of holy company is gained, which compels the aspirant seeking freedom to pick up the scriptures and study them, while clarifying their points and principles with an illumined guru. Jivanmukti, as elevated as it is, begs that all beings be free. That is, individual freedom is both unsatisfactory and implausible, for the Jivanmukta is aware that as long as even a single soul suffers in ignorance, no real freedom is possible. Jivanmukti has at least one great advantage over Kramamukti in that the worlds of name and form are rendered insipid and undesirable. No “falling from grace” happens to a Jivanmukta. This is instanced in a quote by Sri Krishna: “The holy ones worship Me, for they would stay clear of the joyless, transient worlds.” Asukham anityam lokam, as the Sanskrit evinces, characterizes this world of matter. If it were not for the overall ignorance of society in general, more people might come to know this. But societies run after the objects of their desires, gross or subtle, not knowing that they are empty. This emptiness is related to shunyata in Buddhism. Emptiness contains two teachings, two spiritual laws about objects. We can borrow from Science and Christianity to understand them both. First, objects are substanceless. Science has revealed this, showing how tiny particles which make up objects are constantly in motion and changing at a billionth of a second. No further proof of emptiness need be offered in this regard. Secondly, emptiness means that the object does not have, nor can it confer, any ability to fulfill its possessor. Here, and where the word shunyata is a Buddhist contribution, the Christ gave us ultimatums such as “You cannot worship God and Mammon at the same time,” and, “Store up your riches in heaven and not on earth,” and, “All fulfillment is in the Lord, sayeth the Lord.” Statements such as these ought to convince us. Taking this double-edged sword of spiritual discrimination, the Jivanmukta cuts through all confusion regarding the objective world as easily as a mid-wife cuts an umbilical cord. The expanse of time that it takes an embodied soul to get free of the trammels of maya depends upon how adept that soul is at comprehending truth, and how many stored-up karmas exist. Going to an assumed death with a confused mind will only deposit one back, unceremoniously, in the worlds of name and form. That is why the Jivanmukta will look long and longingly at that upper echelon of enlightenment called Videhamukti — freedom from all types of bodies. For, as the scheme of the seven upper worlds has related, freedom from birth in the bhurloka (earth), in the bhuvarloka (intermediary heavens), and in svarloka (higher heaven) does not mean that name and form have dissolved into Aum (Omkaravrittidhyan), or Brahman (Brahmakaravrittidhyan). These four upper worlds have form too. Buddha stated: “Architect of the worlds, I have seen thee! I will now cease to build any more houses — houses made of wood or brick, houses made of flesh and bone, houses made of thought and wise conception.” In Vedic terms, the Buddha, the awakened one, perceived the world-bewitching Maya in his deepest contemplations, and having achieved that striking vision, vowed to transcend all bodies, gross or subtle. 20
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The only mukti left after the happy abandonment of all bodies, all forms, is Sarvamukti, the All-Enlightened state. Living in this state beyond all states is indescribable, for all beings are seen as nothing less than the Light of Brahman, whether in form or not. Thus, all beings are Ever-Enlightened. All ideas of bondage and suffering are mere dreams, self-imposed superimpositions. Babaji Bob Kindler is the spiritual director of the SRV Associations with centers in Hawaii, Oregon, and California. A teacher of religion and spirituality and a prolific author, his books include The Avadhut, TwentyFour Aspects of Mother Kali, Ten Divine Articles of Sri Durga, Sri Sarada Vijnanagita, Swami Vivekananda Vijnanagita, An Extensive Anthology of Sri Ramakrishna’s Stories, and A Quintessential Yoga Vasishtha. Founder and Artistic Director of Jai Ma Music, he is also an accomplished musician and composer who has produced over twenty-five albums of instrumental and devotional music.
Whom to Fear? We shall crush the stars to Atoms, and unhinge the universe. Don’t you know who we are? We are the servants of Sri Ramakrishna. It is only those foolish people who identify themselves with their bodies who piteously cry, “We are weak, we are lowly.” All this is atheism. Now that we have attained the state beyond fear, we shall have no more fear and become heroes. This indeed is theism which we, the servants of Sri Ramakrishna, will choose. Giving up attachment for the world and drinking constantly the supreme nectar of immortality, forever discarding that self-seeking spirit which is the mother of all dissension, and ever meditating on the blessed feet of our Guru which are the embodiment of all well-being, we invite the whole world to participate in drinking this nectar. That nectar which has been obtained by churning the infinite ocean of the Vedas, into which Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and other gods have poured their strength, which is charged with the life-essence of the Avataras — Gods incarnate on earth — Sri Ramakrishna holds that nectar in his person, in its fullest measure. Swami Vivekananda Poem used by permission of Advaita Ashrama
Swami Aseshananda ◆
Reason and Enlightenment This rousing and illumined discourse by revered Swami Aseshanandaji Maharaj was given from the podium of the Vedanta Society of Portland, Oregon, on July of 1976, to his devotees and students.
I
have chosen for my subject today the topic of Reason and Enlightenment. To begin, we must note that Western civilization is predominantly a dualistic civilization. In the middle ages the great theologian, Saint Augustine, has given the key to the solution of all problems as faith in revelation. But after the renaissance, reason became the predominant keynote of the philosophical tradition of the Western mind, so that when we think of reason we are to think of the Greek philosophers, especially Plato and Aristotle. These two great philosophers have given western man what I call the rational approach to truth and theological monotheism. I call it faith in monotheism; that was the gift of Augustine. He perceived a split, a gulf between science and religion. The voice of science is the voice of reason. The voice of religion is the voice of faith. So he found a kind of dichotomy, a kind of split; a kind of gulf between religion and science. Augustine tried to bring synthesis between science and religion in a way which the western mind has not yet accepted. Instead, western mind has accepted the method which was applied by Thomas Aquinas by using two definitive terms: natural and supernatural. Natural religion is based on the Five Proofs of the Existence of God as we find in the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas. When I was a student of philosophy I quoted those five proofs of the existence of God, but today I do not accept a single one as ultimate. I call them cosmological proofs, intellectual proofs, theological proofs, but ultimately they are no proof at all. The only real proof is one’s personal experience of God in a transcendental state of consciousness. And I must state that God is personal when you establish a relationship with him as father, mother, friend, or beloved, but is impersonal otherwise. That means Atman and Brahman are identical when you attain the state of consciousness which Vedantists call Nirvikalpa Samadhi, or Turiya. Therefore, enlightenment is to be interpreted as Swami Vivekananda interpreted it — the oneness of existence, the divinity of man, and the universality of the real Self of every individual irrespective of creed, color, nationality, and race. The West has not accepted nondualism because original sin is the most important note in its symphony. And if you constantly harp on the music of original sin, you will not accept Advaita Vedanta, nondualism, which always sings the inspiring song of Freedom, called jivanmukti. We have come to this earth to attain jivanmukti, not salvation. Salvation, or a post-mortem experience, happens when you go to heaven. But this also requires a return. Only finite things
go forth and return. But the infinite spirit of man neither goes nor returns; is neither born nor dies. Therefore, according to Advaita Vedanta birth is illusory, death is illusory, going to heaven is illusory. What is not illusory then? Freedom. Freedom from what? Freedom from old age, disease, and death; freedom from loneliness; freedom from attachment to the gross material values of this transient and transitory world.
Seeing Differences Everywhere Somebody told me recently that a famous store in Portland has burned down. I'm very sorry; very, very sorry that the store has been burnt down. But it reminds me of Buddha. Buddha mentioned the same thing: “you are living in a burning house.” Portlanders called the fire brigade to come and stop the fire. But this fire of maya cannot be stopped by fire brigade, or by any fire extinguishing system. It can be stopped only by Atmajnanam, knowledge of your true Self. Your true Self is not sinful, but divine; is not mortal, but immortal; is not imperfect, but perfect. I read recently that America is sending a negro ambassador to Africa to solve the problems between the whites and the blacks; it is impossible. As long as you create any distinction there is bound to be animosity, hate, jealousy, and all kinds of negative thoughts and ideas. These create war, and further rumors of war. Until you see no difference between a white man and a black man you will never find inner peace, inner contentment, inner satisfaction, and inner certitude. When I met Swami Turiyananda, I quoted to him from Bhartrhari. Bhartrhari, you see, was a king, but soon he came to know the illusoriness of this world. And so he has written what is called the Vairagya Shatakam. First he wrote Sringara Shatakam; its message is that man is always hounded by amorous love. You see, love failed him. Then he wrote a hundred verses called the Niti Shatakam. Its message was on morality. When maturity came to him, then he wrote Vairagya Shatakam; that means a hundred verses on renunciation — that is maturity, that is the final statement on this world. Unless Protestant America accepts renunciation, Protestant America will not be able to accept the Truth which Christ came to speak to the Western world. Further, Christ was not an American, nor British, nor French, nor German; he was an Eastern man, he was an Oriental. The West has produced scientists and politicians but it has not produced any prophets or incarnations of God. But speaking of distinctions, that does not mean that the East-West difference should remain. It is only that the West has specialized in Aparavidya [secular knowledge] in scientific knowledge and techADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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nological efficiency. But the East, especially through Sri pletely with the Divine Mother of this world. Ramakrishna, has specialized in Paravidya [supreme or spiritual What you call Divine Mother I call Chit Shakti. Through wisdom]. And his great messenger, science what you get by splitting the Swami Vivekananda, has given atom using uranium or plutonium the truth of the doctrine of the is energy only, and that is utilized “Where there is health there is fear of divinity of man; that mankind is for the purpose of destruction — disease; where there is beauty there is fear divine. When he preached at the to blow up the world. But here Parliament of Religions he said: comes Kundalini Shakti. Through of disfigurement; where there is fame there "Ye divinities on earth, it is a sin to leading a good life one awakens call a man sinner." Therefore, Sri spiritual consciousness. is fear of slander; where there is knowledge Ramakrishna has come to tell the Ultimately you realize that you there is fear of competition; where there is Western man and Western are infinite. That you think yourwoman that through the bhoga self finite is due to your ignorance. money there is fear of thieves. Only marga, the path of enjoyment, That means you have hypnotized you will never find inner peace yourself into thinking that you are Renunciation is fearless.” and certitude. Disappointment finite, you are mortal, you are sinand frustration are bound to come ful, you are lowly, you are lost. But instead. come out of this veil of maya and realize your true nature with its And that is the reason why I pay tribute to Swami infinite existence, infinite knowledge, and infinite bliss. For Turiyananda, for giving me the urge and the inspiration to come that, the guru is necessary. out of the burning house of this world and accept Sri Ramakrishna as the guiding spirit to help me in reaching the Got Guru Bhakti? supreme goal of human existence. He loved the Vairagya Guru means a state of consciousness where there is no dualShatakam, which states: “where there is health there is a fear of disity; this is the concept of guru. You read in the Mandukyo ease, where there is beauty there is fear of disfigurement; where there Upanishad: That which is permanent cannot be attained by is fame there is fear of slander; where there is money there is a fear of matters which are impermanent. For, in order to know the ultihijackers” — not ordinary thieves, because people are now riding mate reality you must know your real Self. At first, it may be a in airplanes [laughter]. “Only renunciation is fearless.” You see, if realization of the personal Brahman. But when you establish a you have attained a distinguished position there is a fear of losrelation with the personal Brahman you only “taste sugar.” That ing it. Remember Watergate? The episode of Watergate took means that you enter communion with the personal aspect of place when I was in Washington, D.C. It is a good example of God. When Sri Ramakrishna was practicing sadhana under the the fear of losing one’s lofty position. So, today on the throne of instruction of Bhairavi Brahmani, He attained realization of God France, tomorrow food for worms, as Napoleon. That is the fate in the personal aspect; God as father, God as mother, God as of all politicians. But he also mentioned Christ — today a carbeloved, God as one's own Antaryami — the “Inner Ruler penter's son, and he dies unknown, unhonored; but tomorrow he Immortal seated in the Heart.” is worshiped by thousands of people who think in terms of the But when the Master was practicing Advaita Vedanta sadeternal values of life. hana under Tota Puri, there was no difficulty for Him to withdraw his mind from the external world of the senses, the exterHugging Maya or Worshipping Mother? nal world of objects and people. But difficulty came to Him while trying to transcend the realm of the personal God, the face So people are hugging maya. The Western civilization is of the Mother, the image of the Mother, the personality of hollow and unsubstantial, as Swami Vivekananda has brutally Mother. That came back a few times, two times. Then Tota Puri put it. Swamiji will be unpopular for a time. What can I do? If searched for something and put a piece of glass between the I quote the great ones will l become unpopular? Where there are Master’s eyebrows. “Concentrate your mind here," he stated. lectures there is fear of misunderstanding [laughter]. But it is Then Sri Ramakrishna cut the form of the Mother away using better to be unpopular along with — how to say — an illumined the sword of discrimination and His mind soared to a transcenminority, than popular with an articulate majority. This is the dental state beyond the world and the senses. reason why I am speaking today. Protestant religion especially That transcendental beyond is call Nirvikalpa Samadhi. — what has it done? Tried to mix religion with enjoyment? You And when a man attains that Nirvikalpa Samadhi he realizes are only trying to harmonize yoga and bhoga, and that is imposthat Atman and Brahman are identical. He perceives that the sible. Only through tyaga, renunciation, is all possible. So you real Self of man is not finite, but infinite; is not the wave in the say you have a wife and children? Then renounce the false outocean of life or the ocean of existence, but it is the infinite Spirit look. Try to see God in your wife. Well, it is difficult; but it is — timeless, spaceless, and causeless. not impossible. [laughter] Sri Ramakrishna did it. He saw the Divine Mother in His wife. And He worshiped Her, literally worshiped Her. And when Holy Mother was worshiped by Sri Causality and Reality Ramakrishna She went into samadhi and identified Herself comBut the West has accepted causation to be the final truth, 22
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the ultimate truth, following Aristotle. The prime Chaitanya means witness Consciousness. It is mover that was accepted by Thomas Aquinas that background Consciousness which following Aristotle, and so he has fashMeister Eckhart called the “Ground of “....rationalism is nothing ioned this universe into a close knit and Existence.” It is the real Self of man. But the scientific tidy little box. And unless you know that to be your but vritti chaitanya, interpretation of this universe was real Self you will never be free. an ever expanding universe. When Christ said “You shall know consciousness that is still vibrating. However, the scientists think the Truth and the Truth will make Pure Consciousness is free of that. matter is indestructible. No, matyou free,” it means I am the ter is not indestructible; nor is it Truth. When I am ignorant I In other words, you are identifying yourself destructible. It is unoriginated. identify myself with my body, America has accepted the spirit with my mind, with my senses, with the thought waves of the mind. that moves, following Aristotle's with my intellect, and with my But your svarupa chaitanya, your witness dictum of a prime mover. ego. I vibrate all over. But Therefore, the God of America is when I become illumined, I Consciousness, is the background a personal God; He is called immaidentify myself with my swarupa, nent as well as transcendent. my real nature, which is pure, Consciousness. The foreground is But Shankara states, "If infinite stainless, perfect, immortal, infinite, vibrational, but the background changes, it is not infinite at all." and ever still. Therefore, Shankara's philosophy is not So this is the message which Swami remains static.” the path of name and form, and is not the Vivekananda came to give to the western doctrine of causation. It is the doctrine of nonman so that he may be awakened from his slumcausality. A better word would be vivarta, false superber, and from his slumber of power. Power corrupts, imposition. Anything that you know through the intellect, wisdom saves. And that is the reason why it is so important to through the light of reason, is only an appearance — nama rupa, live a life of renunciation, a life of dedication, a life of inner guna, time, space, and causation. It is all maya. But maya is not quest which will bring inner fulfillment when man has the illusion. Maya means life as contradiction. In this life of concapacity for it, has the ability for it, has adhikara — fitness to tradiction you will find that maya has two powers: the power of reach the goal of perfection, of immortality, of what the empaconcealment and power of revelation. It reveals the manifoldthetic soul calls bringing solace in the midst of sorrow to human ness of the universe and conceals the oneness of existence. And beings who are waiting for light in the well of darkness. that is the reason why the West has accepted what is called a realistic philosophy of life, that the world is real. But how can Adhikara — Qualification for Spiritual Life any thing be real which is constantly changing? What is the defAfter realization, Sri Ramakrishna wanted competent stuinition of reality? dents to hear Him and spread the message. And not only to hear Nagarjuna, as well as Gaudapada, will say that Reality is that Him, but to transform life according to the teachings and be a which cannot be contradicted in the past, present, or future. blessing to all mankind. And so, Swami Vivekananda came. He That which cannot be contradicted in waking, dream, or deep is the most competent disciple of Sri Ramakrishna. And that is sleep, or even in the state called samadhi — that is Reality. the reason why Sri Ramakrishna is the fountainhead of inspiraTherefore, Shankaracharya is not calling Nirvikalpa Samadhi a tion, and next is Swami Vivekananda. But Holy Mother — I state. Anything that is a state you can reach. But Reality is like Holy Mother. But Holy Mother is in the heart, because She never reached, it is Real. It is svarupa, essence. The West, then, is the Antaryami. These are the three persons we always adore, has accepted vritti-jnana, the concept of mental vibration always worship, always pay our homage to. Sri Ramakrishna is through the intellectual presence of rational understanding. the ideal teacher. Holy Mother is the ideal sangha janani, the Enlightenment to the western man means rationalism. But Mother of our whole organization — although I would add that rationalism is nothing but vritti chaitanya, consciousness that is She is the Universal Mother because She did not make any disstill vibrating. Pure Consciousness is free of that. In other tinction between Eastern man or Western man. words, you are identifying yourself with the thought waves of the I remember one story about Her, although I was not present mind. But your svarupa chaitanya, your witness Consciousness, is at that time. Mother's nieces — Radhu, Maku, Nalini — they the background Consciousness. The foreground is vibrational, all wanted some cloth manufactured in Manchester. But there the background remains static. in 1921 we did not accept anything which came from Britain — Just for example, suppose somebody is going to show a movie spinning wheels everywhere, and weaving and all that. But or a video tape. There you find that the pictures are constantly Indian cloth is very coarse, so these nieces did not like that. moving. But the screen is stationary. Similarly, behind the They wanted Manchester cloth. So Holy Mother asked a brahchanging phenomena of the universe there is the essence, called machari to secure some. "Mother I cannot do,” he said, “for I was Brahman. Behind what you call the psycho-physical being of a follower of Gandhi before I came to Ramakrishna; so it is not man there is what Shankara called nitya chaitanya, meaning eterpossible." Alright,” She said. Then She asked another brahnal Consciousness. Kapila calls it Sakshi Chaitanya. Sakshi ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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“...scientific investigation, which has produced wonderful discoveries in the physical universe, owes its success to this selfsame concentrated power of mind. In that case, however, it became focused on the mutable object.
Now try to concentrate it on the Eternal Subject.”
machari. "Mother,” he said, “what you will say I will do. I have no objection to do anything which you like." Then the Mother stated about the English that "They too are my children.” This is the Universal Mother. So religion should not have any kind of exclusiveness. But dualistic religions are bound to bring some kind of exclusiveness. Gaudapada said dualists will quarrel among themselves. But I cannot quarrel with any dualist, because I know that even the dualist who is trying to argue with me is my real Self — even the person who says “you are no good.” So here is Advaita alone, because in dvaita you have to create some kind of dualism. Dualism means seeing distinction, and there you are bound to create fear within yourself.
An Age for Advaita, thus for Meditation Although the West has done an immense good, this is the age for the spread of Advaita. So many people admire American civilization because it has given such a beautiful society, affluent society, good neighborliness, and a clean home. I go for a walk and I find that people take so much interest in the garden, raising flowers, and also see that the lawn is green. The lawn does not become like straw, a straw hat [laughter]. All these things are alright, but it is all external. The power of dreaming has been emphasized too much. But there is a world of difference between the power of being and power of dreaming. Whenever Christ had to make any decision He would enter into the garden of Gethsemane. Whenever you find in the Bible that it was written that He went into the forest, or went into the desert, it is a symbol of meditation. Meditation is necessary. Therefore we cite Guru shakti. Guru shakti means the power of the guru when he becomes illumined. Then he is competent to transmit spirituality to his students. That is why Holy Mother used to say, “Whatever I had to give you, I gave it at the time of initiation.” The meaning of initiation is introducing the student into a spiritual path, a path which will lead to the goal. And that is the reason why meditation plays a very important part in spiritual life. In the Jain Buddhist monastery there is a kind of saying, "No meditation, no food." If you have not meditated then you will not get lunch, you will not get dinner, and you don't even get breakfast [laughter]. No meditation, no food. But here we are so lenient. Meditate or not, it makes no difference; everyone gets fed. [laughter]. So the whole idea is that either you go outward, or you go inward. If you go outward then you become a scientist, but if you go inward you become — I don't want to use the word mystic — you become an illumined soul. Concentration is necessary, you see, so mind can be gathered in and focused.
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The Key of Concentration Now, this concentrated mind, like the rays of the sun when you catch them under a lens, is to be conserved. It is this concentrated power that brings light to the mind. Now, scientific investigation, which has produced wonderful discoveries in the physical universe, owes its success to this selfsame concentrated power of mind. In that case, however, it became focused on the mutable object. Now try to concentrate it on the Eternal Subject. And in order to do that you have to ask “Who am I?” When you answer that question you will find that your mind is concentrated, then you transcend the mind. The purpose of disciplining the mind is to transcend the mind. Because as long as we live in the realm of the mind we are bound to see only the appearance of the world. When we transcend mind we find the background of the mind, which is called the Atman, is the same reality behind the phenomenal universe. That is why Sri Ramakrishna has said that all troubles will cease when ego is liquidated. But the Buddhists have spoken about the liquidation of the ego as meaning to blow out, as in Nirvana. That will lead to a heaven of nothingness. But nirvana is not only blowing out or making extinct; it is becoming calm wherein all desires are stilled by fulfillment of the real primal desire — attaining immortality, attaining jivanmukti. And therefore, when you read what is called The Light of Asia, you find that a dewdrop entering the sea is lost. That you think yourself the dewdrop is due to ignorance. You are always the ocean. And you have forgotten that. Why have you forgotten? That question is very difficult. Why have you forgotten? Because you are asking a logical question. Why? Because time, space, and causation only operate in the world of duality. But when you reach nondual experience, the world of time, space, and causation will not operate. That is what is called the three categories of the mind. When used, these categories of the mind will “see through a glass darkly.” But when we transcend mind there is oneness of existence. And there will not be a distinction between I and my father, or I and my mother. Distinction is bound to remain if you remain on the intellectual plane between subject and object. But the essence of the subject and essence of this object are identical. When we become illumined there is no distinction between I, my God, and the universe.
