Total Thoughts (Feb 22, 2010): Tattva Bodha, The Gross Body (page 43)

Reincarnation and karma, what is the point of it? Should we even care? Let's discuss…

 

 

Total Thoughts (February 22, 2010):  Tattva Bodha, The Gross Body (pages 42 - 43)

• Human birth is the rarest and is the result of good actions. Self enlightenment is only available to humans due to the faculty of awareness. Therefore, each rebirth provides an opportunity for self enlightenment.
• The body has a grander role driven by choice, which is of the nature of tamas, rajas, or sattva. What we think is our nature, can be controlled using the intellect and knowledge, e.g. love instead of hate, understanding instead of anger…
• It is through the body we perform karma and have the ability to exhaust or collect vasanas. With intellect we can replace materialistic vasanas with spiritual ones.
• By transcending doership, we are able to exhaust vasanas which also prevents gathering more vasanas
• It is impossible to exhaust vasanas one by one. The only way to exhaust vasanas is through knowledge to know that the vasanas are not mine! They belong to the ego!

 

 

Foundation for our upcoming discussion: Tattva Bodha, The Gross Body (pages 43 - 44)

Total Thoughts (Feb 8, 2010): Tattva Bodha, The Gross Body (pages 40 - 42)

What does it take to change our vision? We gather this week to challenge our knowledge and cast a light upon the illusion of dream and waking. To truly understand what "Anything that I know, I cannot be" means. Here are our total thoughts…

 

Total Thoughts (February 8, 2010):  Tattva Bodha, The Gross Body (pages 40 - 44)

• The body like every other object can be indicated as 'this'.  'I' the knower of 'this' am different from it. 'I' is ever present in the dream and waking state and is free of all limitations, and this is the source of bliss.
• We must remember that perspective or relativity is not a measure of an illusion – the nature of the change is the measure. Anything that changes and is experienced, is an illusion.
• The ego is the reason for our rebirth. The ego prevents us from realizing our true Self. The ego only seems to exist, but is not real. Any experience, or anything, that is not the nature of existence, awareness and bliss, is not real.
• We need to change our vision, realize that at the gross level everything is the same, and although functionally we see differences, the utility remains the same.
• Maya is not paying attention. Pay attention, and maya disappears.

 

Total Thoughts (Feb 1, 2010): Tattva Bodha, What is the Soul (pages 36 - 39)

• Science states that energy is neither created nor destroyed and only changes shape (i.e. upon death of the body, the atoms of the body simply merge with atoms of the universe) - Vedanta states that Essence is unborn and undying and only assumes names and forms (i.e. upon death of the body, the 5 elements of the body simply merge with the 5 elements of the universe)
• During the waking and dream state our Spirit illumines objects, beings and situations whereas in sleep the Spirit illumines the absence of these - the illumined (i.e. the states of consciousness) and the source of illumination (i.e. Spirit) are always different
• What proof is there that we are not dreaming right now - why do we give the waking state more importance than the dream or sleep state
• We cannot control our thoughts but through our discussions we raise the tendency of our forthcoming thoughts being more meaningful - only a reflecting mind can seek out the answer to the most fundamental question of 'Who am I?
• The greatest gift one can give is Self Knowledge and the greatest gift one can receive is also Self Knowledge - are we aware of what is being offered to us through our discussions

Total Thoughts (Jan 25, 2010): Enquiry into the Truth (Tattva Bodha pages 36 - 38)

When we talk to ourselves, who is actually doing the talking? Who's doing the listening? In this instance, do we have awareness? Or are we awareness? We gather this week to contemplate meaning of the separation of the Self from the non-Self. Here are our total thoughts…

 

Total Thoughts (January 25, 2010):  Enquiry into the Truth (Tattva Bodha pages 36 - 38)

• We act and think we are the conditioning (worldly qualities); this is a function of the ego. We must become aware of it and know that it is separate from the Self; anything that changes is not real, that which changes is an illusion
• The causal body (vasanas) is the cause of the gross (perceived with senses) and subtle body (mind). The purpose of the gross and subtle bodies is to transcend the ego, and this is only possible when conscious of it.
• It is the illusion that creates the vasana, but the illusion also provides the opportunity to exhaust the vasana. This is done by experiencing it and then de-identifying with it. OR we stop identifying with the doer (ego).
• The ego is an illusion. We are not bound. To the realized, there is no delusion, it is entertainment. We are not a body with a soul.We are the soul with a body.
• The self is covered in 5 sheaths: food sheath, vital air sheath, mental sheath, intellectual sheath, and bliss sheath. The bliss sheath is our personality in its unmanifest condition.
• Since I know the different conditions of my bodies (gross, subtle, causal) and sheaths, I am therefore different from them!