De-hypnotizing Message of the Upanisads So this is the reason why Paravidya is the theme of the Upanisads. Swami Vivekananda stated that he taught nothing other than the Upanisads in the East and in the West. And the Upanisadic message is: if you have realized the Atman you will conquer death; you will conquer the fear of death, which is the greatest fear that man has to encounter in his journey towards the goal. William Blake said that when the doors of perception
are cleansed, man will see the universe as it is, as infinite. Then, the next moment, he said, when the doors of perception are seized, one will see what is called infinity in a grain of sand. Therefore, according to Shankara, in maya there is question, but also no answer. In other words, when you transcend maya there is no question and so there will be no need of an answer. It is a kind of jigsaw puzzle. In other words, when you have experienced the Truth in your own life there will not be questions. Questions come when you are ignorant. Today, in rainy Portland, you are not seeing the sun, but that does not mean the sun is not shining; there is a cloud. So remove the cloud. Similarly, when you remove the cloud of ignorance then your swarupa will shine, just as it is the real nature of the sun is to shine. But the nature of the moon is to shine by borrowed light; similarly, intellect or reason shines by borrowed light. The Atman, the real Self of man, shines by its own intrinsic light. The vyavaharika truth comes when we think in terms of intellectual knowledge. That you think yourself to be finite is due to self-hypnotism — a kind of spiritual amnesia. I remember a hypnotist once came to our school. A Hindu boy, his name was Ramachandra, fell under his spell. The hypnotist gave suggestions: What is your name? The boy said, “Ramachandra.” Then the hypnotist moved his hand a little this way, then that way, and touched Ramachandra’s body. Then he said, “Your name is Sheik Abdulha.” For ten minutes he gave Ramachandra this name. Then Ramchandra said, “My name is Sheik Abdulha. Just like this, your radios and televisions are hypnotizing you. Take life insurance, for instance. They tell you that all your problems will be solved. It is kind of hypnotism. Mass media creates hypnotism. Therefore, I do not read the newspaper. I do not see any television. But I get the news. Once, when I was walking, I asked my Jewish friend, "What is the important news today? What is THE news of the day?" "Swami, there is nothing very special,” he replied. Then: “Oh, I've forgotten. President Reagan has sent a black ambassador to South Africa." But I ask you, will this solve the problem between the Negroes and the South African Whites? Think for yourself and you will see.
to produce a lecture on Saturday. Why? Because the Seventh Day Adventists observe sabbath day on Saturday. And then there are the sandwich churches [laughter]. One church is called the Western Baptist Church, another is this Presbyterian one. So, to satisfy mainline Christianity I also have to speak on Sunday. But is it really true that God worked six days and took rest on the seventh day? There are some people who work on Sunday. So intense activity with intense rest is necessary. However, then there is this news that you were born in sin. But the good news in Vedanta is that you are Divine. You have only forgotten your divinity, so try to remember it by approaching an illumined soul or an Avatar. An Avatar comes to give you what you have forgotten. And what have you forgotten? That you are all children of immortal bliss. And by realizing your immortality you will soon come to scorn the material pleasures of life and dedicate your life for the good of all, for the happiness of all, irrespective of creed, color, nationality, and race. May good betide all; may happiness come to all; may all see the face of Truth and be fortified by the armor of love, good will, and understanding. This is my prayer to Holy Mother, whom is installed in my heart, and whose living presence has inspired me all through these days of my life in America. Thank you.
Good News: You are all Children of Immortal Bliss And this is the reason why Sri Ramakrishna has come to earth. My religion has no caste, has no creed, has no color distinction. If you are really a spiritual aspirant then no distinction will remain in you. Holy Mother said that She saw Amjad, a robber, and Swami Saradananda, a holy man and illumined Soul, the same. So you see, the West has forgotten. It has accepted what is called "ethical religion," and therefore the accent on good and evil. On one side there is an angel of goodness, and on the other is Lucifer, the creator of trouble. But Advaita Vedanta states that as long as you are seeing this kind of distinction between good and evil you are ignorant. Behind the goodness of a spiritual man and worldliness of a secular man is the same infinite Spirit. This distinction between sacred and secular was given by Aristotle. And that is the reason why the West makes a distinction between the working day and the sabbath day. In order to please this custom now I have
Swami Aseshanandaji on the Oregon Coast
Swami Aseshananda, a direct disciple of Sri Sarada Devi, Sri Ramakrishna’s wife and spiritual consort, was the Spiritual Minister of the Vedanta Society of Portland for over forty years. He also received holy company with some of the direct disciples of the Great Master. He is the author of Glimpses of a Great Soul, on the life and teachings of Swami Saradananda.
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Wisdom Facets From the Gem of Truth
Sri Ramakrishna
Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi
You can’t Serve God and Mammon....
Instructions from Japa Harini
”When the mind becomes united with God, one sees Him very near, with great intimacy, in one’s own heart. But you must remember one thing. The more that you realize this unity, the further your mind will be withdrawn from worldly matters."
”Man achieves the highest goal through the practice of japa. God has given us fingers that we might be blessed by repeating His Name. If you keep count while you do japa, your mind will be drawn to the counting. So do japa without counting. As the timepiece on the wall goes on ticking, so you too must continue to repeat the names of the Lord. Thus you will attain everything; nothing else need be done.“
Unsheath your Sword! ”As long as there is the body, one should take care of it. But I find that the body is quite separate from the Self. When a man rids himself of lust and greed, then he clearly perceives that the body is one thing and the Self another. It is much like the case of the sword and its sheath. The sword is one thing, the sheath, another.“
Divine Dichotomy ”I am a scholar, I am a jnani, I am wealthy, I am the master, father, teacher — all these ideas are begotten of ignorance. I am the machine and You are its operator — that is knowledge. So say the wise. But who listens? The words of those who have gold hanging from their ears are deemed valuable, but no one listens to those who have nothing but mere rags around their waists.“
An Attitude Adjustment ”On one side is the wife and on the other the son. Love is bestowed on both, but in different ways. Therefore it all comes to this, that everything depends upon the mind. The pure mind acquires a new attitude, and through that mind one sees God in this world. Therefore one needs spiritual discipline to purify the mind.“ (All selections from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
The Sleep of Ignorance ”My child, have no fear. Suppose you are asleep on a cot and somebody secretly moves you along with the cot to another place. Will you realize where you are immediately upon awakening? Not at all. Only when the drowsiness clears away will you realize that you have come to a new place. In the same way it will take some time for you to adjust to the effects of spiritual awakening.“
Work the Plan ”Through work alone can one remove the bondage of work, not by avoiding work. Total detachment comes later on. One should not be without work even for a moment. If the mind is kept engaged in some kind of work, it doesn’t engage in silly thoughts. But if you sit idle, the mind is likely to indulge in various kinds of thoughts.“
Devotion or Discord? ”All that you have to do is to pay obeisance to God at the end of the day. If one firmly takes ahold of a single idea, one doesn’t have to perform any other discipline. And spiritual progress becomes easier if husband and wife agree in their views regarding spiritual practice. Otherwise there may be discord in the household.“ (All selections from the Sri Sarada Vijnanagita)
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Wisdom Facets From the Gem of Truth
Painting by Swami Tadatmananda
Swami Vivekananda
Sri Ramakrishna’s Disciples & Devotees
A Love Supreme
The Great Traps
”Expansion is life, contraction is death. Love is life, hatred is death. We commence to die the day we begin to hate other races, and nothing can prevent our death unless we come back to expansion, which is life.”
”Man has other things to do here besides brooding and grieving. He has his worldly duties to attend to. Above everything else, he should also progress towards the ideal of life. What does it profit a man to cry over his grief? Life is not meant for grieving. We shall have to transcend birth, old age, and death and realize God — the object of our supreme love. Then alone will sorrows and sufferings end.“
True Selflessness ”Let things have their course, and karma its sway. I have no bonds here below. I have seen life and it is all for the self. Life is for this self, love is for this self, honor for the self, everything for the self. But as I look back I find scarcely any action I have done for the self; even my wicked deeds were not for the self.”
Calling all Buddhas! ”One idea that I see clearly as daylight is that misery is caused by ignorance and nothing else. Who will give the world light? Sacrifice in the past has been the law, it will be, alas, for ages to come. The world’s bravest and best will have to sacrifice themselves for the good of the many. Buddhas by the hundreds are needed.”
For Future Generations.
(Swami Sivananda, from For Seekers of God)
Sanskrit — A Dead Language? ”As early as 2000 B.C., when the West was still in savagery, the Indo-Aryans had penetrated the depths of nature and were pushing their research beyond the changing play of phenomena back to the unchanging and indestructible Noumenon. In philosophy and metaphysics they developed a power of vision never since surpassed by any other nation. The proof of this lies in their language, for not only is Sanskrit still regarded as the richest of existing languages, but it contains a wealth of terms describing man’s spiritual and psychological constitution for which no corresponding terms are to be found in any other language.” (Sister Devamata, from Days in an Indian Monastery)
Radheshyam!
“Organization has its faults, no doubt, but without that nothing can be done. No one ever succeeded in keeping society in good humor and at the same time did great works. One must work as the dictate comes from within, and then if it is right and good society is bound to veer around, perhaps centuries after one is dead and gone.”
“It is true, that if one says the holy names of Radha and Krishna — Radheshyam — with all one’s mind and heart, then it will be enough. But to be able to do that we need to prepare the mind with the practice of austerity.”
Build Your Character
What Good, this Body?
“Neither money pays, nor name, nor fame, nor learning; it is character alone that can cleave through adamantine walls of difficulties. Bear this in mind,” (All selections from The Complete Works & Vivekananda Vijnanagita)
(Gauri Ma, from Gauri Ma, A Monastic Disciple of Sri Ramakrishna)
“Do not for a moment be doubtful about the boundless mercy of God. What good can be expected of this body? It only becomes bed-ridden. Then I cannot serve and worship the Lord. So He dissolves it into the five elements.” (Nag Mahashaya, from A Saintly Householder Disciple of Sri Ramakrishna)
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“And before thee She shall open wide the portals of Her secret chambers, and under thy eyes She shall lay bare the treasures hidden in the depths of Her bosom. But She shows not Her treasures save to the eye of the spirit, the eye which is never closed, the eye which is met by no veil in any of the kingdoms of Her empire.”
“Labor not for that sustenance which perishes and is gone, but rather for that which endures into everlasting life. For where your most precious treasure is, there your heart lies, and where your heart abides thou shalt find inner peace and perfection.”
Scriptural Sayings of the World’s Religious Traditions
“Contained in every atom is the subtlemost presence of the all-pervading One. In Him thou shalt find and contemplate millions of inner secrets, all more luminous than the sun. In this infinite ocean of radiance the world is but an atom, and the atom, a world.”
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“There exists a supremely and divinely unmanifested Awareness which transcends nature, and that does not perish even when worlds and beings dissolve at the end of many yugas. It is immutable, and is the Ultimate Goal spoken of by the seers, and which all illumined souls attain at the end of their allotted time on earth.”
“Who is wise? Whosoever is constantly learning from the wise. Who is wealthy? Whosoever is contented with his lot. Who is strong? Indeed, whosoever is capable of selfmastery.”
“The saint does good but does not make much of it. He accomplishes great things but is not attached to them. He does not seek to do great things, and that is why he is able to accomplish them. And he does not wish to have his wisdom appear. When his reputation becomes known, then he withdraws out of view.”
Sheikha Ayshegul Ashki ◆
Wahdat Al Wujud One Seamless Unicity of Being The great and valued nondual wisdom teachings of Islam, sweetly expressed in sacred scripture, and in the superlative devotional songs of mystic saints like Rumi and Kabir, lift the soul to flights of ecstasy. ALLAH: “Wheresoever you turn, there is the face of Allah, The One.” [Quran] MUHAMMAD: “The greatest teaching of Islam and of all religions is the Affirmation of Unity: 'La ilaha Illallah'; Affirmation of both Transcendence and Imminence of The One.” [Hadis] RUMI: “Both the ones who assert the transcendence of God, and the ones who assert God's immanence are bewildered by You, O You, who, being without external appearance, are appearing in so many forms.” [Masnawi]
A
ccording to Islamic Sufi Wisdom, there is only One Single Reality, The Supreme Source, Course and Goal of all beings, calling Itself Allah, The One. Emanating from the One, all manifold aspects of the entire creation blossom forth majestically as One Seamless Cosmic Web of Unity of the One. The One is everywhere, transparently. The One is all-time, timelessly. The One is each and every person, impersonally. The One is all-colors, colorlessly. The One is all sounds, silently. The One is all possible forms, formlessly. The One is object-less, and even subject-less, yet appears as object and subject simultaneously. The One is one all-encompassing Unicity of Being, appearing as the Many-in-OneCosmic-Dance, as Rumi calls it. The One gazes at the One, within the One, through the One, as the One, with Its own timeless Eye.
ONE, ONE, ONE! The lamps are different But the Light is the same. Concentrate on LIGHT, concentrate on ESSENCE, Endlessly emanating all things. ONE, ONE, ONE! Ground yourself, strip yourself down, To loving silence, stillness. Stay there, until you see that You are gazing at the Light With its own age-less Eye. ~RUMI~ This is the central nondual wisdom teaching of Islamic Sufism. It is called Wahdat al-Wujud, or One Seamless Unicity of Being. All phenomena are direct manifestations of a Single
Reality, or Wujud/Being, The One. Essentially, The One is formless and attribute-less, sheer transcendental transparency, thus totally un-manifest, yet completely inseparable from any part of the manifold aspects of the entire manifestation on all possible dimensions in its full entirety. The main task of all Sufis, the Mystic Seekers of The One, is then, to re-discover The Truth, the truth of their being eternally in The Unicity of Being, The One, which is Indivisible, Timeless Awareness, and Pure Presence. Thus, re-cognize and real-i-ze the eternal oneness with the One as the Ultimate Reality of one's own Being, which is then spontaneously followed by the realization of the Truth of all Beings, of all life as this Utter Oneness of the One with the One, without oneness, without be-coming One with the One, since it is always One. RUMI: “I've been knocking on a door for a long time waiting for it to open. It opens. I was knocking from inside.” [Masnawi] Sufi Mystics through the practices of prostrations to the One, remembrance of the One, and selfless service to the One in all, in the stillness and silence of their being, gradually come to witness themselves to unveil as the One, The Pure Presence, Timeless Awareness, as this all-connected Sacred Life Itself. They witness directly The Unicity of Being blossoming forth spontaneously, cohesively, impersonally within Itself as one's very own being, not only on the level of intellectual knowing, but directly experiencing It in their own being as That One, melessly, place-lessly, time-lessly. They come to realize that they have never existed as a separate self, neither has anyone else. There has never been a lonely life of a single wave separated from the Ocean, struggling to feel united, feel whole again. It just was unreal, perhaps an hypnotic amnesia, a dream, that now they find themselves to be awakening from, into pure non-dual, genuine, united and whole life in its crisp freshness, warmth, and crystal clarity, as this Unicity, as this One continuum of Consciousness, without the eclipse of the separate-waveself-awareness. RUMI: “How should the lover in reality be other than the beloved? How have I any independent merit or personality or heart? All these are reflections of Thee, and Thou Thyself art all. When strabismus (the condition of one's eyes looking at different directions) is removed from the eyes, the earth becomes identical with the azure heavens. Unity is revealed and blossoms forth. In this Ocean of Unity pearls and fishes are not other than its waves. In this Ocean there is no partnership nor perplexity, no-twoness, only One, always One.” [Masnawi] ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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Sufism teaches that when we are freed from “we,” that is, from our separate-waveself-awareness, we experience ourselves directly as Unbounded Ocean Itself, not as a separate wave suspended in the air. We experience ourselves as Nafsi Safiyya, The Pure Self, totally impersonal Unicity. In that state we exist only as The One, as one unbroken stream of Consciousness, as one uninterrupted vision of the One, as one ocean of Unity. In that state, the proclamation in the Holy Quran — “Wheresoever you turn, you see only the face of the One”— becomes one's living reality. The Great Guide Muhammad's (sav) greatest teaching, La ilaha Illallah, never two, always One, the affirmation of Unity consciousness both in its transcendence and its imminence, becomes a living reality, resonating as the One. In the Ocean of Unity, pearls, and fish, seaweed, and waves are not other than “One Great Ocean in Great Motion.” There is only La ilaha Illallah. RUMI: “Every moment of our lives is potentially a new-birth, if our hearts are open and awake. Stay awake my heart stay awake! Real Life is ever-fresh. Remain, O my heart, ever-fresh. Remain as the blank page, nothing written. Remain Ever-Fresh.” [Masnawi] The invitation is to remain as this openness and freshness, as this utter simplicity of each moment in its pristine consciousness. In this freshness, Sufis, through practice, gradually come to realize that the real “I” is me-less, thus image-less and story-less, and time-less, nothing from the previous page, the previous time frame, nothing from the next. Each word that manifests on the blank page is written and read and happens at the same time — no time gap, always here, always now, thus always fresh, original, genuine, pristine, and awake. Rumi says in Masnawi that “the first human is not prior nor is the last one posterior. Deny, oh Sufi, the division of times which is duality. Deny duality in all its forms. Accept only Ahad, Oneness, as Reality.” He defines the Sufi as “the child of the moment.” There is only Now. Sufi Mystics are clearly asked to give themselves completely to the present moment; only to the present 30
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moment. Since the sought One is Real, al-Haqq, the Real is to be found only in the reality of the present, only here. The whole journey is from there to here, from then to now. We never say I am there, since I AM always HERE, I AM always in the NOW in all places, in all time frames. Life Divine, al-Hayy, is unfolding spontaneously, intelligently, majestically, all by Itself, micro-cosmically and macrocosmically, as all of us, in innumerable aspects, as universes upon universes, as this entire inter-connected vast existence, altogether as One Movement, as Wholeness moving within Itself, like the Mighty Ocean, curving back to Itself, creating again and again, from moment to moment, cohesively holding the particles of this mystical, homogeneous body together. One Unicity of Being, One Seamless Cosmic Web of Unity, One Doer of all doings in the perfect Stillness and Silence of Non-Doing where essentially nothing ever leaves, nothing comes back, nothing ever be-comes, everything is just is, and is and is. One Essence. One Life. One Mighty Ocean. Impersonal Pure Intelligence. Pure Presence. All-ness. Is-ness. Whole-ness. Just is, is, is, moment to moment to moment, timelessly. Stay awake, my heart, stay awake. Awakening is to awaken from the dream of wave-mind's separate-waveself-awareness with all its drama into our always already awake heart’s always present Presence, into always and already existing Pristine Unity Consciousness in its Majestic Simplicity, to rediscover our eternal oneness with the Unicity of Being without oneness, like the waves and the ocean, as this Unicity, never separate, never two, always One, even at times during which we may be under the impression of this oneness, this pure non-duality, appearing as duality. Wave and the ocean do not become one; they are always one. Wave's realization of this eternal oneness ends its suffering from separate-waveself-awareness. My heart is a pasture for gazelles, and a convent for Christian monks, A temple for idols, and the pilgrim's Kaaba, and the tablets of the Torah, and the book of the Koran.
I follow the religion of Love, and whichever way Love's camels take me. (Great Sufi Gnostic Ibn al-Arabi)
This unveiling of the radiance of the Only Beloved’s astonishing amazing grace has transformed me into this subtle mystery — that the Divine I alone is the absolute Truth. This Divine I, the healing light, the priceless pearl, an ocean without shores All holy I — every conscious being is this one eternal I. Its secret radiance envelopes all the dimension of this vast divine creation. This vast heart beyond paradise, not from Adam nor from Eve. Timeless and spaceless, not body nor soul. Only the Beloved, resplendent as this movement of Pure Love, always becoming Infinite expansion. (beloved Sufi Guide, late Sheikh Nur — may his soul be sanctified)
The first part of the Affirmation of Unity, La ilaha, nothing exists, when really experienced on the personal level, dissolves the separate-self-awareness completely and is followed by Illallah, Only YOU. In that state, the experiencer, the experiencing and the experienced become One. The experiencer experiences nothing else but That One as One Seamless Unicity of Being. Sheikh Nur, rahmetullahi aleyh, wrote the above mystic hymn from that dimension of his being. “All Life is Divine Life.” “Only the Beloved, resplendent as this movement of Pure Love, always becoming Infinite expansion.” Sufism teaches: Before entering the holy place, leave your self with all those name tags in those shoes of dunya/the world outside. Strip yourself from your self, and then come inside the rose-fragrant heartcave. Ground yourself in that loving stillness and silence of the heart-cave. And brew, O Sufi, in that silence, inside your very own pure heart-space, the true Kaaba, transcendental transparency. Stay there until you directly perceive and experience Life Divine in its transcendence as 'nothing exists but the One', which will be followed by perceiving and experiencing Life Divine in its immanency as oneself, and gradually as all life forms as “all exists as That One,” this negation and affirmation, clapping hands and dancing joyously as this One-GreatCosmic-Dance of “unity in diversity and diversity in unity,” as “wholeness moving within itself” within you, as you. Like the whirling dervish, one hand up, one hand down, open, grateful, amidst constantly changing phenomena, turning and turning, grounded deeply within the Unchanging Essence, the heart-space, the Essential One, The Beloved. Loving Peace and Grace fills one up with pure association and identification with the Essential One. Unity Consciousness blossoms forth with this intimacy with the Essential One.
“Love is the highest quality of Divine consciousness. Love is the secret of Essence. For as soon as we love, we are with Essence, for Essence is love.” Sheikha Fariha
Experience of Haqq-ul-HU, the Truth Of Essence, Indivisible Blissful Reality of Essence, as all-inclusive Love, and all life as all-connected One Divine Life, as One Seamless Unicity of Being is unveiled and blossoms forth from the heartspace, Kaaba, connecting and remaining as the unchanging Essence of Oneness of the ever-changing phenomena in its entirety. This essential no-thingness, complete non-positionality itself, just this simple beingness itself is the True Love. This profoundly empty state, diamond-heart-space, devoid of the slightest shade of duality, is the object-less subject-less Purest Love, Unconditional Love. Cosmic Love. Truly Divine Love — The Essence of all beings, which knows no other-ness. Love loving me-lessly, you-lessly, time-lessly, place-lessly, universally in complete non-duality.
Sheikha Ayshegul Ashki's journey started at the age of 17 through Transcendental Meditation and continued on through various sacred traditions, culminating in Islamic Sufism. While her wisdom teachings and practices are deeply rooted in time-tested Islamic Sufism, she universalizes these on the shared core principles of human mystic experience. She leads retreats, and participates in Interfaith and Trans-traditional Councils and Community Service Groups. She holds a BA in Education, and an MA in Science of Creative Intelligence. She is from Turkey, is married, and has three children. She currently resides in Tustin, California.
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◆ Swami Brahmeshananda
Meditation Techniques in Jainism ical body is inert, and that Consciousness is different from it. f one happens to visit a Jain temple one will find Actually, to experience this difference is the aim of kayotsarga. images showing Tirthankaras in meditation, either in This technique is also called bheda vijnana. the sitting or in the standing posture. Indeed, medita2. Bhavana — Contemplation of the meaning, importance, tion is so integrally connected with Jainism that it has and significance of the Jaina triratna, namely, right faith, right figured in its art and literature, and in fact, in every knowledge, and right conduct (darsana, jnana, and caritra), and sphere of its life and culture. Truly it has been said, “What the of dispassion (vairagyam) is called bhavana. This can be compahead is to the body and the root to the tree, meditation is to religion.” rable to manana in Vedanta. Just as the head is the centre of consciousness in the human 3. Vipasyana — According to the Muni, Nathmal, an body, so also the centre of vitality in all religions is meditation, authority on Jainism, this was the original meditation technique without which we become lifeless. Nevertheless, in Jainism, and practiced and preached by Lord Mahavir. It means to be aware over the lapse of centuries, meditation got subordinated in of one’s own self. Lord Mahavir taught, “See the self by the Self,” importance to other religious practices, so much so that not only which is to say, observe the gross body by Consciousness. We non-Jains, but most of the followers of Jainism themselves have should begin by becoming aware of the gross and proceed hardly any idea of the richness of meditation techniques in towards the subtle. As we try to be aware of the sensations and Jainism. The fact remains, however, that Jainism lays the greatactivities of the gross body, our awareness expands and we are est stress on meditation. According to Jain ethics, samvara, or able to observe innumerable minute activities and events hapthe prevention of the accumulation of new karmas, and nirjara, pening in and around us which we had prethe washing away of the already accumuviously been unaware of. The next step is lated karmas, are the two means of attainto observe the subtle body; that is, to ing liberation, or moksa. Nirjara is accomobserve the constantly arising thoughtplished through two sets of six external waves; desires — passions and their subtle and six internal austerities, called tapas. motives, the subconscious impressions as Of the six and more important internal they appear on the surface of the conscious tapas, dhyana or meditation is the foremind, etc. Finally, the pure Consciousness most. Thus meditation is considered the beyond all these is reached. principal means of liberation. 4. Vicaya — This will be described in But what are the original meditation detail later in this article. techniques in Jainism? How did During Lord Mahavir’s time thouTirthankara Mahavir meditate? Why has sands of monks practiced meditation in meditation almost disappeared in a reliseclusion, in caves and forests, and a large gion where it was given so great an impornumber of them achieved the highest spirtance? What is the form of meditation itual attainments described in Jain scrippracticed by Jains in modern times? To tures. These are the three types of direct answer these questions we must briefly Mahavir in Cosmic Meditation knowledge: avadhi-jnana or the knowledge review the history of meditation in Jainism. of objects which are too distant or minute to be known by the senses; manah-paryaya-jnana or the knowledge of the past and Historical Survey of Meditation in Jainism present thoughts of others; and kevalala-jnana or omniscience. The history of meditation can be traced from Lord Mahavir These meditative practices and the presence of so many perfectonwards. Lord Mahavir spent most of his twelve years of saded monks lasted up to the earlier half of the second century after hana in meditation, which often lasted for days, or even for Mahavir’s death (C. 400 B.C). Then, in the latter half of the months together. The monks of Mahavir’s time were eulogized second century (C. 300 B.C) major changes took place. as dhyana-kosthopagatah, “Those who have entered the chamber of A twelve-year long famine in Magadha (Bihar) and its adjameditation.” A four-fold meditation technique was in vogue then, cent areas claimed the lives of thousands of monks who gave up consisting of the following: the body by voluntary fasting. This created an irreparable loss to 1. Kayotsarga — This consists of reducing bodily activities, Jainism and posed a serious problem for the monastic order. giving up attachment to the body, and realizing its separateness Since the vitality of a religious order depends to a large extent from Consciousness. These processes are collectively called kayupon the unimpeded flow of scriptural knowledge from one genotsarga. Beings identify themselves with the body and consider eration to another, it became necessary to learn the esoteric trait a conscious entity. Scriptures, however, declare that the phys-
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ditions and the deeper meaning of the scriptural texts from those few surviving monks who knew them. Emphasis therefore shifted from meditation to svadhyaya, scriptural studies. Various rules were created to that effect, and monks were enjoined to spend twelve hours a day in studies. Thus, the predominantly meditative and mystical monasticism gradually became scholastic and intellectual. Another reason for this shift was the onset of what may be called the “philosophical age.” The Nyaya and Vaisesika schools of philosophy were established around the 1st century B.C. Then, during the reign of Emperor Ashoka, Buddhism gained ascendancy. These systems of thought and the already existing Vedic Schools started vying with one another for supremacy, and Jainism was drawn into the stream of religious polemics. Debates and discussions ensued in which debates and counter-debates were made. All this necessitated the monks’ learning the art of debate, logic, and rhetoric. Introspective and contemplative monks who were averse to social activity were forced to bear social responsibility and to engage in the propagation of the tenets of Jainism. Thus started a line of Acharyas who fortified the monastic order. The events of this period indicate that some monks acquired psychic powers and used them to influence kings and rulers so that they may support the order. Although there was a shift of emphasis toward loka-sangraha or social welfare, there were also born during this period spiritual men who continued to lay stress on meditation. They emphasized the fact that religion could not be preserved merely by victory in debate, or by miracles and occultism, or by the patronage of kings. They showed that character was more important than conduct, and prescribed greater austerities. To this end, Acharya Kundakunda and Pujyapada wrote several valuable books in which the original meditation techniques were described in an unadulterated form. Also, Jinabhadra Suri composed the famous treatise on meditation entitled Dhyana Sataka. Up to the period of Acharya Kundakunda, meditation techniques essentially remained unaltered, but adepts were lacking and it came to be believed that the higher spiritual realizations and the acquisition of the three types of direct knowledge were no longer possible. Precepts in meditation hold that for a higher and subtler stage of meditation, the build of the body — especially of the nervous, skeletal, and respiratory systems — must be strong so as to be able to withstand the impact of spiritual experience. As centuries rolled by, the physical frame of people in general became smaller and weaker, and it was held that sukla dhyana, the higher form of meditation, could no longer be practiced. This may or may not be true, but statements made by Acharyas to this effect had a discouraging influence upon those who otherwise would have attempted meditation seriously. In the 8th Century A.D., Haribhadra Suri, a great scholar and yogi, incorporated the then popular yoga system of Patanjali into Jainism. This was the first point of modification introduced in the original methods of meditation. He further taught that everything done by a monk, with a spiritual end in view and without attachment, should be considered yoga. While this may be true, it decidedly undermined the importance of meditation and dampened the urge to dive deep into meditation. In the
widening of the concept of Yoga, depth of meditation was lost. During the next phase of development, Jainism was influenced by the Tantras and by Hatha Yoga. This was the period when major changes occurred in Jaina meditative practices. In early Jaina literature there are no instructions about japa. But after Haribhadra Suri, such procedures as navakar mahakalpa, and padmavati kalpa, relating to Japa, were introduced. Although mantras had been used earlier for material gain and psychic powers, now their efficacy and use for spiritual gain was also recognized. From Hatha Yoga, Jainism took pranayama. Meditation upon the chakras and lotuses, the technique of a pindastha dhyana and its dharanas, and mantras with bija were probably also taken from the Tantras. Although the seed of devotion in the form of faith in the gods, guru, and scripture was present in Jainism from the very outset, it was influenced by the Bhakti schools of Hinduism, including Saivism. Muni Anandaghana, though a yogi, used to worship Tirthankara as his Beloved, and has composed many devotional hymns. In one of the Jain sects, elaborate ritualistic worship of Tirthankara as a new born babe is popular.
Definitions and Classification of Dhyana Jaina scholars have given various definitions of dhyana. According to Umasvati, restraining the attention of the mind to one object is dhyana. In Jainism, nirodha not only represents restraint of the mind, but also includes control of speech and bodily activities. Accordingly, dhyana is of three types: kayika, vacika, and manasika — of the body, of the speech and the mind. According to Jinabhadra Suri, “The stationary state of mind is dhyana, while its moving state is citta.” Acharya Ramasena extends the definition of dhyana to include other states of mind as well. According to him, dhyana is not only the control of thought waves and thinking of a single object, but is the state of selfawareness without thoughts as well. As was written, Lord Mahavir preached, “See the self by the Self.” On the basis of this scriptural injunction, some scholars state that dhyana means awareness, which in Jainism is called passana and is the same as the vipasyana of Buddhism. A third meaning of dhyana is experiencing a moment free from attachment and aversion. Acharya Hemchandra states that as long as there is the slightest effort of will to do something, there cannot be total dissolution of mind, laya. So, by relaxing the body without attempting to control the senses or the mind, one must try to experience that moment when there is no attachment or aversion, no likes and dislikes. In other words, to try just “to be” is dhyana. Derived from the Sanskrit root “dhyai,” to think, dhyana etymologically means all forms of concentrated thinking. It is in this sense that dhyana is considered an austerity in Jainism. This thinking can be of four types: arta, raudra, dharma, and sukla, which may be translated as, sorrowful, violent, virtuous, and pure respectively. Of these four types of thinking, the first two are not dhyana in the sense of meditation, but are moods or preoccupations of mind via undesirable thinking which lead to further bondage. They must therefore be carefully avoided. Constant reflection on how to get rid of an unfavorable ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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thing (anistayoga), how to possess a desirable thing which has been lost (istaviyoga), worry about ailment (rogacinta), and hankering after enjoyment (nidana) — these are the four types of arta-dhyana. A constant reflection related to violence, untruthfulness, theft, and the protection of an acquisition are the four types of raudra-dhyana.
Dharma Dhyana The third type of thinking, called virtuous concentration, is the first step towards salvation and every pious Jain is enjoined to practice it. It is of four types: 1. Ajna Vicaya: This proceeds by asking, what is the commandment, ajna, of an omniscient personage, and of one devoid of passion? What sort of commandment should it be? To apply one’s mind to an investigation of this kind and thus lay bare the commandment in question is called dharma dhyana devoted to the consideration of ajna, a commandment. 2. Apaya Vicaya: To apply one’s mind to the consideration of the nature of defilement, like greed, anger, lust etc., and the means of getting rid of them is called dharma dhyana devoted to a consideration of apaya, or an inner disaster. 3. Vipaka Vicaya: One is to ask, what consequences that are being experienced are due to which karmas, and what karmas that have accumulated are to yield what consequences? To apply one’s mind to a consideration of such questions is called dharma dhyana devoted to vipaka, or consequence of karma. 4. Samsthana Vicaya: To apply one’s mind to a consideration of the nature of the universe — this is called dharma dhyana devoted to a consideration of samasthana, or a universal structure. This fourth type of dharma dhyana has been further classified into four sub-types, called pindastha, padastha, rupastha and rupatita by Hemchandra. These are explored below: (i) Pindastha dhyana: (Pinda = a body, corporeal frame) Meditation upon the Inner Self, the Atman, residing within the human body with the help of imagery, involving the gross elements of earth, fire, air and water, is called pindastha dhyana. It contains five steps, called dharanas, to be practiced one after the other so that a mind unaccustomed to thinking of subtle objects may be gradually trained, step-by-step. The mind is to range from gross to subtle, to still subtler objects, till it is able to meditate upon the pure nature of the Atman. (a) Parthivi dharana: (parthivi = pertaining to earth) The meditator is to envision a calm waveless ocean of milk in which there is a thousand-petalled golden lotus of the diameter of a hundred thousand yojans. It sits upon a yellow-colored central stalk as high as Mount Sumeru over which a crystal-white throne is placed. The meditator should think that he, like a great yogi, is seated on that lotus throne, meditating on Atman. (b) Agneyi dharana: (agneyi = related to fire) Next, the meditator envisions that in the region of his navel there is a sixteenpetalled white lotus facing upward. The sixteen vowels of the Sanskrit alphabet are written on each petal, while in the center the bija mantra, hrim, is inscribed. Atop the navel-lotus there is another eight-petalled black lotus facing downwards, in the region of the heart. The eight black petals represent the eight karmas which are to be eliminated. The next step is to imagine 34
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that smoke, then sparks of fire, and finally flames are emitting from the bija hrim, which sets the upper lotus on fire. Flames then advance towards the head where they bifurcate and descend from all sides and reunite below to form an inverted triangle of smokeless fire with the letter, ra, written all over it. Finally, the fire returns from where it had originated and subsides after burning karmas and consuming the body of the meditator. (c) Vayavi, or maruti dharana: (vayavi, maruti = related to air) Now the meditator thinks that a strong wind is blowing which carries away with it all the ashes left over after the burning of karmas. The wind then subsides, and the effulgent Atman of the meditator starts shining, free from the defilement of karma. (d) Varuni dharana: (varuni = pertaining to water) Now the aspirant imagines the sky overcast with dark dense clouds which start pouring water that washes away the last bit of ashes sticking to the Atman. Now the Atman shines forth completely purified of the least trace of karmas. (e) Tattavati dharana: This consists in thinking of the pure, formless, taintless, blissful Atman, shining like a full moon free from the bonds of karma, and of the body and mind. The meditator thinks that all the marks of a siddha or perfected soul have appeared in him, and that he has transcended disease, old age, and death, and has attained eternal peace. Each dharana must be practiced over and over again and the aspirant must move on to the next one only when the earlier one has been mastered. This technique enables one to practice the higher form of meditation called sukla dhyana. (ii) Padastha dhyana: Meditation done with the help of a sacred word formula, a pada, is called padastha dhyana. Every letter of the Sanskrit alphabet is considered a mantra of great potency, and when meditated upon according to prescribed rules, leads to great good, here and hereafter. There are a number of ways in which this meditation can be done; two of these are described below: (a) Imagine a sixteen-petalled lotus at the navel, a twentyfour-petalled lotus at the heart and an eight-petalled lotus in the head. The sixteen vowels of the Sanskrit alphabet are inscribed on the sixteen petals of the lotus at the naval, and the consonants on the petals of the other lotuses. Begin with the meditation of the lower lotus and proceed upwards. (b) Imagine a lotus in the heart, the five petals of which are respectively of white, red, yellow, green, and black colors. The five parts of the most sacred Jaina mantra, the navakar mantra, are written on the petals, starting from “namo arihantanam” on the white petal. The aspirant concentrates on these lotus-petals and the mantras written on them. (iii) Rupastha dhyana: (rupa = form, figure) Meditation based upon the visual pictures of Tirthankara and incidents from his life is called rupastha dhyana. Imagine, for example, the divine auditorium called Samavasarana, in the center, inside which Lord Mahavir is seated on a jeweled throne with three umbrellas (chatra) over his head and attendants waving chamaras. Gods and goddesses, men, women, and animals are peacefully seated in their assigned places, forsaking all envy and hatred, and are listening to the soul-enthralling discourses of the Lord. The meditator should think that he is one among their
company, sharing the bliss of his divine presence. In a similar manner, other scenes from the life of Lord Mahavir, his austerities, his wanderings, his bhiksa etc., can be meditated upon. The meditator can even imagine that he is the Tirthankara, the Jina himself. This is considered a very effective method because it amounts to meditation on one’s own pure Consciousness, free from the blemishes of karma and evil tendencies such as attachment, aversion, lust, and greed. (iv) Ruppatita dhyana: Formless meditation which consists of meditation upon the pure, formless, blissful Consciousness — the real nature of the Atman.
Sukla Dhyana The various types of meditation described so far prepare the meditator for the most important state in the Jaina path of perfection. This is called sukla dhyana, or pure meditation. Intense stillness and concentration of mind achieved with the help of studying scriptural texts is called sukla dhyana. Like other types of dhyana, sukla dhyana is divided into four subtypes. The first two subtypes, called prthaktva-vitarka-savicar and ekatva-vitarkanirvicar, are practiced by those who have not yet attained omniscience, while the last two types, called suksma-kriya-pratipati and vyuparata-kriya-nivrtti (or samucchinna-kriya-nivrtti), are possible only for one who has ascended the highest ladder of perfection and has become omniscient — a kevalajnani. Vitarka means sruti, or hearing a scriptural text. In the first type of meditation the meditator takes up for consideration any one of the tattvas or substances like atom, soul etc., described in the scriptures, and meditates on its various (prthaktva) modes like permanence, destructibility, tangibility, intangibility etc., all from various viewpoints. Again, in this thinking there is a transition from one meaning to another, from one word to another, from the meaning to the word, from the word to the meaning, and also from one type of yoga to another. Therefore, this meditation is called prthaktva-vitarka-savicar, i.e., meditation on various modes of a single substance based upon scriptural texts, and accompanied by conceptual thinking of word, meaning, and yoga. In the second type of meditation, the meditator takes up for consideration only one mode of any object, and undertakes reflection dominated by oneness (ekatva). Moreover, there is no change in the form, or transition from the word to the meaning or vice versa. Hence it is called ekatva-vitarka-nirvicar. Just as by means of a magical chant, the poison of a snake circulating throughout the body is caused to appear at the area of the bite itself, so also, by this meditation, the wandering mind is made to fixate and remain steady on one subject. Ultimately, the mind becomes absolutely calm; its fickleness is done away with and it no more wavers — with the result that all impurities which are concealing inner knowledge are washed away, and omniscience makes its appearance throughout. In the third type of meditation, subtle bodily activity persists; that is why it is called suksma-kriya-pratipati dhyana. In the last type, called vyuparata-kriya-nivrtti dhyana, there is no activity whatsoever, gross or subtle; body, mind and speech are completely stilled. Through the instrumentality of the fourth sub-
type of dhyana, all asrava (inflow of karmas) and bandha (bondage) cease altogether. All karma is annihilated, and moksa is attained. In the third and fourth subtypes of sukla dhyana, no scriptural knowledge is made use of. Hence, these two are called analambana, or “devoid of props.”
Concluding Remarks This has been a brief review of the meditation techniques of Jainism as found described in the vast literature on the subject. Apart from these, there are other methods for concentration of mind as well. In modern times, the practice of Japa has become the most popular spiritual exercise of the devout Jaina. The navakar mantra, in its complete form, with nine padas, or its abridged modification, is repeated, keeping count on the fingers or with the help of a rosary. The subject of meditation is intimately connected with the Jaina concept of the ladder of spiritual ascent, or the gunasthanas. The books on the subject also describe the qualifications required and the special virtues to be practiced for the attainment of success in the various types of meditation. Each subtype described herein has its own specific psychological effect when practiced systematically. All these, though of great importance and interest, cannot be described in this brief outline, which is only meant to give a general idea and to stimulate further interest in the subject.
A former editor of the Vedanta Kesari, Swami Brahmeshananda is a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order and the Secretary of the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama in Chandigarh, India.
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◆ Jay Michaelson
Jewish Enlightenment Nonduality, East and West The nonduality inherent in Jewish tradition, and the positive influence of Vedanta on the more contemporary Judaism of the past several centuries, is brought forward for close inspection here, theoretically and historically.
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nlightenment is sometimes regarded as a purely Eastern concept, foreign to the Western monotheistic religions and to non-Western indigenous and shamanic traditions. But this is not the case. In fact, the most important book of Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical and esoteric tradition, takes its name (Zohar) from the prophet Daniel's (Daniel 12:3) prediction that "the enlightened (maskilim) will shine like the radiance (zohar) of the sky." Here, I will explore some of the distinctive features of what we might call “Jewish enlightenment” as expressed in Kabbalistic and Hasidic sources, and draw some comparisons with enlightenment as conveyed in Advaita Vedanta. My comparison, though attenuated in form, will be both theoretical and historical, for as we shall see, Vedanta greatly influenced 20th and 21st century neo-Hasidism in its conception of and approach to ultimate truth.
Jewish Enlightenment The Zohar explains that the enlightened are those who ponder the deepest "secret of wisdom." (Zohar 2:2a) What is that secret? The answer varies from text to text, tradition to tradition, but in the Zohar and elsewhere, the deepest secret is that, despite appearances, all things, and all of us, are like ripples on a single pond, motes of a single sunbeam, the letters of a single word. The true reality of our existence is One, Ein Sof, infinite, and thus the sense of separate self that we all have — the notion that "you" and "I" are individuals with souls separate from the rest of the universe — is not ultimately true. The self is a phenomenon, an illusion, a mirage. For a moment, such forms appear, like letters of the alphabet, momentarily arrayed into words — and then a moment later they are gone. In relative terms, things are exactly as they seem. But ultimately, everything is one — or, in theistic language of the Kabbalists, everything is God. One common Kabbalistic formulation of this principle is that God “fills and surrounds all worlds” — memaleh kol almin u’sovev kol almin. This formulation is found in the Zohar (for example, in Zohar III:225a, Raya Mehemna, Parshat Pinchas) and other medieval texts, such as the twelfth century Hymn of Glory which says that God “surrounds all, and fills all, and is the life of all; You are in All.” The aspect of memaleh, filling, is sometimes described in fully panentheistic terms, and other times in terms of God as a sort of life force, or organizing principle. For example, Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla, among the most prominent 36
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members of the circle of medieval mystics, thought by scholars to have composed (or redacted) the Zohar, is recorded as saying “He fills everything and He is everything.” Moshe de Leon wrote that his essence is “above and below, in heaven and on earth, and there is no existence besides him.” Yet the Zohar itself sometimes takes a less fully panentheistic position, as in the passage cited above: “He fills all worlds....He binds and unites one kind to another, upper with lower, and the four elements do not cohere except through the Holy Blessed One, as he is within them.” (Zohar III:225a) Another important Zoharic formulation of nonduality is the statement, leit atar panui mineha, “There is no place devoid of God.” This phrase is found in the Tikkunei Zohar, a later addition to the Zoharic literature, but accorded great respect by subsequent generations of mystics. On a simple level, this sentence conveys the doctrine of omnipresence, and it was taken literally by Chabad Hasidism: “The meaning of ‘He fills all the worlds and there is no place devoid of Him‚’ is truly literal,” says one text. Eventually, panentheism becomes a well-developed theological position among key Kabbalists and Hasidim. In the sixteenth century, Moses Cordovero, probably the greatest systematizer of Kabbalah, wrote: “The essence of God is in every thing, and nothing exists outside of God. Because God causes everything to be, it is impossible that any created thing exists except through Him. God is the existence, the life, and the reality of every existing thing. The central point is that you should never make a division within God. If you say to yourself, ‘The Ein Sof expands until a certain point, and from there on is outside of It,’ God forbid, you are making a division. Rather, you must say that God is found in every existing thing. One cannot say, ‘This is a rock and not God;’ God forbid. Rather, all existence is God, and the rock is a thing filled with God. God is found in everything, and there is nothing besides God.” Further: “God is all reality, but not all reality is God. He is found in all things, and all things are found in Him, and there is nothing devoid of God’s divinity, God forbid. Everything is in God, and God is in everything and beyond everything, and there is nothing else besides God.” (Elimah Rabbati 24d-25a, translation J. Michaelson) The most clearly nondualistic statements in traditional Judaism, though, appear in the 18th and 19th centuries with the advent of Hasidism. The Baal Shem Tov is reported to have said (Sefer Baal Shem Tov, translated by Aryeh Kaplan in The Light Beyond), “Nothing exists in this world except the absolute Unity which is God.” His disciple, the Maggid of Mezrich, wrote that “God is called the Ein Sof. This means that there is nothing physical that hinders God’s presence. God fills every place in all worlds, both
spiritual and physical, and there is no place empty of God.” (Torat forbidden and permitted, self and other, light and darkness, body HaMagid, trans. Aryeh Kaplan) A later Hasidic master, R. and mind), then the religion of the relative, with its rules and Aharon of Staroselse, wrote that “Just as God was in Godself prohibitions, suddenly becomes incoherent. If nothing else, before the creation of the worlds, so the Blessed One is alone [l’vado] Judaism is a religion of distinctions and lines, and if Ein Sof erasafter the creation of the worlds, and all the worlds do not add to God es lines, it erases normative Judaism. Nor does Judaism possess (may he be blessed) anything that would divide God’s essence (God a serious monastic tradition; even mystics were expected to be forbid), and God does not change and does not multiply in them, and householders. the worlds (God forbid) do not add anything additional to God.” These cultural features of Judaism also colored the experi(Shaarei haYichud v’HaEmunah, 2b) In the Yiddish of one lessence of enlightenment itself. Hasidim, in particular, understood er-known Hasid, R. Yitzhak of the enlightened consciousness Homel, “Es is mehr nito vie Ehr not as a “steady state,” but of “Why do Advaita sages speak so directly, alein un vider kehren altz is Gott.” what they called ratso v’shov, litThat is: There is nothing but erally “running and returning.” while Jewish ones seem to talk in riddles? God alone and, once again, all is This phrase, from Ezekiel 1:14, God. has come to stand for any numOne answer may be that nondual Judaism ber of oscillations in spiritual life evolved over time, and was at first a — for example, between Ways of Speaking Silence expanded and contracted mind, Such statements may be secret, marginal tradition, whereas in being and nothingness. And it quite familiar to followers of was understood that a mystic other mystical traditions, and Hinduism, nonduality is present right from would have to experience such students of this perennial philosthe beginning and was the subject of oscillation, as he (always he) ophy. Yet there are some discontemplated the highest unity tinct features of the Jewish conenormous philosophical speculation.” at some times, tended to the ception of enlightenment, both needs of his family and commuin content and presentation, nity at others. Often, the tzadthat distinguishes it from others. dik, the leader of the Hasidic community, was expected both to First, whereas some traditions regard the knowledge of nonenter the highest states of what we might call God-consciousduality as the ultimate wisdom — the last stop on the road, so to ness, and to provide for the community’s material and spiritual speak; the final teaching — in the Jewish mystical tradition, needs. For this reason, the experience of enlightenment is one nonduality is the beginning rather than the end of wisdom. of oscillation between what one Hasidic master called “God’s Jewish mystics begin with the shocking, and proceed to the ordipoint of view” and “our point of view.” nary. The Zohar, for example, spends much less time describing Now, in some Hasidic conceptions of this view, one finds Ein Sof than it does with the details of the sefirot (emanations), the opinion that, indeed, both points of view are of the same not to mention angels, demons, and the mythical stories of reality — they are just different points of view. “Ours” sees Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his circle. Likewise does objects, people, and things. God’s sees only Godself. The object Cordovero, who devotes many pages to parsing the details of is to see both as two sides of the same coin. Neither twoness nor emanation and cosmology. Ein Sof is the basis, rather than the oneness, neither yesh nor ayin, but both, and thus neither. conclusion, of Jewish mystical theosophy. Enlightenment, after all, is not merely a sense of oneness. That Second, in contrast to Vedanta in particular, Jewish texts “all is one” is exactly half of the picture. After all, if everything often conceal nondual philosophy within layers of symbol, lanis really one, does that not also include the experience of two? guage, or outright obfuscation. Vedanta texts have a clarity and The third stage, then, is to “transcend and include” (Ken forthrightness absent in the Jewish ones. Indeed, when, in the Wilber’s phrase) both the dual and the nondual, to return to the 19th century, Hasidic books were burned by their opponents, experience of duality while maintaining the consciousness of one of the stated reasons was that they made plain that which unity. This is what David Loy calls the “nonduality of duality should be kept secret. Why do Advaita sages speak so directly, and nonduality.” This is God as both/and, both ultimate and relwhile Jewish ones seem to talk in riddles? One answer may be ative, wherein the distinction between ultimate and relative is, that nondual Judaism evolved over time, and was at first a secret, itself, relative. In Hasidic language, it is known as dirah b’tachmarginal tradition, whereas in Hinduism, nonduality is present tonim, the dwelling of God “below”; hit’asqut im hahutzah be-ofen right from the beginning and was the subject of enormous philoshel hitlabshut, “engagement with the external in the manner of sophical speculation. Moreover, Judaism’s rigorous monotheism garbing”; or even hitlabshut mohin de-gadlut be-mohin de-katnut, invites a certain reticence when it comes both to theological “the garbing of the expansive consciousness in the diminished polymorphism/polytheism and to monism, whereas Hinduism is consciousness.” at home with both. Does this position lead to the experience of everyday life, Or perhaps the occasional reticence of the Jewish mystics is even “unenlightened” life, as the experience of God? Some due to their clear understanding of the potential dangers of radHasidic texts lend themselves to such an interpretation — the ical nonduality. If there are no distinctions in the absolute (e.g., ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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“....within normative Judaism, there are almost no statements that the manifest world is illusion, or devoid of importance. This is a final distinction between Jewish enlightenment and the ultimate truth as conceived in some other traditions: that in the Jewish model, even though everything is God, the manifest world still maintains some reality of its own.”