Total Thoughts (Jan 18, 2010): Enquiry into the Truth (Tattva Bodha pages 34 - 36)

Hari Om Everyone,
 
i hope this email finds everyone well...

 

After further reflection on last week's discussion, we continue with further enquiry on our initial thoughts. What is the nature of the self? Can the self be experienced? If I'm the Self, how can we live as the "i"? Here are our total thoughts…

 

Total Thoughts (January 18, 2010):  Enquiry into the Truth (Tattva Bodha pages 34 - 36)

• "To Be" – the realization of this state is the main goal of our lives. Instead, we focus on the past and the future, rarely on the present. We need to become present to the moment through continuous reflection, and discrimination. We need to be more aware and in control or emotions, feelings and thoughts
• Just as the essence of water remains the same through its various names and forms (snow, ice, vapour, steam, rain, hail, etc), we should maintain our own essence as we journey through our daily associations (friend, son/daughter, father/mother, etc)
• The discovery of the self is actually a rediscovery. How can we discover something that already exists? Do you know your own essence? Are you present to your own essence?
• There are conscious and unconscious thoughts. Unconscious thoughts lead to stress, anxiety, and helplessness. While conscious thoughts allow for focus, discipline and fortitude. By replacing former with the latter, we become more aware to the present
• On the spiritual part, desire leads to desirelessness, action leads to actionlessness, effort leads to effortless; I was and I will be, lead to "I am."

 

 

Foundation for our upcoming discussion: Enquiry into the Truth (Tattva Bodha pages 36 - 39)

Total Thoughts (Jan 11, 2010): Enquiry into the Truth (Tattva Bodha pages 34 - 36)

The holiday break allowed us to reflect and put into action the foundations of Tattva Bodha. We gather this week to soak in satsang, to allow us to pick away at our understanding of what is un-real, and what are its qualities. Finally, we try to understand the nature of the illusion, and its qualities, and how ultimately, it is part of That. Here are our total thoughts…

 

Total Thoughts (January 11, 2010):  Enquiry into the Truth (Tattva Bodha pages 34 - 36)

 

·         Anything that is changing is unreal. Anything that is unreal and can be experienced is an illusion. Therefore, this world is an illusion were the self get veiled and the world is perceived.

·         Our "dream" ignorance can only be fulfilled by "dream" knowledge, i.e. scriptures are the "dream" knowledge. For example, in the Matrix, for Neo to escape the "dream world" he had to take a "dream" pill. Therefore, liberation can be gained in the illusion through knowledge that makes us discriminate, become disciplined, have dispassion, and desire for liberation.

·         Everything is composed of sat-chit-ananda (Existence, awareness, bliss). With the correct vision, everything is real, with wrong vision, everything is unreal (names, forms). The goal is to see sat-chit-ananda in everything. Detach from names and forms, and then attach to the real (sat-chit-ananda), a higher vision.

·         If I'm not there, how can there be happiness? Stop dependency for happiness in names and forms which are all an illusion. If we remove ignorance, we recognize the self. I am the source of happiness.

·         Be independent of anything, anyone, and anywhere. If I'm not there, how can there be happiness? Stop dependency for happiness in names and forms which are all an illusion. If we remove the ignorance, we recognize the self

 

 

Foundation for our upcoming discussion: Enquiry into the Truth (Tattva Bodha pages 36 - 39)

Total Thoughts (November 30, 2009): Mumuksutvam (Tattva Bodha pages 30 - 32)

When is enough, enough? What are we going to do about it? How are we going to take the next step? We can only detach from the lower when we attach to the higher, we can only change when we aware of our bondages. Our discussion this week addresses the intense desire to attain liberation, mumuksutvam…

 

Total Thoughts (November 30, 2009):  Mumuksutvam (Tattva Bodha pages 30 - 32)

• As long as we have limitations, feelings of incompleteness, hopelessness, helplessness, we are bound
• Bondage makes us a slave to the world and to our mind. With courage and the correct knowledge that desire for liberation comes when we address our bondages in a changing world and then desire freedom from it.
• Freedom is not an escape. We cannot escape the world or the mind. Instead, we must confront them by understanding what is real and unreal (viveka), by developing dispassion (vairagya), and by controlling our senses: sama, dama, uparati, titiksa, sraddha, and samadhana
• To get rid of our Arjuna disease, we require knowledge, strength, courage, fortitude, and most importantly, trust in our Guru and/or Scripture
• One with strong mumuksutvam reaches the goal. All other qualities also easily accrue to him/her

 

Foundation for our upcoming discussion:  Tattva Bodha pages 32 - 33