stories of a Hasid wanting to know how his rebbe tied his shoelaces, for example, or Martin Buber’s formulation of Hasidism as a “mysticism of ordinary life.” Yet Judaism, and by extension Kabbalah and Hasidism, is neither systematic nor univocal. Some texts do seem to suggest that everyday experience can be suffused with devekut, or cleaving to God. Others suggest that the state, like samadhi, arises only under special conditions. What we can say, though, is that within normative Judaism, there are almost no statements that the manifest world is illusion, or devoid of importance. This is a final distinction between Jewish enlightenment and the ultimate truth as conceived in some other traditions: that in the Jewish model, even though everything is God, the manifest world still maintains some reality of its own. Responding both to general Jewish norms of ethical and ritual commandments (mitzvot) and to specific historical trends in the 18th century (mystical heresy), Hasidic texts insist that the apparent world does exist in some way (even if only as a matter of perspectives), and that our actions within it still have significance. They almost never advocated antinomianism, quietism, or abrogation of ethical norms. Within a tradition whose centerpiece is a Torah of this-worldly commandments, it could hardly be otherwise.
Neo-Hasidism Encounters Neo-Vedanta — or, West Imagines East In the 20th century, West did, finally, meet East. As told by critics of New Age Judaism, the usual story is of a Jewish spiritual seeker being entranced by “Eastern” ashrams and meditation, and then creating “Jewish” versions of these other traditions. In fact, however, the historical narratives of contemporary neoHasidic nondual Jewish leaders are quite different. Some, indeed, are seekers, finders, and returners. Others, such as Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, were traditionalists concerned about Jews leaving traditional Jewish practice and who promoted Jewish alternatives to Zen, Vedanta, and 1960s spirituality. And some, like Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Rabbi Arthur Green, were knowledgeable “insiders” taking inspiration from how other traditions presented spiritual, experiential aspects of their religions. “I was very excited,” Reb Zalman told me, “to find out how they were dealing with spirituality, and the questions that Ramakrishna raised about how to deal with monism and dualism, and everything that he had to say really made a lot of sense to me.” Green reported that “I marveled at the way the Indian teachers coming to the West seemed to be ready to shed so much of their particularity. I remember meeting Satchitananda and 38
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realizing that he was not interested in making people Hindus or teaching them Sanskrit. He said, ‘Close your eyes and chant om shantih om with me, that’s all you have to do — be present in the moment.’ But (in the Jewish community,) it was, ‘Keep shabbos and kashrus and fifteen years later we’ll talk to you about mysticism.’” The Jewish way in was an arduous way in. Implicit in Green's account is, of course, a privileging of the immediate spiritual experience over communal affiliation, ritual observance, and, one might add, belief. While Green casts this particular episode in terms of particularity and universality, these additional assumptions play an equally important role, insofar as they condition the validity of the "that's all you have to do" statement of the yogi — a statement which itself is likely more an invitation than a description of the mystical path. Moreover, these assumptions — we might more favorably call them foundational principles — animate a great deal of the neo-Hasidic preference for the immediately available, experiential forms of “mysticism” over the more complex, textual, and tied-to-observance forms prevalent in the Kabbalah. That is to say, by importing from Hinduism (in this case) an ostensibly methodological/pedagogical procedure — making spirituality available — neo-Hasidism actually supplanted the Kabbalah's substantive orientation toward more textual and less immediately experiential forms. Even ecstatic Hasidic prayer, after all, is usually tied to some form of textual prayer liturgy. The tacit functionalism of "this provides an experience — how can we do that" is thus a non-transparent preference for a certain kind of experience, as well as a pedagogical assent that such an experience should be made available to everybody. In this regard, there is a clear distinction between Vedanta, as it came to be transmitted in the West, and Kabbalah/Hasidism. Indeed, Swami Satchitananda’s method was no accident. Contemporary Vedanta, one of the primary sources of 1960’s and New Age spirituality, was itself a “renewed” tradition. Vivekananda presented Vedanta for Western audiences, stripped of Hindu particularism, ritual requirements, and technical language, and deliberately positioned it as a kind of post-religion religion (Satchitananda’s method emphasized hatha yoga; Vivekananda’s focused mainly on Vedanta, Tantra, and Patanjala Yoga). Christopher Isherwood, Aldous Huxley, and others translated Vedanta texts and teachings, adapting them for Western ears and concerns. In fact, by the time Vedanta encountered the 1960s, we may speak of a “neo-Vedanta” as much as a neo-Hasidism. Neo-Vedanta presented a popular, accessible form of mysticism, which emphasized the nondual core of Vedanta teaching, which resonated with both contemplative and entheogenic experiences of the time. Reb Zalman
called it “Vedanta for export” Nondual neo-Hasidism adapted this model. Where Kabbalah was obscure and text-centered, neo-Hasidism became experience-centered — like neo-Vedanta. Where Kabbalah insisted both on outward performance and inward intention (shell and kernel), neo-Hasidism emphasized the latter over the former — like neo-Vedanta. Where Kabbalah (and even Hasidism, for most of its history) was elitist, neo-Hasidism was populist — like neo-Vedanta. And where Kabbalah was particularist and even ethnocentric, neo-Hasidism was universalistic and ecumenical — like neo-Vedanta (“they filtered out all the ethnic stuff,” Reb Zalman told me). Thus we may say that in the case of pedagogy, neo-Hasidism clearly adopts the Vedanta Society's openness, unambiguously preferring it to the traditional Jewish reticence. I have suggested that in so doing, it also perhaps unconsciously adopted some of Vedanta's philosophical priorities, emphasizing inwardness and spiritual experience over particularism, study, and ritual action to an extent not found even in the Jewish mystical sources. And neo-Hasidism embraced Vedanta's universalism, even while it recognized — and indeed, was perhaps encouraged by — its somewhat constructed nature. The embrace was not total, however. In fact, Neo-Hasidism often sought to distinguish itself from Vedanta, going so far as to imagine distinctions where there were none. For example, many contemporary Jewish spiritual writers regard engagement with the this-worldly as a kind of litmus test of right spirituality, often projecting a quietistic, monastic “Hinduism” to serve as a kind of foil; Judaism, it is said, is this-worldly rather than other-worldly. This, despite Vivekananda's intense humanitarian activism on a global scale. Many contemporary Jewish writers see Judaism as “hot,” theistic, and devotional, in contrast with a “cool,” nontheistic, and contemplative Vedanta — notwithstanding Ramakrishna's insistence on devotion and countless Vedic devotional practices. And neo-Hasidism rarely fully embraces acosmism, again ascribing it to an imagined Hinduism, notwithstanding Ramakrishna's similarly “both-and” theological stance: “Brahman is neither ‘this’ nor ‘that.’ It is neither the universe nor its living beings. What Brahman is cannot be described. This is the opinion of the jnanis, the followers of Vedanta philosophy. But the bhaktas [devotees] . . . don’t think the world to be illusory, like a dream. They say that the universe is a manifestation of God’s power and glory. God has created all these — sky, stars, moon, sun, mountains, ocean, men animals. They constitute His glory. He is within us, in our hearts. The devotee of God wants to eat sugar, not to become sugar.” Things are not, then, what they seem. Neo-Hasidism is not the tale of the "wandering Jew" who wanders far afield before discovering the riches in his backyard. In fact, most neo-Hasidic leaders were versed in Judaism and Kabbalah first, and came in contact with Vedanta and Buddhism, in their Western forms, later. Nor is Vedanta the cool, other-worldly monism imagined by its critics. That said, the distinctions are not entirely imaginary. There are surely more tales of equanimity and quietism within Vedanta, as within most Buddhist schools, than in Hasidism. Quietism is considered a "problem" within Hasidism, and the seclusion of R. Menachem Mendel of Kotsk a vexing
dilemma for neo-Hasidim, particularly Abraham Joshua Heschel. The quietism of Ramana Maharshi, on the other hand, is not a "problem" at all for his devotees. And while Hasidism made much use of the term hishtavut, equanimity, both its tales and its theological literature are more replete with narratives of struggle and delight than with records of transcendence and equanimity; the tzaddik is generally depicted as one who cares, cries, prays and provides for his community. He is an intercessor with the Divine, an active leader — not a sage or a saint in the Ramana mode. To reiterate, the distinctions here are less clear than neoHasidic rhetoric would suggest — that is my primary point. But they do have some basis at least in the divergent emphases placed by the traditions on the cognitive and emotive nature of enlightenment. No doubt, as with all syncretic movements, neo-Hasidism was possessed of a certain anxiety of influence, at pains to insist that its teachings were indigenous, even though they may owe at least as much to other religious traditions. Yet, and with this I conclude, neo-Hasidism is a quintessentially American, postmodern religious movement, led in part by part-time academics who themselves, like this writer, function as it were both as primary and secondary sources, as generators of religious thinking and as self-reflective, academically trained critics of it. NeoHasidism is peculiarly aware of this integral move, which joins not just disparate religious traditions as in traditional syncretism, but even religious traditions with academic ones, spiritual consciousness with self-consciousness. Perhaps it is this peculiar disposition that neo-Hasidism has the most in common with Vivekananda's Self-conscious re-presentation of Vedanta, and even with the propound nondual vision itself. The mystics already know the dividing lines, and already seek to transgress them.
Jay Michaelson is the author of Everything is God: The Radical Path of Nondual Judaism (Shambhala), as well as two other books and over 200 articles. A columnist for the Forward, Huffington Post, and Tikkun, Michaelson was recently named to the “Forward 50” list of the most influential Jewish leaders in America. In 2008-09, he spent five months on silent meditation retreat, mostly in Nepal.
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◆ Dr. A. K. Merchant
Baha’i Dharma For the 21st century Throughout the endless turn of ages, divine beings have incarnated on earth to benefit mankind. As Arjuna’s beloved Sri Krishna related to him when he tried to fixate on Krishna’s form, “Avatars are as plentiful as fruit on a tree.” With a sacred mission these beings descend from causal and subtle realms to proclaim the Truth that “From age to age I manifest Myself forth, for the destruction of evil, for the resurrection of the eternal dharma, and so that My devotees may behold me in form.” And how does Advaita, Nondualism, see these intrepid and illustrious beings? As forms lovingly cut from one Uniform Cloth of timeless Awareness, each differing temporarily in terms of scope, focus, and divine intention.
T
he human race, as we know it, is the product of millions of years of evolution. Today it stands at the threshold of the “planetization” of life on earth. The annihilation of distances, communication with the speed of light and travel with the speed of sound, is the reality of our age. The ancient prophecy of Vasudhaiva kutumbakkam at long last is being fulfilled. The vision of that ancient promise foretold and sung throughout the ages by prophets, seers, and sages finds its fullest realization in the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith. The planetization of humankind "implies at once a warning and a promise, a warning that in it lies the sole means for the salvation of a greatly suffering world, a promise that its realization is at hand." Therefore, I am happy to contribute this feature article on the Bahá’í Faith to Nectar — A Journal of Universal Religious and Philosophical Teachings. There is a sanguine expectation amongst most peoples of the world that the only path for the spiritual regeneration and the reconstruction of our society lies in our individual and collective way of life being once again motivated by the ideals and ethics of the Eternal Dharma which, according to the Bahá’ís, is progressive and continuous. Thus, each of the world’s great religions offer two sets of teachings: There is one set which we call spiritual or divine, and these are common in all the religious systems; and there is another set of teachings which are social or secondary, having to do with mundane practices for daily life. For example, every religion underlines and prescribes prayer, worship and meditation, which are spiritual disciplines. But how to pray, where to pray, how many times, and what form or posture to adopt — these secondary aspects may differ from religion to religion. The important thing is the purity of one’s heart, the attitude of reverence and humility, and complete self-abnegation whilst invoking the Divine. This is what matters ultimately. The Bahá’í Faith offers a new dynamic vision in answer to the cyclical world view of the Oriental religious systems, and also to the rather linear patterns found in the Semitic beliefs systems. This vision recasts the ancient worldview of the Greek and Hindu and those that followed them, as well as the Occidental Scripture based worldviews in a planetary ethos wherein the 40 ISSUE 26, 2011
principles of unity in diversity, equity and justice, and the pursuit of enduring world peace become the central motifs. The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion, declared Bahá’u’lláh, “is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men. Suffer it not to become a source of dissension and discord, of hate and enmity. This is the straight Path, the fixed and immovable foundation. Whatsoever is raised on this foundation, the changes and chances of the world can never impair its strength, nor will the revolution of countless centuries undermine its structure.” In the words of Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, who established the rudimentary framework of Bahá’u’lláh’s World Order, "Far from aiming at the subversion of the existing foundations of society, it (the Bahá’í Faith) seeks to broaden its basis, to remold its institutions in a manner consonant with the needs of an ever-changing world. It can conflict with no legitimate allegiances, nor can it undermine essential loyalties. Its purpose is neither to stifle the flame of a sane and intelligent patriotism in men’s hearts, nor to abolish the system of national autonomy so essential if the evils of excessive centralization are to be avoided. It does not ignore, nor does it attempt to suppress, the diversity of ethnic origins, of climate, of history, of language and tradition, of thought and habit, that differentiate the peoples and nations of the world. It calls for a wider loyalty, for a larger aspiration than any that has animated the human race. It insists upon the subordination of national impulses and interests to the imperative claims of a unified world. It repudiates excessive centralization on one hand, and disclaims all attempts at uniformity on the other. Its watchword is unity in diversity.” He sums up the aims and basic teachings of the religious system founded by Bahá’u’lláh in the following manner: “The Revelation proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh, His followers believe, is divine in origin, all-embracing in scope, broad in its outlook, scientific in its method, humanitarian in its principles, and dynamic in the influence it exerts on the hearts and minds of men. The mission of the Founder of their Faith, they conceive it to be to proclaim that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is continuous and progressive, that the Founders of all past religions, though different in the non-essential aspects of their teach-
ings, ‘abide in the same Tabernacle, “To build a new world is no "The Bab’s teachings were very simple. soar in the same heaven, are seated easy task,” says the Universal upon the same throne, utter the House of Justice, supreme governHe proclaimed the unity and truth of all the same speech and proclaim the same ing council of the worldwide Faith.’ His Cause, they have Bahá’í community. “The road is great religions, enjoined upon his disciples already demonstrated, stands identistony and filled with obstacles, to break with past rites and ways of worship, fied with and revolves around the but the journey is infinitely principle of the organic unity of rewarding.” Establishment of and to live in harmony with men of all mankind as representing the conlasting and permanent peace, a summation of the whole process of hallmark of the emerging global beliefs, and prepared them for the coming of human evolution. This final stage in civilization, will be realized as a Baha’u’llah, whom the Bab described as ‘the this stupendous evolution, they tangible expression of the princiassert, is not only necessary but ple of the oneness of humankind. One Whom God would make manifest.’" inevitable, that it is gradually This assurance is given in the approaching, and that nothing short teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. His of the celestial potency with which a divinely ordained Message can writings speak of two distinct but simultaneous and mutually claim to be endowed can succeed in establishing it. reinforcing processes: one leading to the spiritual unity of the “The Bahá’í Faith recognizes the unity of God and of His human race that he refers to as the “Most Great Peace”; the other Prophets, upholds the principle of an unfettered search after truth, to the political unity of nations and described as the “Lesser condemns all forms of superstition and prejudice, teaches that the funPeace.” The former is a distant goal, requiring a monumental damental purpose of religion is to promote concord and harmony, that change in human conduct that only religious faith can ensure; it must go hand-in-hand with science, and that it constitutes the sole the other is more immediate and can already be detected on the and ultimate basis of a peaceful, an ordered, and progressive society. political horizon. It inculcates the principle of equal opportunity, rights, and privileges The horrific experiences of wars in the history of for both sexes, advocates compulsory education, abolishes extremes of humankind and the resultant two world wars gave us the League poverty and wealth, recommends the adoption of an auxiliary interof Nations and the United Nations respectively; the frequency national language, and provides the necessary agencies for the estabwith which world leaders, particularly with the ending of the lishment and safeguarding of a permanent and universal peace." Cold War and the rise of international terrorism, have met and In the perspective of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings, the greatest debated on global issues; the renewed call for a global order that danger of both the moral crisis and the inequities associated with issued from the leaders at the Millennium Summits in 2000; the globalization in its current form is an entrenched philosophical multiplication of organizations of civil society that focus attenattitude that seeks to justify and excuse these failures. The overtion on a variety of international concerns through the operathrow of the twentieth century’s totalitarian systems has not tion of an ever-expanding network of activities; the widespread meant the end of ideology. On the contrary, there has not been debates on the need for global governance and numerous organa society in the history of the world, no matter how pragmatic, ized efforts towards world peace; the emergence of international experimentalist, and multi-form it may have been, that did not tribunals; the rapid developments in communications technoloderive its thrust from some foundational interpretation of reality. gy that have made the planet borderless — these are among the Such a system of thought reigns today virtually unchallenged voluminous evidences of an accelerating momentum to wage across the planet under the nominal designation “Western civipeace despite ominous signs of war. lization.” Philosophically and politically, it presents itself as a The Bahá’í writings further indicate that world peace is not kind of liberal relativism, economically and socially, as capitalonly possible but inevitable; they do say, however, that a univerism — two value systems that have now so adjusted to each other sal fermentation and horrendous social upheavals would mark and become so mutually reinforcing as to constitute virtually a the transition from a warlike world to a peaceful one, but they do single, comprehensive worldview. not point to the occurrence of any specific cataclysmic event Appreciation of the benefits — in terms of the personal freethat would annihilate all life as we know it. Ostensibly, the dom, social prosperity and scientific progress enjoyed by a signifmovement leading to world unity must encounter opposing tenicant minority of the earth’s people — cannot withhold a thinkdencies rooted in stubborn habits of chauvinism and partisanship ing person from recognizing that the system is morally and intelthat refuse to yield to the expectations of a new age. The torlectually bankrupt. It has contributed its best to the advanceturous suffering imposed by such conditions as poverty, war, vioment of civilization, as did all its predecessors, and like them, is lence, fanaticism, disease, and degradation of the environment, impotent to deal with the needs of a world never imagined by the to which masses of people are subjected, is a consequence of this eighteenth century prophets who conceived most of its compoopposition. Hence, before the peace of nations matures into a nent elements. The question then arises: “Why should these, in comprehensive reality, it must pass through difficult stages, not a world subject to the immutable law of change and decay, be unlike those experienced by individual nations until their interexempt from the deterioration that must needs overtake every nal consolidation was achieved. “Be anxiously concerned with the human institution?” needs of the age ye live in and centre your deliberations on its exigenADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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cies and requirements. The world is in travail, and its agitation waxeth day by day,” is Bahá’u’lláh’s warning. “Its face is turned towards waywardness and unbelief. Such shall be its plight, that to disclose it now would not be meet and seemly. Its perversity will long continue. And when the appointed hour is come, there shall suddenly appear that which shall cause the limbs of mankind to quake….” The contribution of religion towards the peace process has in part been undervalued owing to the negative image it has acquired as a result of the history of conflicts in which religion has been seen to play a considerable role. The turmoil of the age has forced one scholar, Cantwell Smith, to write: “It is no longer possible to understand each ‘religion’ as a stable system.” The interconnectedness of man’s religious history, as well as the convergence of 21st century humanity into one community, make it desirable to speak of one history of religion. “It is not the case that all religions are the same, however. They have grown up and developed in different times and at different places and represent and have represented many variety of responses to the sense of the transcendent. Yet there is a continuum which is the historical process in which these different faith traditions have operated.” In order to actualize the process of global enlightenment the Bahá’í community is engaged in an effort of capacity building for inculcation of universal human values and transformation of society through a series of curricula materials inspired by the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and other holy texts of the Faith that enable every man, woman, youth, and child to fulfill their highest potential by lending support to the building of a new World Order. The titles of the books are by themselves quite illustrative of the range and breadth of the subjects covered, namely: Reflections on the Life of the Spirit; Arising to Serve; Teaching Children’s Classes, Grade I & II; The Twin Manifestations; Empowering the Junior Youth; Planning & Teaching the Cause; Walking Together on a Path of Service; Family Prosperity, Glimmerings of Hope, Learning About Excellence, Spirit of Faith, Breezes of Confirmation, Drawing on the Power of the Word, and the like. This curricula offers an understanding of problems of present-day society at three levels of comprehension. The first is a basic understanding of the meaning of words and sentences of passages from the Holy Texts, which constitute the core of these courses. Thus, for example, after reading the quotation, “The betterment of the world can be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds through commendable and seemly conduct,” the student is asked, “How can the betterment of the world be accomplished?” At first glance, this type of question may appear too simple. But the actual experience points to some of the reasons for the adoption of a simple approach to this basic level of understanding. The second level of comprehension is concerned with applying some of the concepts in the quotations to one’s daily life. And the third level of understanding requires the participants to think about the implications of the quotations for situations with no apparent or immediate connection with the theme of the quotation. Many years of experience with the courses of the “Bahá’í Training Institute” have shown that examining ideas at these three levels of understanding helps collaborators create a conscious basis for a life of service to humanity and make each participant an agent of positive change for the building of an ever-advancing civilization. 42
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Lives and Works of the Twin Founders The Bab, Prophet-Herald of the Baha’i Faith Religion plays an important role in how we understand time — both the linear time of history and the cyclical times of social and spiritual events. In that sense history is still, according to the Bahá’í writings, an unsatisfactory record of human progress. It is a calendar of the days that are past. It takes you through a silent avenue of tombs. It tells you stories of the battles fought and the empires carved by men and women. It is a poor record of the struggles that took place in the souls of those whose achievements adorn its pages. Other landmarks that regulate history and remained in the memory of human time are the natural calamities such as pestilence, famine, drought, earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, cataclysmic events, inter alia. In my view, history is also the unfoldment of the divine plan that has come to us from the lives and teachings of the Spiritual Luminaries who have appeared at long intervals to restore the pristine purity of dharma or religion, and given us specific directions for the advancement of civilization, as we know it. October 20, 1819 is the day when the Báb, which linguistically means the “gate” or “doorway to divine knowledge,” as described in the Bahá’í writings, was born. The Báb exhibited unusual piety and knowledge from his earliest days. He lost his father at a tender age and was raised by his maternal uncle who provided for his upbringing and education. However, the teacher in whose care the little boy was entrusted told the uncle: “I have brought him back to you – he is not to be treated as a mere child, for in him I can already discern evidence of mysterious power; he stands in no need of a teacher such as I.” Later, the teacher himself became an ardent and devoted follower of the Báb. As an adolescent, the Báb was renowned for his very handsome appearance, his charming manners, and great nobility of character. After a few years the uncle, who conducted his export and import business of silk and tea from Shiraz and the port city of Bushi’hr, absorbed him in the trade. Although the Báb soon gained a reputation for his integrity, there was a deepening anxiety in the family about his future. His mother and uncle got him married thinking that once he got into his family responsibilities he would have no time for the spiritual things that had come to take up most of his waking and sleeping time. With each passing year the radiance of the Báb’s personality began to touch many a sincere soul, for the Báb was destined to influence the course of the history of the lives of not only his family and the immediate society, but also the whole world. The turning point came in May 1844, the month and the year when Samuel Morse transmitted the first telegraphic message from Baltimore, Maryland to Washington D.C. with the words from the Bible: “What God hath wrought.” The night preceding the morning when the message was sent was the time when the Báb disclosed his true identity as the Avatara of a new Age. The Báb’s teachings were very simple. He proclaimed the unity and truth of all the great religions, enjoined upon his disciples to break with past rites and ways of worship and to live in harmony with men of all beliefs, and prepared them for the coming of Bahá’u’lláh, whom the Báb described as “the One Whom God would make manifest.”
The Báb, like the many great Avataras or prophets of the now prevailing in society are analogous to those experienced by past, has ushered in a new era. As the forerunner of Bahá’u’lláh its individual members in passing from youth to adulthood. The his role was critical in preparing the peoples of the world to human race as a distinct organic unit has passed through the understand and accept the dawning of a new Age — an Age that stages of infancy and childhood, and is now in the culminating is described in the holy scriptures as the coming of age of humanperiod of its turbulent adolescence, approaching its long-awaited ity. In the book, One Earth, by Hemmerick Seller, is provided an coming of age. If we continue making the wrong decisions, interesting example of how dramatically the world has changed squabbling over petty issues, and destroying each other for a largsince the appearance of the Báb in the mid-nineteenth century. er share of the planet’s finite resources through ever more lethal Before Caesar, when Christ was born, when someone wanted to weapons, we shall only hasten the annihilation of present-day go to and from Rome to London, it took him twelve days on a civilization. horse. In 1839, when the British ambassador to Rome wanted to The Bahá’ís are hopeful and take comfort in these words of go to England, which is the same distance, it took him twelve the Báb: “Verily I say, immensely exalted is this Day above the days days also. Today, communicaof the Apostles of old. Nay, tions with the speed of light immeasurable is the difference! and transportation at the You are the witnesses of the speed of sound have shrunk Dawn of the promised Day of this vast globe into a house of God. You are the partakers of six or seven rooms representthe mystic chalice of His ing the major continents of Revelation. Gird up the loins of the globe. Throughout the endeavor and be mindful of the course of the past one-and-half words of God as revealed in His centuries, human life has been Book: ‘Lo, the Lord thy God is revolutionized by changes on a come, and with Him is the comvast and unprecedented scale. pany of His angels arrayed To place this in proper before Him!’ Purge your hearts perspective, let’s take from of worldly desires, and let angelBiblical times until the year ic virtues be your adorning. 1844. The total number of Strive that by your deeds you inventions that the men of may bear witness to the truth of learning and science succeedthese words of God, and beware ed in bringing to light was no lest, by ‘turning back,’ He may more than about seventy. ‘change you for another people,’ Some of these inventions are who ‘shall not be your like,’ and very significant, others are secwho shall take from you the ondary. The former comprise Kingdom of God. The days such inventions as: papyrus, when idol worship was deemed Baha’i World Center, Mt. Carmel water clocks, drawbridge, gunsufficient are ended. The time is powder, printing press, telecome when naught but the scope, microscope, and others. This means that over this vast purest motive, supported by deeds of stainless purity, can ascend to the stretch of time, which runs into many centuries, only about sevthrone of the Most High and be acceptable unto Him.” The heartenty inventions were given to us by men of learning. On the rending sacrifices of some 20,000 of his followers and the Báb’s average it comes to only one new invention for every 150 years. eventual martyrdom in July 1850 will surely not go in vain. Now let us consider the space of time between 1844 and 1949. In the course of one hundred and five years not less than 90 Baha’u’llah – The Promised One important inventions have appeared, that is to say roughly one Following upon the short account of the Báb, I shall now new invention per year. To enumerate but a few, we have: phobriefly introduce the life of Bahá’u’lláh, the Promised One of All tography and many developments related to it including motion ages, as believed by the Bahá’i’s and acknowledged by hundreds pictures in colour; engines powered by various fuels which drive of thousands of peoples around the world who have heard of the trains, automobiles, airplanes, ships, and submarines; the many Bahá’í Faith. He was born on November 12, 1817, in Tehran, devices for recording and reproducing sound with ever increasIran. A Manifestation of God, that exalted Being is the greatest ing fidelity; the x-ray, radio, television, and the host of other mystery, more mysterious even than God Himself, Whom we inventions made possible through the discovery of electricity accept perforce as unknowable, single, and alone. But His and the harnessing of the power in the atom. To go on further Manifestation clothed in human flesh lives among us. His perwith the miracles of this knowledge explosion of the past half son is susceptible to all the vicissitudes of human life, and He century is not possible in this article limited to focusing on the accepts for Himself whatever treatment the world offers Him. Bahá’í Faith. Bahá’ís believe that the tensions and sufferings Indeed, the appearance of that divine Being “in the noble form of ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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the human temple’” is one of the clouds upon which He descends, the dark veil which conceals His splendor from all but the pure in heart who “shall see God.” History tells us that each one of the Manifestations has had to undergo enormous suffering, deprivation, trials and tribulations, and in some cases martyrdom in order to convey the spiritual truths that could have helped humanity to live a life of peace and happiness, of progress and prosperity. Alas, superstition, blind belief, fundamentalism, and fanaticism were the dominant traits exhibited by the peoples amongst whom these Gems of Holiness appeared, and only a handful of the pure and sincere souls recognized and accepted the Avatara and became the trusted ones and the chosen instruments to carry forward the mission entrusted to them. The words of Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita immediately come to mind: “The deluded despise Me when clad in human form, not knowing My Higher Nature as the Lord of all existence.” An important concept that both the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh Sri Krishna, have enunciated is the Covenant, Dvapara Yuga Avatar a theme central to the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith whereby the promise of the Divine to His creation of providing guidance and blessings from Age to Age is reiterated and further developed. Bahá’u’lláh taught that all the divine educators such as Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, Krishna, Buddha, Christ, Muhammad, and others have successively prepared humanity to reach its present state of development and now was the time for the coming of age of humanity, i.e., its collective maturity. Bahá’u’lláh, therefore, formulated the blueprint of a new World Order and wrote: “The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing Order appeareth to be lamentably defective. Soon will the present-day Order be rolled up, and a new one spread in its stead. Verily, thy Lord speaketh the truth and is the Knower of things unseen. The world’s equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this Most Great, new World Order. Mankind’s ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous System, the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed.” Elsewhere He says, “Ye are the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch.” He compares humanity to a tree. The people of various races, castes, religions and cultural backgrounds are all like the branches and leaves of the same tree. The roots of this tree should be firmly fixed onto the spiritual principles that are the basis for values and morality and for living in harmony with each other. “Peerless is this Day, for it is as the eye to past ages and centuries, and as a light unto the darkness of the times.” Bahá’u’lláh passed away at early dawn of May 29, 1892, while still in exile and a prisoner in Acre, now in Israel. Through His life-long mission and the teachings He has 44
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bequeathed to His followers, Bahá’u’lláh has renewed to pristine purity the purpose of dharma/religion and fulfilled the promises enshrined in all the holy books. “My object,” Bahá’u’lláh wrote, “is none other than the betterment of the world and the tranquility of its peoples. The well being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.” The followers of Bahá’u’lláh are enlisted in a mighty double crusade — the spiritualization of their own lives and those of their fellow human beings, and the construction of the foundation and framework of the institutions of the new World Order which, lying enshrined in His teachings, is slowly and imperceptibly taking shape amid the welter and chaos of present-day civilization. Upheld by prayer, confident in the irresistible power of the Will of God for this age, they are exerting every effort and mustering all their resources in the path of service to become willing instruments of the Divine for shepherding humankind into one fold. For, they are convinced that, “....mysteriously, slowly, and resistlessly the Divine accomplishes His design to usher in, in ways He alone can bring about, and the full significance of which He alone can fathom, the Great, the Golden Age of a long-divided, a long-afflicted humanity. Its present state, indeed even its immediate future, is dark, distressingly dark. Its distant future, however, is radiant, gloriously radiant — so radiant that no eye can visualize it.”
Dr. A. K. Merchant is a member of the Bahá’í community since 1975, and a former Secretary-General of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of India and the Lotus Temple, New Delhi. He continues to serve that institution as an honorary trustee. He is a regular contributor to some of the national dailies and author of three monographs: Communal Harmony— India’s Greatest Challenge (1991), Hindu Dharma evam Bahá’í Dharma—Ek Adhayyan (1999), and The Bahá’í Faith & Five Basic Human Values (2009).
Dr. Francis X. Clooney ◆
Nothing But My God A Christian Reflection on Hindu Expressions of Intense Unity “God is with form, and God is formless as well; and God is beyond both the concepts of form and formlessness.” Perhaps this pregnant statement of Sri Ramakrishna describes as best as words can say the pervasive unifying wisdom and utter blissfulness of devotional feeling which suffuses and saturates the relationship between Lover and Beloved — whether that most sacred of all communions is perceived as dualistic, qualified, or nondualistic.
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f we want to learn about non-dualism in the theistic Hindu context, a very good place to start is the Tamil language poetry of the 6th-9th century Srivaisnava saints known as the alvars (“immersed — in God,” henceforth “saints”), and devotees of the Hindu deity Narayana (Visnu) whose avataras include the well-known and popular figures Rama and Krishna. Their poetry offers a vivid and profound understanding of divine reality that is distinctive and original, modeling a new and more intense interrelationship of the human and divine. Of particular importance is the 1102 verse Tiruvaymoli of Shatakopan (9th c), a work of 100 songs that came early on to stand as the key scripture of the Srivaisnavas, not in any way inferior to the Vedas and Upanisads of the Sanskrit tradition. Tiruvaymoli begins with a strong sense of God as unsurpassable, other yet all-encompassing. But Shatakopan also has a strong sense of self, the “I” of the person who encounters this overwhelming and transcendent God. Indeed, from the first verses of Tiruvaymoli it is clear that Shatakopan is very aware of the transcendence and mystery of the God who encounters the human: Who possesses the highest, unsurpassable goodness? That one. Who cuts through confusion and graces the mind with goodness? That one. Who is overlord of the immortals who never forget? That one — so At his luminous feet that cut through affliction, bow down, and arise, my mind. (I.1.1) Some minds cut through impurity, then blossom and rise — but He is beyond even their experience, and beyond those things the senses experience — This one who is the total good of experience future, present, or past —
There is no one like this one, no one greater than him in my life. (2) Krishna, the rambunctious child who mischievously ate butter from the churn and was tied to a grindstone when his loving foster mother tried to control him:
Yashoda and Gopala — the butter thief Welcoming to those that love him, for others he is puzzling and hard to find; The lady on the lotus delights at his feet that are so hard for us to attain. He stole the churned butter, at the waist he was tightly bound with a rope — What! tied to the grindstone! such distressing vulnerability! (I.3.1) He is accessible, his nature unchanged in many births, That radiant perfect goodness, he is release with neither beginning nor end, ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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It is his nature to give clarity, this undying Lord of all whose grace shelters all — He is inside, he is outside. (2) Later in the same song, we see most clearly for the first time the assertion that this Lord is beyond other gods, such as Ayan (the unborn [aja] deity, Brahma) and as the widely popular Hara (Siva); the Lord cannot even be specified simply as bearing the name Narayana (as supreme deity) or Hari (Krishna): Experiencing ever deeper the nature of his form— its depth, its vastness, its breadth— His form beyond form, it is hard to know the nature of our Lord Even in the midst of experiencing him over and again, O living beings: Experiencing over and again, reciting, speaking of that one called Hari, Ayan, Hara, Experiencing over and again, reciting, speaking — worship that one in your mind. (I.3.6) As one or as many, his forms are hard to know, This unique and lovely Narayana also known as the four-faced god and as Hara — Place this one in your mind, reflect deeply, cut the two bonds And for the rest of our days direct toward him what is good, truly good. (7) Mysterious and elusive in his nature and in his religious identity, the Lord is present even in deities other than Narayana; the devotee must know how to find him, amidst the plurality of possibilities. These songs, through poetry that cannot be pinned down definitively in terms of one or another doctrine, clearly point to a deity who is supreme and transcendent, the cause of the world and all that is in it, while yet remaining elusive, resistant to any particular or exhaustive definition. He is a distant figure, mysterious and incomprehensible, yet as near and vulnerable as the child Krishna and, in fact, already inside each conscious being. Against this general background, we can turn to the theme of non-dualism in Tiruvaymoli, how all is within God, God is within all — such that there is an Gopala, the baby Krishna 46
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inseparability that is an event of non-dualism, that is, a nondualism that happens as a moment in the ongoing relationship of God and the self. A verse such as I.1.10 aptly expresses the original and underlying divine initiative, an ambition toward an active unity of all as something that is achieved, happening: He pervades the cool waters of the wide, wide ocean and this wide world, The earth, flawless sky, and every small hidden place and everything that shines there — Hidden everywhere, He pervades every thing, He ate it all, our unshakable one. (I.1.10) The Lord pervades creation on the grandest scale, but also in its particular details, in each small and invisible place within creation. He is immanent — hidden everywhere — yet actively filling all with his presence — pervading it — while still more, also consuming it, taking it within himself — all the while being unshaken, unmoved. Later, in II.1, what will become a common image in Tiruvaymoli comes to Life’s breath dwelling in this body, may you prosper — for he has grasped you, The Lord of those in heaven, Madhusudana, my Lord, and now He and I have ended up all mingled together inside him Like honey and milk and butter and sugar and ambrosia. (II.3.1) While a person of great discernment can still take distinctly the honey and milk and other liquids, there is no way to separate them again. The pleasure of the experience of tasting them, indeed, lies in the oneness and difference of tastes. I offer each of the following five verses as moments of the saint’s recognition of the non-dualism which he weaves into Tiruvaymoli. We learn by focusing on them as a beginning, even if Shatakopan does not give any particularly privileged place to these particular songs; he does not say they are more important than all the others, as if indicative of what is “really” the case. There is no reason for us to think these songs, as non-dualist, are absolutely superior to other songs that are clearly more dualist, stressing worship, dramatizing the separation of the lover and beloved, etc. Given how the verses fit in with the rest of Tiruvaymoli, we are also being taught that the experience of non-dualism is not a uniform or monolithic reality. It is but a dimension of reality, even if a most intense and very deep dimension of who humans are. I will now simply give each verse with a brief comment, to give a feel for Shatakopan’s insights here. I.7.10 establishes, early on in Tiruvaymoli, the rule that there is a kind of dance involved in unity, as one approaches the Lord who reciprocally approaches the human soul in return: If you leave Him, He leaves too,
if you come near, He comes near, He’s hard to enter, but He’s no obstacle, my Lord — I never tire of singing the praises of my incomparable one, Night and day I am immersed in Him, plunged inside. The saint sings of his Lord, but the singing is also an immersion — in the Lord who is already inside him. VII.9.1 grounds the experience of composing the songs of Tiruvaymoli in an experience of non-duality, for the saint sees that the Lord becomes his own poetic self, and thus praises his divine self by the tongue and words of the human poet: He has exalted me for all time, day after day He has made me Himself, And by me He now sings Himself in sweet Tamil, My Lord, my first one, my abiding light: How can I sing of Him? In a striking — and unexpected — way, human words, so often taken to fall short of non-dualism, now show themselves to be the fruit of the divine-human relationship, divine speech in human words. VIII.8.3 retrieves a very traditional theme in Hindu spirituality by meditation on the self —and thus expresses the nature of the self whom the Lord loves; it is this self, precisely as loved, that becomes the site for true meditation. To know oneself in meditation is to know the Lord in that self: Beyond experience, this peerless one, but by His grace I have placed Him in my mind to hold Him, And that too is His sweet grace, thus He makes me experience That all experience, all breath, all body, the infinite too are mere waste — and In the end, He ended up as me Himself. (VIII.8.3) Again, this is a devotional and theistic non-dualism. Utter unity is not taken for granted, nor is it true of a self beyond change; rather it is an event that takes place as if by surprise, changing the saint from the inside out. X.7, which echoes VII.9, presents to us consummation as a total unity, an intense unity about which the saint can somehow still sing: Poets, makers of fine words, look after your selves and serve Him: Tirumaliruncholai’s trickster, the amazing one, has come as a great poet And mingled with my heart and life in a way others cannot notice —
He has consumed my heart and life and become me Himself, become full Himself. (X.7.1) This song is similar to VII.9, but the aim is different. In VII.9, at issue was the saint’s own experience of this non-duality, out of which his compositions arose; here, at issue is the Lord’s experience of the same non-dual event, for he is completed in becoming entirely one with the poet who sings of him. And finally, we can listen to X.10.10, nearly the last verse of the whole of Tiruvaymoli. The verse may be taken as uttered at the moment of consummation, the experience of being totally enveloped in the Lord. It expresses the event of unity that seems to bring to a close the poetic act itself: Surrounding, inside, filling, exalting every thing, unlimited great source — and Surrounding that, and greater still, the good blossoming light — and Surrounding that, and greater still, the radiant joy of knowledge — and Surrounding that, and greater still, my desire for you — but that too You finish, surrounding me. (X.10.10) “Surrounding” culminates the Lord’s entire repertoire of actions toward the saint, his drawing the human poet into the oceanic mystery of God so that in the end, the origin, the light by which we see, the wisdom that understands everything, and the desire for God — all fold into a final and complete experience of God. After the saint is surrounded, nothing more can be said — though, paradoxically, the whole of Tiruvaymoli is still there, to be recited and brought to life all over again, from the start.
Christian Reflections on Poetic Songs of India I turn now to Christian reflection on this devotional nondualism — even if in none of the above have I been writing merely neutrally, apart from my Christian perspective. The preceding portion of this essay, a kind of report, was required in order to give us solid grounds for reflection on what Tiruvaymoli offers to Christians — and of course others — interested in nondualism. Yet I have been reading, already, as a Christian. The very style of Shatakopan’s richly diverse poetry makes a Christian reception easier. Shatakopan does not hierarchize his teaching on non-dualism, he does not rank non-dualism in a privileged position as superior to all other states. The songs I have cited erupt, as it were, in the midst of Tiruvaymoli; they are neither dominant nor secondary, but rather simply alongside the other songs of the whole. They highlight the non-dual dimension of the experience of the divine, without explaining how such experiences are to be fit together with the more ordinary experiences of human religiosity; but they do allow that ordinary experience to continue. Tiruvaymoli is less propositional, less declarative and normative; rather, it is poetic insight and expression — and, as is often the case, vivid and immediate in its force. The songs of ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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Tiruvaymoli serve to draw the attentive listenTiruvaymoli says on the topic. To synthesize “First, er, who patiently stays with all 100 songs from the songs his “theory of non-dualand who also pays special attention to ism” would, I suggest, be a mistake. So we need to make sense of these songs that highlight inseparathere is no systematic theology strong experiences of non-dualism in bility, even in words that might immediately at stake, to be on other grounds be taken as defended or warded off. the Christian tradition — a challenge not to indicative of the complex difYet verses such as I have ferences that words impose cited did raise questions for be taken lightly — and then too decide how to on some unitive experience the medieval commentators respond to what is learned of intimate identity with of reality. of the Srivaisnava tradition. So we are not faced They wished to take with God from other traditions such as the Srivaisnava here with settled claims utter seriousness each and that are rivals to Christian every insight offered by the Hindu tradition. If we adopt Shatakopan’s approach claims. There is no threat saint, but his teachings on and recognize such experiences as real, powerful, and here such as would make us non-duality are particularly step back and defend challenging, since as leading transformative, and if we too do not insist that Christian faith over against a teachers of their community radically different view of the they are also concerned to they are the only or best or final experiences, world. Rather more simply, respect their religious practices, we can learn from his poetry and cultivate Tiruvaymoli puts possibilities such as temple worship, and before us and enables us to reflect devotional relationship with their its insights as an enrichment of on the non-dual elements in our Lord — all of which implied some experience of God — so that we might form of dualism, difference. The comChristian theism.” find ourselves, as it were, impossibly one and mentators take seriously the language of not-separate from the God we worship. unity, but also wish to honor the many other pasWe can of course get more concrete regarding how to sages indicative of difference. They do not wish to ignore learn, by turning to specific Christian texts that might be read what Shatakopan sings, but neither do they wish to open the with Tiruvaymoli. Here I choose just one New Testament text, door to an absolute non-duality that would undercut the interreGalatians 2.19: lationship of selves that makes devotion and religious practice For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. possible. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it Their solution is to remain on the imaginative and dramatis Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by ic level, never quite systematizing the divine-human relationfaith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ship. This passage from the important commentator Nanjiyar’s (Galatians 2.19-20) introduction to X.7 is indicative of the imaginative and dramatThe difference from Tiruvaymoli’s portrayal of non-duality is ic scenario they put forward: clear. Paul’s language is that of Jewish identity and its transfor“Thus the Lord is completely absorbed in the saint. He wants to mation in Christ, by a sharing in his crucifixion. How is such do as the saint commands Him to do, and with great alacrity is totalunity possible? It is a matter of faith, receiving the powerful ly absorbed in having the saint enter heaven — even with his body. grace of Christ’s initiative in bringing Paul to new life. But the He realizes that if the saint knows this he will not want it, but still He similarity, too, is clear, as a distinction-in-identity, Paul’s ability makes the saint want to mingle with Him even in his body, entering to say that even as he speaks, it is Christ who is not only his life again just as He did when he sang Tiruvaymoli through him. But but also alive in him. when the saint sees how the Lord is intent on having him rise to heavLike Shatakopan, Paul points to a very deep non-dual expeen even with this body, he says, ‘If the Lord is intent on this, then there rience without insisting that it is the only ultimate possibility or will never be a way for me to separate from this material nature; it is that it finally does away with all alternatives. Even as he says necessary then to make Him destroy my connection with this materithat it is Christ that lives in him, he does not systematize this al nature which is contrary to experiencing Him.’ The saint prays, ‘Destroy my connection with this material nature made up of the teaching by a static non-dualism, but instead steps back to a nartwenty-four elements — let me go.’ The Lord responds, ‘Apart from rative wherein he speaks of himself and God in relationship, by your body, what else could be my goal?’ The saint responds, ‘Are you a discourse that is still possible without undercutting the nonintent on this body for any reason other than because it is my dwelling dual experience: “And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in place? Then for my sake let it perish.’ He begs to take refuge with the the Son of God…” Lord, who consents, ‘Let us do this!’” That is, let us consummate our relationship, beyond this Further Reflections world, in the permanent bliss of heaven, in a deep unity no Can we say more, on a theological level? As I have said, longer encumbered by life in the body in this world. Yet the Lord Shatakopan does not try for conclusive certainty on the topic of is ambivalent even to the end. From this particularly vulnerable non-dualism, as if conclusions could be deduced from what portrayal of divine desire, it is the saint, alive in his body in this 48
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“Surrounding” culminates the Lord’s entire repertoire of actions toward the saint, his drawing the human poet into the oceanic mystery of God so that in the end, the origin, the light by which we see, the wisdom that understands everything, and the desire for God — all fold into a final and complete experience of God. After the saint is surrounded, nothing more can be said — though, paradoxically, the whole of Tiruvaymoli is still there, to be recited and brought to life all over again, from the start.” world, who is most attractive to the Lord. Only when convinced by the saint that it is the saint himself, not his body, that matters most, the Lord agrees to make their union final by a separation from the body that will be the saint’s death. In this complicated way the commentators make space for songs that speak of and from non-dual experience, weaving such claims into the context of their faith. Is all this what the saint meant? It is certainly in the spirit of his dramatic portrayal of the event of non-dualism in his life, yet complicated by a discussion of the body that goes beyond the song itself — a theological extension that makes it possible to speak of unity, and yet also to postpone the fullness of unity until after death — something the saint does not stipulate in his song. The problem faced by Christian theologians is not all that different, even if our task is more complex because we are thinking about non-duality, and thinking to learn about it from another religious tradition. First, we need to make sense of strong experiences of non-dualism in the Christian tradition — a challenge not to be taken lightly — and then to decide how to respond to what is learned of intimate identity with God from other traditions such as the Srivaisnava Hindu tradition. If we adopt Shatakopan’s approach and recognize such experiences as real, powerful, and transformative, and if we too do not insist that they are the only or best or final experiences, we can learn from his poetry and cultivate its insights as an enrichment of Christian theism, myriad new ways of imagining how self and God become one in moments that are events, gifts, never final and never to be taken for granted as the way things will always be. Second, Christian theologians are faced with the prospect of learning from Shatakopan’s Tiruvaymoli, and allowing ourselves to be taught about God, and brought closer to God, even into unity with God, through the powerful words and experiences of a Hindu poet. If our own identities cannot in fact be secured as entirely different from God, neither can we secure a Christian identity that is safely separate from Hindu wisdom and experience of God. But, again following the logic of Tiruvaymoli which privileges no particular experience as the sole final one, we need not move from admitting that we learn deeply of our non-duality with God to proposing that we learn equally from both or even all religions all the time, or that there are no differences between Christian and Hindu experiences of God. Finding a commonality of Tiruvaymoli and Galatians did not mean that we must overlook the differences in the texts or in the religious and theological worldviews leading up to their claims of non-duality. Recognizing common ground and kindred experi-
ences, learning across religious boundaries, and realizing moments of deep non-dualism — these are all dimensions of experience that perhaps cannot and ought not be systematized and reduced to predictable theoretical results. The saint’s recognition of his identity with God was for him a continuing surprise: similarly, finding our way to God inside and outside our familiar traditions can be a surprise that never ceases to be new.
Francis X. Clooney, S.J., a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the Society of Jesus, joined the Harvard Divinity School in 2005. He is Parkman Professor of Divinity, and Director of the Center for the Study of World Religions. After earning his doctorate in South Asian Languages and Civilizations (University of Chicago, 1984), he taught at Boston College until coming to Harvard. His primary areas of scholarship are theological commentarial writings in the Sanskrit and Tamil traditions of Hindu India, and the developing field of comparative theology, a discipline distinguished by attentiveness to the dynamics of theological learning deepened through the study of traditions other than one's own. He has also written on the Jesuit missionary tradition, particularly in India, and the dynamics of dialogue in the contemporary world. Professor Clooney is the author of numerous articles and books, including most recently, Beyond Compare: St. Francis and Sri Vedanta Desika on Loving Surrender to God (Georgetown University Press, 2008), The Truth, the Way, the Life: Christian Commentary on the Three Holy Mantras of the Srivaisnava Hindus (Peeters Publishing, 2008), and Comparative Theology: Deep Learning Across Religious Borders (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010). He recently edited The New Comparative Theology: Voices from the Next Generation (Continuum, 2010). His current major project is an exercise in dramatic theology, the reading of Bernard of Clairvaux's sermons on the Song of Songs along with Nampillai's commentary on Satakopan's Tiruvaymoli, in accord with the theme of the (new) search for God.
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◆ Laura Magnani
Continuing Revelation A Quaker Way of Knowing Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine Center, a speaking Voice, to which we may continuously return. Eternity is at our hearts, pressing upon our time-torn lives, warming us with intimations of an astounding destiny, calling us home unto Itself. The Light Within, Thomas Kelly (1941)
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ach spiritual tradition has its own primary authority from which its beliefs and practices emanate. Some rely on scriptures from various sources: The Bhagavad Gita, the Holy Qur’an, the Hebrew and Christian testaments, to name a few. Others rely upon long established traditions, on hierarchies of leaders, teachers, prophets, or elders. Others, like Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), rely first and foremost on experience — a direct experience of the divine. Within the Religious Society of Friends there is an abiding expectation that we can cultivate a one-toone relationship with God, or the Light, or the Divine Seed. Some would call this the Christ within, or “that of God” in each of us. There is little agreement about the names, and the words to describe divinity have changed from age to age — partly because of cultural influences, or prejudices, and partly because the experiences themselves have changed. There is nothing new about shying away from names for God. In the Judaeo-Christian tradition in which the Society of Friends is rooted, words like YHWH, sometimes written with vowels as “Yahweh,” to make it pronounceable, are by definition not pronounceable. The concept of the great “I Am,” or “I am that I am” challenges, perhaps dares us, to decide if it is a noun or a verb which describes the Holy One. Some translators warn that it should be “I will be that I will be,” putting the emphasis not only on the verbs, but on the tense of the verb and the process of becoming. In this article I will try to describe something about this process of becoming, and something about the idea that God is constantly revealing Himself/Herself/Itself to us. We often refer to it as “continuing revelation,” which underscores the belief that being faithful means being attentive to the on-going in-breaking of Spirit in our lives. By training ourselves to listen to this inner teacher there is greater opportunity for true knowledge, and for leading a centered, faith-filled life. Certainly Quakers don’t have a corner on the market for tapping into this knowledge, or for being faithful. Many seekers have found their own paths or participated in other practices that have led them to a deep centeredness, to an ability to maintain and return to states of prayer or contemplation. Some practices actively cultivate what can be described as mystical experi50
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ences. Indeed, one failing of the Quaker way, in my experience, is that we don’t have a well-defined method or set of practices to lead us to the divine. What we do have is a form of “worship” which involves sitting in silence, an expectant waiting, most often in a group, seeking this Inner Light. And people may speak out of the silence if they are moved by the Spirit. Yet, what one does in this sacred space varies widely, and in fact is not regularly even discussed. Though we have, over the centuries, used the word “discipline” to describe a form of order that we aspire to, the discipline more often refers to the way that business is transacted among us rather than to methods for centering worship. In many other Christian traditions, the central focus of worship is the Eucharist, or celebrating communion — with God and with each other. I would agree with a number of Quaker writers, including Jim Corbett, who posits that communion is also the central focus of “Meeting for Worship.” The act of worship can be understood as coming into an awareness of the inner Light and dwelling there, or experiencing the oneness of God. However, a sharp distinction is drawn by us between this form of communion and those that rely on “outward forms.” In other words, the ritualized Eucharist can run the risk of becoming rote, automatic, and thus reflect the exact opposite of actually experiencing the oneness. Feeling or being at one with God is not something that can be done for us — and especially not through the medium of a specially ordained person – but is incumbent upon each of us to establish through our own agency. In traditions like Buddhism the language would be different, and would not be “God” focused, but would certainly speak of reaching a state of “emptiness” or freedom from small-minded preoccupations that allows one to experience a numinous awareness of the connectedness of all things.
Coming Into the Oneness How can I adequately describe what is longed for? Partly, in some traditions, it is a relationship. Quaker founder, George Fox, described his initial direct experience of the divine as “And when all hopes in them and in all men were gone, so that I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor could tell what to do, then, oh then, I heard a voice which said, ‘there is one, even Christ Jesus, who can speak to thy condition,’ and when I heard it my heart did leap for joy.” (Journal of George Fox, 1647) And as Fox continued to experience this relationship he taught that “Christ has come to teach his people himself,” as a continuing and living reality in the here and now. The kingdom of God is not off somewhere in the distance, then, to be experienced at a later time, perhaps after death. We have the ability to tap into that power all the time, every day, through prayer and devotion — and to act out of the insight that results from tapping into the power. The extent to which this power is personified, in the person of Jesus, or of God,
or is conceived of more expansively as Spirit, or simply a deep knowing, varies among us. And it may vary within each of us at different times. But for Fox it was deeply personal and concrete — a personal relationship, a “Lord” speaking directly to him. Other descriptions give the experience more of a sense of place, like stepping into a river (The Four Doors to Meeting for Worship, William Taber, 1992), or a secret chamber into which we can retreat. In this Inner Chamber there is a refuge from the ever-changing aspects of outward existence. One finds there “first repose, then an awful guidance; a light which burns and purifies; a voice which subdues.” One finds him/herself in the presence of God. (Quaker Strongholds, Caroline Stephen, 1890). Whether being in “the presence” is a place or a state of being could be argued, or is perhaps another way of describing a relationship to a being. What seems to be true in the place, state, or relationship is a concrete, direct experience of spiritual reality. Caroline Stephen says, “Nothing can teach us the nature and meaning of inspiration but personal experience of it.” (as quoted in Quaker Spirituality, pg. 247) It would be a mistake to situate these experiences too narrowly into what happens in a Meeting for Worship. Indeed, the experiences happen everywhere, all the time. Our job is to listen. Is there a difference between being aware of the nuances in a Beethoven symphony, or an Oldenberg sculpture, or being surrounded by the walls of the Grand Canyon, or stepping into that
sacred stream? I believe that music, art, and nature are important channels for understanding the fullness of life and our purpose in it. They can be tools to hone our awareness skills. They can be about being fully awake and alive. In a way we may be speaking of moving back and forth between prose and poetry. One can live without poetry, but by encountering life as a poem and by receiving its mysteries and messages with the heart and not just the head, a much richer experience becomes readily available. As one practices moving into this state of consciousness, Truth is revealed, and we are open to being led in certain directions (experiencing “Leadings”), and our lives are guided. And though there is something unchangeable about Truth that endures over time, continuing revelation does imply a radical openness to change in how we perceive or understand Truth in our times. Is there a difference between continuing revelation and mysticism? Certainly revelation can take the form of mystical experience. Caroline Stephen defines mystics as “people with a vivid consciousness of the inwardness of the light of truth.” (Quaker Spirituality, pg. 248) Still, God may be revealing God’s intention or God’s purpose through a gentle nudge or a pronounced push toward a vital decision that enables us to do God’s will, or stay on a destined path, rather than necessarily arriving at a brilliant new vision. ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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Testing “Leadings” in Community If one subscribes to a tradition that allows for new “leadings” to spring up continuously, how do we test these leadings? Although all tests are practiced imperfectly, Quakers have confidence, traditionally, in testing a “leading” by seasoning it within the corporate body, by the Monthly Meeting or immediate worshipping community, or by discerning Friends who “labor” with the person experiencing the leading to ask questions and probe their meanings. These supportive efforts at discernment, or “clearness,” as we call it, help determine what actions might be undertaken in order to follow a particular leading. In some cases, the Meeting will “unite” with the leading and embrace it, either as its own work to do, or as work the Meeting recognizes the individual is called to do. Other times, the Meeting will “release” Friends to follow where they are being led with the expectation that reports will come back to the Meeting periodically and thus increase the quality of discernment. It cannot be emphasized enough that a tradition that does not rely on hierarchical authority, fixed dogma, and pat rules, must temper its “revelations” through the crucible of community. We are accountable to God, yes, but God as validated by the community of faith. There are dangers in this. For instance, some followers of Jihad claim to be instructed by God to kill people. Many horrendous acts by many so-called believers, have been done in the name of religion. The inner discernment Friends engage in must rely on more than the wisdom of a handful of people sitting down to ask questions. It must look at our “testimonies” — the recorded understandings of our faith over centuries — for consistency and continuity. For us, that might involve testing a person’s leading to examine how it lives up to our testimony on equality, peace, and integrity. Friends are not discerning in a vacuum, and alarms would undoubtedly go off if someone came to say “I have a ‘leading’ to kill school children, or set off a bomb”; or “I have a ‘leading’ to clear cut this piece of land I own.” It may be legal for a landowner to do such a thing, but in bringing the question to a faith community, one puts oneself in their hands. A practicing Friend is then expected to be obedient to the leadings of the discerning group. So, the individualism of the concept of continuing revelation has to be mitigated by the faith community. It is usually the case that radical new understandings come from remarkable individuals who may have a particularly strong faith or deep insight. They may succeed in pushing the Meeting in a new direction, as John Woolman did when he influenced Friends to stop participating in the slave trade. He understood how wrong it was decades before the general community did. But he stayed adamant and waited, not only for new direction from Spirit, but for the community to become “convinced” (convinced is often another word for conversion in our tradition). Discernment is a three-way process. It occurs between 52
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Spirit, the individual, and the community. It is hard work. Mistakes are made. And we get better at it with practice. Our best hope, we believe, is to commit ourselves to quiet listening — for that still small voice that might whisper, or the trumpet fanfare that may command. Then, we struggle within to understand and accept what seems to be a leading. Finally, we submit our purpose to the community for support in discernment. Any one of these three practices performed in isolation puts us at greater risk of delusion than when we take time to season the stirrings with the heart of the community.
Laura Magnani is Interim Regional Director of the American Friends Service Committee, Pacific Mountain Region. She has been a member of the Berkeley Friends Meeting since 1971. She holds a Master’s degree from the Pacific School of Religion in Religion and Society (1982). Laura can be reached at <mailto:lmagnani@afsc.org>lmagnani@afsc.org.
Paravasta ◆
The Father and I are One Insights into Essene Christianity The Essenes revere the sacred teachings and scriptures of all religions. Therefore, this article about the Essene religion, written by an SRV initiate who is also an ordained Essene Minister, has a Vedantic orientation.
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he Father and I are One — this is one of the most important statements made by Jesus recorded in the canonical gospels. It is stark in its contrast to much of the Old Testament, showing Jesus’ nondualistic (advaitic) spiritual realization. Certain modern Christian thinkers, Raimon Panikkar foremost among them, go so far as to define Jesus’ statement as a “Great Statement” or Mahavakya, to use the Indian religious term. To draw such a parallel between the Master’s characteristically advaitic utterances and those of the ancient Rishis of India is not unwarranted, as in both instances there is expressed the idea of continuity — as in the Upanishadic statement, “That thou Art.” Jesus and the Vedantic sages were iconoclasts seeking to break the idol of relativity, transcending dualistic notions of reality to enter into and rest in the all-pervasive “Ground of Existence.” Both seek to go beyond a separate deity forever beyond our reach, to reveal the Lord within our own hearts, the breath of our breath, the Conscious Reality which is the very essence of our Being. It is not hard to notice the contrast between Jesus’ teaching and much of contemporary Christian dogma. The Easterner does not find it hard to accept Jesus’ teaching, so similar is it to the fundamental tenets of Eastern spiritual culture; whereas the Western world for the most part, grounded in dualistic theology as it is, does not know what nonduality is, and therefore does not as yet fully understand the import of Jesus’ teachings on advaita. Rather, they are understood in the dualistic sense, pervaded by the personal presence of a stern Father who favors one people over another, sanctions “holy war,” judges and dispenses punishment, etc. Much of the Old Testament, and certain of Paul’s writings, at first glance, would seem to justify such a viewpoint. So often it seems modern theology does not strive to explain Jesus’ teachings, but rather to explain them away. Mention the Bible verse “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you,” which has a clear advaitic orientation, and it is interpreted by the Church to emphasize a world of name and form in time and space. The Western church thus often hampers spiritual progress in its adherents by taking empirical and mythological statements literally, while rendering absolute truths dualistically. For those dissatisfied with conventional theology and bold enough to accept Jesus’ primary statements as literal, advaita is the logical conclusion. Advaita means, literally, “not two.” What else can be meant by the statement “I and the Father are One?” It implies an intimacy with the Source of Being which results in Unity. This can be challenging to an orthodoxy that has lost its way. But even within the Eastern Orthodox
Christian Church, elements of this yogic wisdom have been preserved, although often the monastics are aware of this more than are many in the general body of the church. In the orthodox Hesychast tradition, it is stated “Resting the mind within the heart, wait upon the Lord in quiet expectancy. The Lord is there, His Kingdom, and all the angels. Truly, the Lord has established no meeting place other than the human heart.” In addition, the Hebrew word Shem, which is usually translated as “Heaven” and taken to mean some subtle, celestial realm far removed from earthly existence, has been re-translated by one modern scholar from the Aramaic root “shm” to mean “all realms of vibration and light.” So, rather than the idea of a separate, special place reserved for the righteous, this word used by Jesus more closely implies a vision of “the All” or undivided, unified Existence. In this wise, His view and that of Eastern sages are in complete agreement. Father Richard Rohr, OFM, in his A New Way of Seeing, a New Way of Being, calls for a renewed understanding of “Jesus as the first non-dualistic teacher of the West” and “Paul as the successor of Jesus to non-dual thinking.” To Jesus’ own nondual teachings can be added Paul’s statement that “in Him we live and move and have our being.” Those who worship Divine Reality as Mother, may note the similarity between this teaching and the following one from one of Ramprasad’s poems: “As you wander through countryside or city, feel that you are moving through Kali, Kali, Kali.” (Mother of the Universe, Lex Hixon, p. 40) Within Western Christendom today, many are awakening to the need to resurrect this long de-emphasized dimension of their own faith tradition. They understand that essential elements of religious understanding tend to become diluted or lost over time, and want to know more intimately what Jesus meant. As Sri Krishna says in the Gita, “This Yoga, through long elapse of time, has been lost to the world, O Arjuna.”
Abba Amma Is the path that was taught by Jesus really such a complete break with the Jewish tradition within which He lived? In the scriptures of the Essenes there is a drastically different account of Jesus’ life and teaching. The Essenes, originally a sect of Judaism, have their own scriptures and supporting literature. In these writings, Jesus is portrayed as an Essene “Tzaddik” (Teacher of Righteousness) preaching karma, reincarnation, nonviolence (including a vegetarian way of life), meditation and mantra practice, God as both Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother, and complete equality between men and women — both in daily life as well as in the priesthood. The woman known as Miriam ha Magdala (Mary ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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Magdalene) was also known to them as Miriam ha Shekhina, or the embodied Incarnation of the Feminine Aspect of God. Yeshua or Jesus was known as Yahoshua ha Mashiakh or the incarnation of God’s Masculine Aspect. Together, they were considered the two incarnated aspects of the One Father-Mother God, or Abba Amma. Concerning the masculine and feminine aspects of God, there is this passage: “And one of them said, ‘Master, it is written of old, the Elohim made man in Their own image, male & female created They them. How sayest thou then that God is one?’ And Jesus said unto them, ‘Verily I say unto you, in God there is neither male nor female, and yet both are one, and God is the Two in One. The Elohim – our God – is Perfect, Infinite, and One. As in the man, the Father is manifest and the Mother hidden; so in the woman, the Mother is manifest and the Father hidden. Therefore shall the name of the Father and the Mother be equally hallowed; for they are the great Powers of God, and the one is not without the other in the One God.’” For a person new to the Essene teachings, a good place to start might be the writings of Edmond Bordeaux Szekeley, who translated the Essene Gospel of Peace. In addition, his “Teachings of the Essenes from Enoch to the Dead Sea Scrolls” gives the most insightful brief summary of the Essene Way in print, being an overview of the essential teachings in all four published volumes of the Essene Gospel of Peace. Certain of the Dead Sea as well as the Nag Hammadi texts can be helpful, being careful to discriminate which are likely of Essene origin and which are not. In the Clementine Homilies and Recognitions, a first century Christian document found in the book-set Ante-Nicene Fathers, the Apostle Peter relates to his traveling companion, Clement, a principle given by Jesus for discerning false scriptures from the true: “All scriptures contain some truth and some falsehood, but those which in any way advocate killing or causing suffering to any being, man or beast alike, are to be rejected as false periscopes.” One may recall Sri Ramakrishna’s saying that the scriptures are a mixture of sand and sugar, and one must learn to take only the sugar (the essential), leaving behind the sand (the nonessential). Of the other doctrinal points already mentioned, I include here further supporting passages from the Gospel of the Holy Twelve. This New Testament, purported to be the original Aramaic version of the Gospel of Matthew, contains many of the familiar stories and sayings found in the modern Bible, and also teachings which will be startling to some. For instance, in chapter XXXVII, verses 2 and 8, Jesus teaches reincarnation: “So, through many changes, must ye be made perfect; as it is written in the book of Job, ‘I am a wanderer, changing place after place and house after house, until I come unto the city and mansion which are eternal.’” “And he said unto them, ‘Blessed are they who suffer many experiences, for they shall be made perfect through suffering; they shall be as the angels of God in heaven and shall die no more, neither shall they be born anymore; for death and birth shall have no more dominion over them.’” And in chapter XCIII, verse 4, Jesus teaches the doctrine of karma: “…but they that come shall receive other bodies, yet their own; and as they have sown in one life, so will they reap in another.” In the Ten Commandments, we are told “Thou shalt not kill.” In the Essene Gospel, Jesus upholds this commandment, but 54
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makes no distinction between man or beast: “Verily I say unto you, they who partake of benefits which are gotten by wronging one of God’s creatures cannot be righteous; nor can they touch holy things or teach the mysteries of the Kingdom, whose hands are stained with blood or whose mouths are defiled with flesh. God giveth the grains and the fruits of the earth for food, and for righteous men truly there is no other lawful sustenance for the body.” “…wherefore I say unto all who desire to be my disciples, keep your hands from bloodshed and let no fleshmeat enter your mouths; for God is just and bountiful, who ordaineth that man shall live by the fruits and seeds of the earth alone.” (see Genesis 1:29, 30)
Jesus and the Jains Some say that Jesus may have been influenced by non-violent Jains with whom he came into contact during his travels in India. In Janet Bock’s, The Jesus Mystery, there is an account of her meeting with His Holiness Muni Sushil Kumarji, a contemporary monk and leader of the Jain faith. Muniji had this to say concerning Jesus: “We believe that Lord Jesus Christ did come to India at a place called Pallipana in the Gujarat district where there is a big Jain temple, and he came into contact with Jain monks whose main precepts are non-violence, peace and love. We believe Jesus Christ did a lot of austerities there alongside Jain monks. He accepted the vows of the Jain monks about celibacy, non-violence, vegetarianism, about doing good to the common people; and we still have a lot of commonality between Jesus Christ’s teachings and the Jain religion.”
The Tzaddik was a Sadhaka Some may wonder at the idea of Jesus undertaking rigorous spiritual austerities, thinking that personal effort and divine Grace are somehow mutually exclusive principles. However, it is to be noted that in preparation for his mission, Christ is known to have retreated to the wilderness for 40 days and nights to practice intense prayer and meditation. By this austerity he overcame the last small vestiges of egotism obstructing full realization of God, and knowledge of his own divine nature and mission. Even for Christ some effort was required to fully realize his identity with the Heavenly Father — what to speak of His great austerity and selfless example on the cross, where He demonstrated for all to see the absolute primacy of Spirit over the relative, material existence. In the midst of agony, His mind was centered in God, and filled with compassion for benighted humanity. If even Jesus undertook such harsh austerity for the sake of embodied beings, can we not also do something or aspire to at least some degree of renunciation? In the Essene tradition, the idea of vicarious atonement as conceived by the modern Church is rejected. In that context, vicarious atonement means that a sacrificial victim can take on the sins of humanity and suffer in their place. From the Essene perspective this would contradict the law of karma, or cause and effect; for we must each reap the consequences of the life we have lived. Otherwise there would be no growth; we would achieve no understanding. The idea of vicarious atonement began with the scapegoat, a sacrificial animal: The village priest ritually transferred the sins
of the people to the animal, which was then sacrificed, supposedly suffering in hell in place of the people, so the people can then go on with their lives with a clear conscience. But this was also in violation of the Essene teaching “Thou shalt not kill.” In the Essene Gospel, when Jesus was questioned about the tradition in which a lamb is sacrificed for the expiation of sins, He answered, “If an innocent creature is slaughtered, the sin will not decrease; Nay, by this violence the condemnation will increase.” When it came to Jesus’ own sacrifice on the cross however, the Essenes did believe that Jesus performed a great work on the cross by demonstrating the indestructibility of the soul, and by showing that earthly suffering can be transcended by living a life that is centered in the Spirit, rather than taking matter to be the ultimate reality. For the Essenes, this was the way to salvation: they taught that it was not by believing in the sacrificial death of Jesus that one is saved. It is by taking on His “yoke” (his disciplines or yoga) and applying to our own lives His saving teachings – teachings that can help us realize that we too are “one with the Father.” That He wanted us to realize this about ourselves is suggested by his quotation of the Old Testament verse, “Ye are Gods. All are sons of the Most High.” By this statement, He contradicted the modern Christian belief that He is “the only Son of God.” Jesus directly alluded to the truth that all partake of the Divine Nature, and wanted us to know this about ourselves. The Essenes taught that what Jesus was, what He realized, we also can realize. Without need for sacrificial atonement, we are already one in essence with Christ, within the womb of all existence they called Abba Amma (Father-Mother). Jesus was telling all who had “ears to hear” (capacity to understand) that they were already of the same substance as He, and someday they also would realize God’s Will and compassionate sacrifice for suffering, benighted humanity. He said, “Greater love hath no man than he who would give his life for his friend.” How often do we ask ourselves, “Would I be willing to give my own life without reservation, if it would serve to benefit humanity, if it could save people from suffering?” Perhaps Jesus would want us to be asking ourselves this kind of question. It is to be noted that the Essene doctrine was not a wholesale repudiation of the idea of vicarious atonement. Their concern was more that under the influence of such an idea, religious people have the tendency to think that if they have already been atoned for, then they are not responsible for their actions. They also stop striving through spiritual disciplines, thinking that “under Grace” spiritual effort is not necessary. Then the essential spirit of religion is forgotten, and things go downhill from there. So the Essenes de-emphasized vicarious atonement, for the purpose of preservation of dharma, and for slowing the decay of religion on earth. They did not want a valid teaching to be misused as an excuse for avoidance of responsibility ending up in the primal error of practicing a watered-down version of religion. They knew that people must continue to practice some form of spiritual discipline, sadhana, or otherwise they would not neutralize karma, purify the mind, and in the end realize spiritual Freedom.
The Essene Tree of Life If we are to become, in the words of St. Paul, “transformed by the renewing of our minds,” we must exert effort toward that end. In other words, we must practice Yoga and “raise our sail to catch the wind of God’s Grace, which is always blowing,” as Sri Ramakrishna has said. Toward this purpose of divine union, the Essenes have their own system of Yoga, based on the Tree of Life. In the One God, there are two great Aspects: the Heavenly Father and the Earthly Mother. The upper half of the Tree of Life represents the Father who “gives us our spirit.” The branches of the tree symbolize the angels of the great spiritual powers — the Angel of Power, Angel of Love, Angel of Wisdom, Angel of Eternal Life, Angel of Work, and the Angel of Peace. Rather than being autonomous, self-existent entities, these were understood to be aspects or emanations of the Father. Every evening before going to sleep, the Essene communes with one of these angels of the Heavenly Father and tries to adjust his life so as to be in harmony with it. On the seventh day, he communes with the Heavenly Father, with the meditation “I and the Father are One. He gives the light of life to my spirit.” The lower half of the Tree represents the Earthly Mother who “gives us our body.” She is the creative aspect of God who produces the material world. The roots of the tree represent Her angels, the temporal powers: the Angel of Sun, Angel of Water, Angel of Air, Angel of Earth, Angel of Life, and the Angel of Joy. Each morning, the Essene communes with one of these angels and tries to adjust her life to be in harmony with it. On the seventh day, she communes with the Earthly Mother, “I and the Earthly Mother are One. She gives the food of life to my body.” ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM 55
In the center of the tree is depicted a human being seated in meditation. Through inner Yoga via the Angelic communions, the soul aims at right understanding of the human place within the Cosmos and ultimately, at the transcendence of these gross and subtle manifest aspects of existence — for even the Heavenly Father and the Earthly Mother are seen as Elohim, emanations of Ain Soph Aur, the Boundless Light, beyond the mind’s ability to grasp and beyond all the dual pairs of opposites. This Essene Yoga is alluded to in the following hymn from the Manual of Discipline of the Dead Sea Scrolls: With the coming of day I embrace my Mother, With the coming of night I join my Father, And with the outgoing of evening and morning I will breathe Their Law, And I will not interrupt these Communions Until the end of time.
Scripture, Action, Sacrifice — Existence Gradated The Essene meditations on each of these angels or aspects of God are called communions, and in essence, have the same inner meaning as yajna or sacrifice in the Vedas. This is not surprising, given that many aspects of Essene tradition are inherited directly from the Persians. Zoroastrianism, while in certain respects seeming to repudiate Vedic religion, simply continued the idea of sacrifice in a different form, using different symbols. The sacrificial fire, or Homa, is one such example. The Zoroastrian cosmology of Asha or universal Order, which was once the Ritam spoken of in the Vedas, became the God of the Essenes, often referred to in the impersonal sense, simply as “the Law.” Manifest aspects of the Zoroastrian Asha, called Fravashis, which were previously the early gods of the Vedic pantheon, eventually became the angels of the Essene Tree of Life. Still, through all the changing outward garb of religious forms and symbols, the same Eternal Religion, the same idea is getting transmitted, the same eternal sacrifice is going on. From the non-dual perspective, we come to understand that the reality and Its appearances are not the same. The Essene practitioner takes the various angels as objects for meditation, much as the 24 Cosmic Principles are applied in the Samkhya system of philosophy, or the alambanas are in classic Yoga. This orientation takes one beyond the “worship of Angels” (the Essenes have an injunction against worship of angels) to the principle and practice of purification of principles. Each created principle he or she contemplates, be it the body or some physical object, or even an Angel, is purified by recognizing that in itself it is unreal, being only God’s manifestation. It is entirely dependent upon God. God alone is the Real. “God alone exists.”
The Sevenfold Peace There is an Essene discipline called the Sevenfold Peace: (1) Peace with the Body; (2) Peace with the Mind; (3) Peace with the Brotherhood; (4) Peace with Mankind; (5) Peace with the Wisdom of the Ages; (6) Peace with the Kingdom of the Earthly Mother; (7) Peace with the Kingdom of the Heavenly Father. 56
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Every day at noon, the Essene undertakes one of these Peace Contemplations. As each of the temporal powers or angels of the Earthly Mother correlates with one of the celestial powers or angels of the Heavenly Father, the Essene Way seen and practiced in the light of nonduality progresses via right relationship through the natural forces (angels of the Earthly Mother) to the more subtle spiritual powers (angels of the Heavenly Father) behind them, and then goes beyond them both to realize the Boundless Light in that undivided unity of pure, formless Being. “All things exist by Thee and there is none beside Thee. By Thy Law Thou hast directed my heart that I set my steps straightforward upon right paths and walk where Thy presence is.” (from the Book of Hymns VII of the Dead Sea Scrolls) The Essene Way as practiced today is a work in progress. Many of the original teachings have been lost and there is a serious attempt to reconstruct the original way of life using the limited texts and historical records that have survived. The Essene religion is not in opposition to any other genuine religion, for those texts that have survived suggest that although the Essene Way was the original source of the Christian religion, it was not an insular path but highly syncretistic, absorbing elements from the religions of ancient Persia, Egypt, India, Tibet, Greece, etc. The burgeoning modern Essene movement has the opportunity to make an important contribution to the growth of religious harmony, in sympathy with the sentiment of universalism present in the Ramakrishna Movement. Some may find it appropriate that French Nobel laureate, Romain Rolland, who wrote wonderful biographies on Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, was a co-founder of the International Biogenic Society, one of the first modern remanifestations of the ancient Essene Movement. In conclusion, it cannot be forgotten that Love is the heart of Christ’s revelation. “Let thy love be as the sun which shines upon all the creatures of the earth, and does not favor one blade of grass for another. And this love shall flow as a fountain from brother to brother, and as it is spent so shall it be replenished. For love is eternal. Love is stronger than the currents of deep waters. Love is stronger than death.” (from The Essene Book of Jesus) It is said that the Heavenly Father is love; and that he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in the Father, and the Father in him. This is the hope and foundation of all followers of Christ. Their faith is beautifully expressed in this passage from the Thanksgiving Psalms of the Dead Sea Scrolls: “O that my words were graven with an iron pen in the rock forever! For I know that my Creator liveth: and He shall stand at the end of time upon the earth and the stars. And though worms destroy this body yet shall I see God.” Peace be with you!
Paravasta Sam Bailey has been a devout student of Vedanta and Babaji Bob Kindler since 1994. A serious practitioner of religion, he previously took hand in the Sufi Ruhaniat Order and also studied Essene Nazirite Christianity to become an ordained Essene minister.
Tree of Life image Image source: http://www.earth-keepers.co.uk
Rabbi Melech Matthew Peltz ◆
Oneness and Unity With The Creator “The purpose and goal of prayer is to attain oneness with G-d, as explained in the writings of the Holy Ari; through focusing one’s entire being on achieving this closeness, we not only bring ourselves closer to our Father in Heaven, but we also form a marital union, which unites The Holy One, Blessed Be He (G-d’s male aspect – Kudsha Berich Hu) with the Divine Presence (G-d’s female aspect - Shechinah).” Pathways of Prayer – Prayer is the Service of the Heart in “Nesivos Shalom” (Pathways of Peace) by The Slonimer Rebbe, Rabbi Shalom Noach Brozovsky, of Blessed Memory.
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here are two concepts, or imageries, that require explanation in order to fully understand the powerful and important statement above. These two processes are among the most essential in Hasidic philosophy, as they are part of the process which eradicates negativity and evil from the world, allowing G-d’s goodness to radiate and engulf the world in love and unity. Prayer brings us closer to the day that was promised to us by the prophets, when those at war “will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift the sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4) The goal of prayer, according to the Slonimer Rebbe, is achieving deveikus with the Creator. This can mean oneness, as defined above, or more specifically, the cleaving or clinging to Gd as to becoming one with Him. We will identify a number of ways to accomplish this. However, keep in mind that each Hasidic sect has varied, as there are numerous ways of reaching The Slonimer Rebbe deveikus. The aim is to reach a perpetual state of deveikus, which is for the most spiritually advanced. This does not mean that we cannot reach that level. As the Sages of the Talmud say, “L'fum tzara agra,” – “According to the effort is the reward.” As we reach a state of deveikus, we simultaneously effect the zivug v’yichud Kudsha Berich Hu u’Shechintei, the marital union and oneness of The Holy One, Blessed Be He and The Divine Presence — the male and female aspects of G-d, respectively. Since the marital union is the most exalted and special unification between two people, so it is for Hashem and His Bride, so to speak. We will see later how this process, which at first glance challenges our traditional views of the first monotheistic religion, actually helps us to understand it on an even deeper, more personal level. The idea of deveikus is mentioned in Jewish mystical literature — Kabbalah — and was later popularized by the Hasidic movement, beginning in the late 18th century. The desire to
unite spiritual and material life, to reveal the Divinity within the corporeal, and to utilize the material world for spiritual endeavors was adapted from Kabbalistic literature and forms the core of Hasidic belief. Contrary to the methods of the Kabbalists, some of whom employed ascetic practices that break or destroy the material, deveikus in Hasidism is achieved by channeling materialism into Divine Worship. Certain Rebbes did practice ascetic techniques in private for mystical reasons, but not as a method of personal elevation, such as before. There is a story related about the Rebbe of Kretchnif that will help us better understand the process of deveikus:
Divine Memory in Sacred Education When Rav Meir of Kretchnif was a young boy, his father, the Rebbe of Nadvorna, would often travel. During one of his many trips, his young son Meir felt a burning desire to learn the Hebrew alphabet, so he walked into the town’s school and asked the teacher to teach him the letters. The teacher readily complied. When his father returned the young child immediately showed off his knowledge by holding an open book next to his father and naming the letters. When the Rebbe heard that the town teacher had done so, the Rebbe complained to him. “He is my son and his education is my responsibility. How could you teach him without my prior consent?” The Rebbe wished to teach his son with the enthusiasm imbued to him by his father. In order to do this he ordered his son not to open any book until he forgot what he had been taught. All blessings over food and the like were taught to him by heart, but because he had a phenomenal memory it took a very long time for him to forget. In the meantime he felt inferior to his peers who all could read, but when he complained to someone who told his feelings to the Rebbe, the Rebbe explained why he was waiting. “With G-d’s help this will be for the best. He is now focusing on prayer and he will learn to pray better than thousands of Jews.” The child did indeed pray with great fervor. In addition, his energies and yearning caused him to design a violin and play the most beautiful and inspiring songs. His playing was so inspirational that his father would often wake him to play a heart-rending melody to arouse him in his own prayer and study. When he ascended higher and higher in avodah, he elevated his music with him and he also taught his son to use a violin ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM 57
“While the constructs of gender are essentially irrelevant to G-d, who has no body or physical form, the Torah and other Jewish texts attribute human descriptions to G-d to help us — in our limited capacity — to understand actions and behaviors that occur in the spiritual realm.” in his avodah. To this day, this avodah made an impression in his descendants known for using music to inspire themselves and others in Divine Worship. From this story, we can see how the Rebbe from Kretchnif used his desire for knowledge and advancement to design a violin with which to dedicate thanks and praises to G-d. It appears that his father, the Rebbe of Nadvorna, knew that his son was able to achieve constant deveikus and this is precisely why he redirected his son’s focus towards prayer. This is evident from the line “The Rebbe wished to teach his son with the enthusiasm imbued to him by his father.” He did not want his son to acquire knowledge for the sake of knowledge, rather every action in life must be part of achieving oneness with G-d. By infusing the material with spirit, i.e., playing the violin with spirituality, thereby focusing one’s energy and yearning to be closer to G-d and to walk in His ways while playing, the Rebbe of Kretchnif was not only able to achieve deveikus himself, but as his father before him, taught his methods to his children. For those who were unable to arrive at this lofty level themselves, the Rebbe transferred his deveikus to them, allowing them to achieve unity with the Divine by connecting with the Rebbe, each individual at their own level.
Music as Inspiration in Prayer Achieving deveikus through music is common in Hasidic circles, especially with the wordless melodies known as niggunim, or “humming tunes.” Niggunim are usually written by the Rebbe, although sometimes, Biblical verses or quotes from Jewish texts are sung repetitively in the form of a niggun. However, it is taught that a wordless niggun can reach spiritual levels higher than the words of prayer can reach, as they open the heart to love and awe of G-d. The Rebbe usually introduces a niggun at a Hasidic gathering, called a Tisch, either one he wrote himself or a traditional niggun from his particular sect, and the Hasidim will sing it along with the Rebbe. Through singing
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their melodies, Hasidim are able to attach and be inspired by the soul of the Rebbe, in the same way as listening to the Rebbe of Kretchnif on his violin. Deveikus through prayer is essentially Jewish meditation. It had previously been restricted to great Kabbalists; through the advent of Hasidism, it became accessible to even the simple folk. Hasidic tales often give examples of this occurrence: R' Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev was looking for someone to blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. Many people vied for the honor of blowing the shofar for him, and he set about interviewing the various candidates. He called each one in and asked him, "What do you think about when you blow the shofar?" Each one tried to show how he had lofty thoughts that were rooted in the Kabbalah, and yet R' Levi Yitzchak was not satisfied. Finally, one answered, "Rebbe, I'm not a learned man. I have four daughters who are all of marriageable age. When I blow the shofar, I think: ‘Master of the World! I have done whatever You wanted, and have obeyed all Your commandments. Now, please do what I want, and help me find husbands for my daughters." R' Levi Yitzchak was overjoyed, and said, "Your thoughts are true ones. You will blow the shofar for me this Rosh Hashanah." Although the simple folk were unable to delve into Kabbalah’s lofty concepts, the pure desire to connect to G-d was seen as being just as important as in the above story. Truthful yearning for the Creator is always holier than selfish knowledge. As the Slonimer Rebbe tells us, deviekus is only part of what leads to an even higher level of injecting holiness into the world. We will now explore the idea of unifying male and female aspects of the Creator.
Male and Female Principles While the constructs of gender are essentially irrelevant to G-d, who has no body or physical form, the Torah and other Jewish texts attribute human descriptions to G-d to help us — in our limited capacity — to understand actions and behaviors that occur in the spiritual realm. When human traits are attributed to G-d, we must remember that they are merely descriptive terms and metaphoric imagery (Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Ch. 1). As humans, we need words and physical representations to help us understand abstract realities, especially in the spiritual reality that exists parallel to ours. It is nearly impossible for us to develop a true understanding when we base our view upon our own imaginations. The master Kabbalist and author, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan (Jewish Meditation, Schocken Books, 1985), writes that “our perception of G-d is often clouded by ego and anthropomorphism, so that we tend to see G-d as a mirror image of ourselves” (p. 14). The Torah understands this and therefore uses these descriptions for our benefit.
For example, the Torah states that man was created b’tzelem Elokim — in the image of G-d. This can be understood in a number of ways, some of them highly problematic and contradictory to the monotheistic Jewish faith. Therefore, we understand this not to mean that G-d is similar to man in appearance and vice-versa; rather, the way in which we can understand Him is through the common language we use to describe actions in our world. Although man certainly does not and cannot look like G-d, who has no form or gender, man can and does use this metaphor to explain how he sees G-d when G-d appears to him.
According to Kabbalah, one is able to improve his perception in a sense by reaching higher levels of understanding though improving his service until he reaches the level of prophecy. Depending on the level of prophecy he reaches, man can purify this imagery. Part of what the Slonimer Rebbe is teaching us is that this is possible through prayer. The foundation text of Kabbalah — The Zohar (The Book of Splendor) — frequently describes G-d in male and female forms. This representation is used to help us visualize and understand the way that G-d makes His existence known in the physical world. This is so essential to Hasidic philosophy that Hasidic prayer books adopted a pre-prayer declaration of intention which reads (in this instance, before putting on the tallis, the prayer shawl), "I am hereby ready to put on the fringed tallis in accordance with Jewish law as the L-rd our G-d commanded us in His holy Torah, in order to effect the union of The Holy One, Blessed be He, and the Shechinah in reverence and love…"
“G-d is both in the world, and above the world. He is simultaneously within us, and far above us. We use the phrase ‘[the] Holy One Blessed Be He’ when discussing transcendent light, the aspect of G-d that is beyond us. It describes the nature of Divine intervention, miracles, and communications. Why do we use male imagery? The Kuzari explains that the male genital organs are external, which makes masculine reference appropriate for times when God's presence is in a revealed, ‘external’ state. What do we mean by revelation? G-d communicates by giving us the Torah, which opens our minds to His will and wisdom. And when He makes His providence visible, more is revealed. Normally, the light would remain hidden from us because of its being above us. At the point of intervention, what would have stayed unknowable is now brought down for us to grasp. This "visibility" can be literal, as when G-d breaks all the rules that govern nature and shows us that there is something more. An example of this would be at the Red Sea, when G-d is described as a ‘warrior.’ His miracles were obvious to even the most cynical eye. “G-d's light can also affect the vision of our inner eye. For example, when the Torah was given amidst national revelation at Mount Sinai, God appeared metaphorically as a ‘Wise Elder.’ Of course, in the most primal sense, is the light by which G-d created the world, as G-d said on the first day: ‘Let there be light.’(Genesis 1:3). Indeed, all of G-d's highly visible interventions are male imagery. This is ‘[The] Holy One Blessed Be He.’ “G-d's presence is not only outside and ‘above’ His creations, but is within them as well. The feminine genitals are internal and unexposed to the external eye, which is why the feminine word ‘Shechinah’ describes G-d's presence within each of us. The inherent nature of the Shechinah is hidden, internal, and at times silent. At other times, it is articulate through spiritual inspiration and awareness. Her presence is hard to evoke in words. In fact, the external nature of speech to a certain extent defies the internal nature of the Shechinah.
G-d in the Masculine Form Just as males and females are biologically, physically, and socially unique in human form, so too when the male and female forms are associated with G-d, they appear in unique forms as well. The description of G-d as “The Holy One, Blessed Be He,” is associated with the male form, while the description “The Divine Presence” is associated with the female form. Worldrenowned author, speaker, and teacher Rebbitzen Tzipporah Heller’s (The Gender of G-d, Aish.com, 2001) explanation of these two aspects gives us a better understanding of how they reveal themselves in the world:
“The inherent nature of the Shechinah is hidden, internal, and at times silent. In our world, there are places in which the spark of divinity that gives every creation life can be more deeply felt. G-d's presence within the human soul, referred to in the feminine gender, is far more profound than within any other ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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aspect of creation. So too, the Land of Israel — a deep manifestation of internal G-d-presence — is in the feminine form. Though each human being possesses a divine soul, we can fall so low that we no longer have awareness of the Shechinah. The deadening effect of this unawareness is called ‘exile of the Shechinah.’ She is there, but we no longer feel Her presence. Nonetheless, G-d is committed to being within us; the Divine Presence is described in the Zohar as the Mother hovering over Her children, never abandoning them. The spark of divinity stays within the Jew eternally as a consequence of G-d's covenant with His people of Israel.”
Becoming a Sage Becoming a Sage is more difficult than becoming a priest, or even a king. Kingship requires thirty qualifications and priesthood twenty-four, but the way of Torah requires forty-eight: Learning, attention, clarity of mind and tongue, an intuitive heart, awe, reverence, humility, joy,
The male is external, visible, loud, and aggressive; he is able to convince the most cynical opponent. The female is soft, gentle, and loving; she watches over us. Unified, they arrive at perfection, as each aspect complements the other. The aggressiveness is tempered with gentility. The loudness is tempered with silence. The unification creates a balance in the world that is unalterable. Praying with deveikus brings the Shechinah out of exile and brings the world to the brink of Redemption. This is the message of the Slonimer Rebbe. I want to bless each and every one of us to be given the ability to reach deveikus — Oneness with the Creator — each in our own unique way, so that we may bring everlasting peace and unity to ourselves and to the world, as G-d sits, male and female aspects united — on His Throne of Glory in the Heavens, showering us with His Love.
simplicity. apprenticeship to Sages, friendship with colleagues, challenging students, calm deliberation, knowledge of scripture and Mishnah, balance in business, worldly affairs and sexual intimacy sufficient sleep, avoiding gossip, maintaining humor, slow to anger, with a gentle heart, trusting the Sages, accepting suffering, knowing one’s calling, rejoicing in one’s portion, guarding one’s words, not claiming merit for oneself, being loved, loving God, humanity, charity, and reproof, not seeking out honors, not boasting of one’s education, being loath to judge, sharing the burdens of others, giving people the benefit of doubt, leading others to truth and to peace, being meticulous in study, asking probing questions, answering queries honestly, listening and discussing, learning in order to teach and practice, honing one’s teacher’s wisdom with questions,
Rabbi Melech Matthew Peltz is a rabbi, educator, and counselor who has dedicated his life to reshaping the religious education system and helping young men and women to find their spiritual paths. Rabbi Peltz was ordained in 2006 by Rabbi Zalaman Nechemia Goldberg, member of the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court and Dean of Kollel Sadigura and from Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh/ Rennert Kollel. He is an Internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ICADC) and Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC) in the state of Pennsylvania, currently finishing an MSW at the University of Pittsburgh and pursuing a doctorate in Jewish Education at Northeastern University/Hebrew College in Boston, Massachusetts. He translated a book on modesty for young men by Rabbi Shlomo Aviner entitled “Pure Again” in 2006. He is the founder and director of Derech HaMelech Counseling Services, with offices in Pittsburgh, PA and Jerusalem, Israel. He is currently in Pittsburgh with his wife and three children on his way back to Jerusalem.
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contemplation, giving credit to those who taught one — whoever credits a teaching to its author brings redemption to the world. Excerpt from Wisdom of the Jewish Sages (An “interpretive reading” of Pirke Avot by Rabbi Rami Shapiro)
Swami Turiyananda ◆
A Letter to a Long-time Student In a letter pregnant with meaning and gracious instruction, written from Kankhal, India, on the 14th of June, 1914, Swami Turiyananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, instructed a Vedantic practitioner in the fine points of health, sadhana, spiritual perspective, and Self-realization. Hardly content to leave it at that, the swami then offered an explication of the famous decree of Lord Krishna in the Srimad Bhagavatam on the three eternal Yogas — all for the student’s highest good.
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ear X, I was glad to receive your letter of June 9. It is natural that all bodies are affected by disease. One achieves perfect health as a result of great virtue. The scripture says, “Disease, bereavement, suffering, bondage, and misfortune – these are the fruits of one’s bad karma.” [Hitopadesha] One can greatly minimize the suffering by taking refuge in God and saying, “Let the afflictions of the body take care of themselves; O my mind, you dwell in bliss.” Lamentation or complaint does not help in any way, it only accentuates the suffering and in addition makes one forgetful of God. It is terribly frustrating for a person who has craving for sense-pleasures but has a sick body. On the other hand, for practicing spiritual disciplines one needs a good mind: perfect health may not be so important. One worships God with one’s mind. And the mind remains in good condition if one does good works – irrespective of the condition of bodily health. That is why one should be extremely watchful about the purity of one’s actions. Every day the body is moving slowly towards destruction – none can stop it. But the mind continues eternally. Body after body will come and go, but the mind will persist and take up bodies again and again until one attains complete illumination. Therefore, the main task is to make an effort to purify the mind. Dualism or nondualism – whatever you say – both are connected with the mind. When one experiences “I am the Atman,” one becomes established in Advaita, or nondualism, automatically. Again when one experiences both body and mind, he is in the dualistic plane. When one realizes oneself as the Atman, the sense of duality at once disappears. Then only does the awareness of undifferentiated consciousness remain. All problems arise because of attributes [upadhi]: “I am so and so, son of such a person, of this caste, endowed with these qualifications,” and so on – such ideas increase the sense of duality. “I am not the body, the mind, or the intellect; I am the Atman – pure and untainted by sin; I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute” – when one feels this where is duality? It is not enough to recite these words; one has to experience them. You now have full awareness of your name and personality; when that awareness is identified with Atman, you will have the nondualistic experience. Dualistic worship is needed to attain nondualisitc experi-
ence because we live in the dualistic plane. This dualistic attitude has to be gradually purified by establishing a close relationship with God through worship. Now our relationship is only with the world. We must sever our attachment to the world and connect it to God. When that is fully accomplished, duality will vanish by itself. Only God, the Supreme Self, will then remain. This puny “I,” or ego, will disappear. This is a mode of sadhana through which one reaches non-dualism from dualism. Another way of attaining the nondualistic experience is by the practice of discrimination – “not this, not this.” Deny everything this very moment and reflect: “I am not the body, nor the mind, nor the intellect; I am the Atman – Existence-KnowledgeBliss Absolute. I do not die at the death of the body. Happiness and misery are characteristics of the mind and not of me. I am the Atman – full, one without a second, and beyond mind and speech.” When one experiences this, one becomes established in the nondual state. But is it an easy affair? Does it happen simply by talking about it? Certainly not. The Master used to say: “What will happen if you simply close your eyes and say, ‘no thorn, no prick; no thorn, no prick?’ Whenever you place your hand on the thorn it pricks. What will happen if you simply say, ‘I am of the nature of the sky?’ then when you have to pay taxes, you are in agony.” Therefore one cannot reach the nondualistic state at one stroke. That is why Krishna said to Arjuna in the Gita, “The ideal of the Unmanifest is hard to attain for those who are embodied.” [XII.5] But, “Those who consecrate all their actions to me, regarding me as the Supreme Goal, and who worship me, meditating on me with single-minded concentration – to them, whose minds are thus absorbed in me, verily I become ere long, O Partha, the savior from the death-fraught ocean of the world.” [XII.6-7] If one can truly depend on God, one receives help from Him. The Lord makes everything favorable for him. Again, is it also so easy? Can each and all do that? Not at all. It is only possible by the grace of God and the association of a great soul, otherwise not. Mere prattling does not help. Learn to explore your mind and see what tendencies are there. Then purify your tendencies and offer them to God. This is also not an easy job. If a person can achieve this full resignation to God, at the cost of his whole life’s effort, he becomes blessed. On the whole, spiritual life is not a joking matter. ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM 61
Dualism or nondualism – whatever you may say – is very difficult to translate into life. Shankara, the great teacher of Vedanta, points out the difference between dualism and nondualism: “The dualist says, ‘I am yours’; and the nondualist says, ‘I am verily you.’ There is a slight distinction between these two attitudes, but their results are the same – cessation of ignorance and suffering.” [Bodhasara, XXXII.23] So one can adopt one of these two attitudes according to one’s temperament. The main thing is: one should follow one’s sadhana sincerely. Otherwise, it is like the pandit in the Master’s parable of the milkmaid, who walked over the river chanting God’s name. But the brahmin pandit, while trying to walk over the river, chanted God’s name and lifted his cloth and eventually sank due to lack of faith. This kind of double dealing does not work. If I want to adopt the nondualistic attitude, I will have to deny the body, mind, and intellect. As soon as I say, “I am the Atman,” my feelings of happiness and misery must go, and I shall experience myself as “partless, actionless, tranquil, blameless, unattached.” [Svetasvatara Upanishad, VI.19] On the other hand, if I say, “I am the child of God, his servant,” then I will have to resign myself completely to him with the firm conviction that whatever he does for me and wherever he keeps me is absolutely for my good. Both paths are equally difficult, and both demand spiritual disciplines. But the results of both are the same: the cessation of ignorance and the attainment of supreme bliss. There is no doubt about it. Let one follow the path which is suitable for that person, but one must practice it wholeheartedly. Otherwise, neither path will yield any result. The Lord Krishna, while instructing Uddhava in the eleventh book of the Bhagavatam, has clearly stated different paths of yoga suitable for different types of persons. I am mentioning this here for your information:
“I have spoken of three yogas for the welfare of mankind. They are the yogas of knowledge, action, and devotion. There is no yoga other than these. Those who have dispassion and no yearning for action should follow the path of knowledge. Those who have not developed dispassion and in whom desires persist should follow the path of action. And those who have innate feelings of love and devotion, who take delight in my word, who are neither attracted to the world nor have complete dispassion for it, should follow the yoga of devotion in order to attain perfection.” Bhagavatam, XI.20.6-7 62
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If you carefully reflect on the above passage, you will easily ascertain who is fit for which kind of yoga. There are not many persons whose minds are completely withdrawn from sense objects. Therefore, the followers of the path of knowledge are very few. Those who are very much attached to worldly things cannot remain without doing any work. Hence, those who are in-between – that is to say, who are not completely dispassionate nor too much attached to the world – those who have faith and devotion to God, if they follow the yoga of devotion they will soon attain knowledge. This yoga of devotion is easy to practice and yields quick results, and it begins with a dualistic attitude. Afterwards, when by the grace of God this attitude has developed, nondualistic awareness dawns by itself. Enough for today. Yours, Turiyananda
Swami Turiyananda Our gratitude to Swami Chetanananda of the Vedanta Society of St. Louis for granting permission to reprint letter #35, page 70, from Spiritual Treasures, Letters of Swami Turiyananda. For more information visit: www.vedantastl.org
Nectar Book Reviews Biocentrism by Robert Lanza & Bob Berman BenBella Books, 2009 Paperback, 224 pgs.
Science has always been at a loss to adequately explain consciousness. In the empirical scientific view, consciousness has long been considered an epiphenomenon of the random interactions of the raw building blocks of matter. But how can subjective conscious awareness which views all of the apparently external and objective phenomena know itself objectively? Additionally, some forays into the quantum realm have proven rather disturbing to the prevailing scientific take on the nature of consciousness. Evidence has repeatedly demonstrated that the subjective viewer affects the objective field. It’s as if the “stuff out there” interacts with the viewer in a nondual manner. Could it be that consciousness is the primary substance of reality? What if science has it wrong? What if matter is an epiphenomenon of consciousness? This is the subject matter of Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness are the Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe, by Robert Lanza, MD, and Bob Berman, astrophysicist. A U.S. News & World Report article called Lanza a “genius” and likened him to Albert Einstein. A former Fulbright Scholar who also worked closely with B.F. Skinner, he now teaches at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and is the author of twenty scientific books. Bob Berman is a well-known astronomer, columnist for Astronomy magazine, and former columnist for Discover magazine. He is also the astronomy editor for The Old Farmer’s Almanac, author of four books, and adjunct professor of astronomy at Marymount College. Early in the book the authors point out that current scientific theories do not really work and cannot be made to work without accounting for life and consciousness. This is the meaning of the word they coined, “biocentrism,” expressing their view that conscious awareness is the primary force of the universe. In both some familiar, as well as some novel ways, they present their theory. Perhaps the most succinct and direct way to illustrate the authors’ view would be to list their seven principles of biocentrism as outlined in the book: 1. What we perceive as reality is a process that involves our consciousness. 2. Our external and internal perceptions are inextricably intertwined. They are different sides of the same coin and cannot be separated. 3. The behavior of subatomic particles—indeed all particles and objects—are inextricably linked to the presence of an observer. Without the presence of a conscious observer, they at
best exist in an undetermined state of probability waves. 4. Without consciousness, matter dwells in an undetermined state of probability. Any universe that could have preceded consciousness only existed in a probability state. 5. The structure of the universe is explainable only through biocentrism. The universe is fine-tuned for life, which makes perfect sense as life creates the universe, not the other way around. The universe is simply the complete spatio-temporal logic of the self. 6. Time does not have a real existence outside of animal sense perception. It is the process by which we perceive changes in the universe. 7. Space, like time, is not an object or a thing. Space is another form of our animal understanding and does not have an independent reality. Thus, there is no absolute self-existing matrix in which physical events occur independent of life. The authors compare, combine, and switch perspectives from physics to biology in a fresh and friendly way. Though full of scientific information, the book is by no means arcane, but truly accessible for a general reader. This is helped by the personal anecdotes of Dr. Lanza’a life, as well as by the clear and direct writing style of the two authors. Certainly this book will be controversial to some in the sciences, perhaps in much the same way Copernicus and Galileo were in their respective times. It is exciting that two scientific minds have presented a dynamic modern thesis largely consonant with what Buddhism and Vedanta have known all along — that consciousness precedes matter. Review by D.S. Lokanath
Recommended Reading Girish Chandra Ghosh, A Bohemian Devotee of Sri Ramakrishna by Swami Chetanananda, St. Louis Vedanta Society Girish Ghosh is famous in the Ramakrishna lineage as a drunk and a man of loose morals who was utterly transformed, all without being told to give up any of his tendencies — by giving his guru, Sri Ramakrishna, his “power of attorney,” an act of dynamic self-surrender. This exhaustive biography chronicles not only Girish’s spiritual transformation amidst a life of intense personal suffering and existential doubt, it tells the story of a man of exceptional creative genius — the father of the modern Bengali stage; his role as a playwright in the resurgence of a demoralized colonial India’s faith in its spiritual heritage; and the social and spiritual redemption of the lowest strata of women who defied society and entered the theatre under Girish’s tutelage and Sri Ramakrishna’s blessings. The author writes: “Girish’s life gives hope to the wayward and seemingly lost people of society. Moreover, his faith and devotion are so vibrant, tangible, and contagious that just reading about him awakens love and longing for God in the minds of spiritual aspirants.” by Annapurna Sarada ADVAITA-SATYA-AMRITAM
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SRV Associations —Babaji’s Teaching Schedule 2011 Major Holy Days, Classes, Retreats, and Pilgrimages (Jai Ma Concerts, Children’s Classes, & other events — to be announced on SRV’s Website) Feb, 2011
July, 2011
SRV San Francisco (Meditation, 6 to 7am)
SRV San Francisco (Meditation, 6 to 7am)
2/18 Fri 2/19 Sat
7/8 Fri 7/9 Sat
7:00pm 9:30am 7:00pm 2/20 Sun 9:30am 2/21 Mon 7:00pm 2/22 Tue 7:00pm 2/23 Wed 7:00pm
Arati/Satsang Class: Vivekachudamani Sri Ramakrishna Puja (solar) Class: Vivekachudamani Arati/Satsang Arati/Satsang Arati/Satsang
7:00pm 9:30am 7:00pm 7/10 Sun 9:30am 7/11 Mon 7:00pm 7/12 Tues 7:00pm
Arati/Satsang Class: Svetasvataropanisad SRV Puja Class: Svetasvataropanisad Arati/Satsang Arati/Satsang
SRV’s Summer Retreat on the River SRV Oregon (Call for meditation times) 2/26 Sat
9:30am 6:00pm 2/27 Sun 9:30am 3/2 Wed 7:00pm 3/4 Fri 6:00pm 3/5 Sat 9:30am 6:00pm 3/6 Sun 9:30am
Class: Svetasvataropanisad SRV Puja Class: Svetasvataropanisad Scripture Class Sivaratri - Puja and Chanting Class: Svetasvataropanisad Sri Ramakrishna Puja (lunar) Class: Svetasvataropanisad
SRV’s Spring Retreat, Seattle
Thursday, March 10th — Sunday, March 13th Subject: Yantra, Mantra, & Tantra
(Over Gurupurnima - arrive afternoon/evening, July 15th)
Friday, July 15th (pm) — Thursday, July 21 (noon) For more information call SRV Office: 808-990-3354
SRV Oregon (Call for meditation times) 7/23 Sat
9:30am 6:00pm 7/24 Sun 9:30am 7/27 Wed 7:00pm 7/29 Fri 7:00pm 7/30 Sat 9:30am 6:00pm 7/31 Sun 9:30am
Class: Svetasvataropanisad SRV Puja Class: Svetasvataropanisad Scripture Class Satsang with Babaji Class: Svetasvataropanisad SRV Puja Class: Svetasvataropanisad
For more information call SRV Office, 808-990-3354
May, 2011 SRV San Francisco (Meditation, 6 to 7am) 5/6 Fri 5/7 Sat
7:00pm 9:30am 7:00pm 5/8 Sun 9:30am 5/9 Mon 7:00pm 5/10 Tues 7:00pm 5/11 Wed 7:00pm
Arati/Satsang Class: Svetasvataropanisad SRV Puja Class: Mother’s Day Teachings Arati/Satsang Arati/Satsang Arati/Satsang
India Pilgrimage 2011 Katmandu & Ladakh August
Inquire via email at: srvinfo@srv.org
SRV Oregon (Call for meditation times) 5/14 Sat
9:30am 6:00pm 5/15 Sun 9:30am 5/18 Wed 7:00pm 5/20 Fri 7:00pm
Class: Svetasvataropanisad SRV Puja Class: Teachings of Lord Buddha Scripture Class Satsang with Babaji
SRV Weekend Seminar
Saturday, May 21st — Sunday, May 22nd Subject: Kenopanisad 5/25 Wed 7:00pm Scripture Class 5/27 Fri 7:00pm Satsang with Babaji 5/28 Sat 9:30am Class: Svetasvataropanisad 6:00pm SRV Puja 5/29 Sun 9:30am Class: Svetasvataropanisad 64
ISSUE 26, 2011
SRV Oregon Portland Center: P.O. Box 14012 Portland, OR 97293 Ph: 503-774-2410
SRV San Francisco Healing Center: 465 Brussels Street San Francisco, CA 94134 Ph: 415-468-4680
SRV Associations — Babaji’s Teaching Schedule, 2011
SRV Bulletin Board
(continued) September/October, 2011 SRV San Francisco (Meditation, 6 to 7 am) 9/23 Fri 9/24 Sat 9/25 9/26 9/27 9/28
Sun Mon Tues Wed
7:00pm 9:30am 7:00pm 9:30am 7:00pm 7:00pm 7:00pm
Arati/Satsang Class: Srimad Devi Bhagavatam Durga Puja Class: Tantra and Mother Worship Arati/Satsang Arati/Satsang Arati/Satsang
SRV Oregon (Call for meditation times) 10/1 Sat
9:30am Class: Srimad Devi Bhagavatam 6:00pm Durga Puja 10/2 Sun 9:30am Class: Tantra and Mother Worship
SRV’s Autumn Retreat at Hidden Lake Hidden Lake Retreat, Eagle Creek, Oregon Subject: The Panchadasi
Thursday, October 6th — Sunday, October 9th (Arrive Thursday night, depart Sunday pm) For more information call SRV Office, 808-990-3354 10/12 Wed 7:00pm Scripture Class 10/14 Fri 7:00pm Satsang with Babaji 10/15 Sat 9:30am Class: Svetasvataropanisad 6:00pm SRV Puja 10/16 Sun 9:30am Class: Svetasvataropanisad
Notice: This long range yearly schedule is subject to change. Please check the calendar on our website www.srv.org and sign our e-list at classes for notifications or read our e-newsletter, Mundamala. You can also contact your local SRV center: Hawaii & Oregon: 808-990-3354; San Francisco: 415-468-4680
* Please call or inquire about our Children‘s Classes Contact Annapurna Sarada — Phone 808-990-3354 SRV Hawai’i Administrative Office: PO Box 1364 Honoka‘a, HI 96727 Ph: 808-990-3354
SRV Associations‘ website: www.srv.org email: srvinfo@srv.org
Join the SRV Facebook Group. Contact jamiji@gmail,com
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Ne ct ar is S eek in g Wr it e rs!
We need writers from all traditions, and especially the Abrahamic religions: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim/Sufi. To date, Nectar has not had a single article representing Native traditions, Zoroastrianism, and others. If you are a practitioner or teacher of one of these traditions or know of one, please contact us for submission guidelines: srvinfo@srv.org or 808-990-3354
Important New Book from SRV Associations:
A Quintessential Yoga Vasishtha
Of all the relationships possible on earth, that rare and timely combination of noble perfection known as guru-shishya, spiritual teacher and sincere disciple, transcends them all. And scarcely in the sweep of historical time passed has that most intimate of connections been so welldocumented, defined, and explored as in the sweet and sacred friendship between Lord Vasishtha — consummate priest, rishi, friend, preceptor, and luminary — and the youthful and as yet unveiled Avatar of the Age, Sri Ramachandra. Here, in these pages, ageless seer and exceptional young teenager sweetly enact the classic and symbolic dance of the destruction of ignorance from the aspiring human mind, exposed as it is to the many vagaries and vicissitudes of Maya — the worlds of name and form in time and space, based in causality.
“Once again the nondual wisdom of the Rishis speak to the world. Yoga Vasishtha was a gift to the world. Babaji's version allows us moderns to unwrap it.” Rabbi Rami Shapiro “A Quintessential Yoga Vasishtha is destined to be an important work, and is a welcome addition to the spiritual literature of the Ramakrishna Order. This work gives an illuminating insight into the deeper recesses of the philosophical thought of India.” Swami Bodhasarananda, President, Advaita Ashrama Hardcover, Illustrated – $30 / 255 pages / 8 x 10 / ISBN 978-1-891893-10-1 www.srv.org • (808-990-3354) • email: srvinfo@srv.org • Mastercard/Visa accepted SRV Association — Sarada Ramakrishna Vivekananda Association, P.O. Box1364, Honoka’a, HI. 96727