Summary:

Session 15 is revision of Bhagavad Gītā Chapter 2 keypoints in Q & A format – on Dharma, Māyā, Ego, purpose of Rituals, How to remain Pure, attainment of Yoga.

Then we begin teaching on 5 sheaths (kośas) whom Jīva falsely identifies itself with. Our purpose is to dis-identify from all 5 sheaths by first learning what they are.

TOPICS COVERED:

1. The Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas represent aspects of you.
   

   The Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas in the Mahabharata symbolize the material and spiritual aspects within each individual. This representation illustrates the ongoing tension between our worldly desires and higher aspirations, reflecting the complex interplay of different facets of human nature. However, this perceived conflict stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of the relationship between Satya (absolute reality) and Mithyā (apparent reality).

   At the core of this inner struggle is the misidentification of the true Self (pure Consciousness) with the apparent self (the Body-Mind complex). While Consciousness pervades our material existence, we often mistakenly attribute the needs and characteristics of our physical and mental selves to Consciousness itself. Resolving this conflict doesn't involve suppressing one aspect for another, but rather gaining a clear understanding of the Satya-Mithyā relationship. This understanding allows for a harmonious integration of all aspects of our being, recognizing their proper place within the whole of our existence.

2. What is śravana, manana, nididhyāsana?
   

   śravana:

   Suspending beliefs we picked up elsewhere, and listening to Vedānta teachings unravel. Also refusing to interpret what's heard according to one's present notions. Then discarding views that don’t correlate to light of teachings taught in Vedānta class.

   manana:

   Removing any doubts in light of the teachings. Until you reach conclusion: “I have absolutely no doubt I am awareness. I know Satya/Mithyā with total certainty and its profound implications“.

   At this stage, you no longer need Scriptures for sake of knowing “Who/what I am”. But only for sake of inspiration and reminders of living a harmonious life.

   To solidify your understanding, you need…

   nididhyāsana:

   Nididhyāsana is a crucial stage in spiritual practice, undertaken when one has intellectually grasped the truth of “I am Brahman,” yet still experiences discontentment or habitual patterns of thought and behavior. This practice aims to eliminate vasanas – deep-seated tendencies and impressions – that continue to operate despite having gained Self-Knowledge.

   These vasanas, often rooted in childhood experiences and societal conditioning, can manifest as persistent doubts, emotional reactions, or behavioral patterns that seem at odds with one's understanding of the Self. Nididhyāsana involves consistent contemplation and application of Self-Knowledge in daily life, gradually aligning one's lived experience with the truth of one's nature. This process helps to dissolve the subtle obstacles that prevent the full actualization and effortless expression of Self-Knowledge in all aspects of life.

3. What is ego?
   

   The ego, or ahaṅkāra, is the sense of ‘I' that arises when pure Consciousness (the Self) is reflected in the mind, particularly in the intellect (buddhi). This reflection creates the notion of an individual self, distinct from others and the world.

   The ego is not the true Self, but a notion or concept that emerges due to ignorance (avidyā) of our true nature. It's the locus of our identification with the body, mind, and our experiences. While necessary for practical functioning in the world, the ego becomes problematic when we mistakenly consider it to be our true identity. This misidentification is the root of all our joys and sorrows, desires and fears, as we erroneously attribute the changing experiences of the mind-body complex to our unchanging true Self.

   How to distinguish ego from Self (Atman)?

   A wise person (jñāni) directly recognizes the real ‘I' (Atman) as:

   1. The unchanging witness consciousness that illumines all experiences.
   2. That which is always present, self-evident, and not an object of knowledge but the very subject.

   The ego-self, in contrast, is recognized as:

   1. A transient thought or notion that arises in consciousness.
   2. An object of awareness that comes and goes.

4. Misapprehension (mistaking) of Reality takes place due to ignorance of your nature.
   

   Consider this scenario: From childhood, you've been taught that you are your body, mind, and personality. This teaching comes from well-meaning people who themselves don't know the ultimate truth of our existence.

   You grow up fully believing this identity, unaware that there's a deeper reality (akin to non-apprehension or “total lack of knowledge” of your true Self).

   As you navigate life, you interpret all experiences through this lens of limited identity. You feel joy when praised, pain when criticized, fear of loss, desire for gain – all based on this misidentification.

   What you don't realize is that due to your fundamental non-apprehension of your true nature as limitless consciousness (Brahman), you're misapprehending your entire experience of reality.

   In essence, the “lack of knowledge” (ajñāna) of your true Self causes you to innocently superimpose false notions (adhyāsa) onto Reality, mistaking the limited for the limitless, the changing for the unchanging.

5. What is sin?
   

   In Vedanta, the concept of sin is understood differently from its common religious interpretations. It's seen more as a psychological and cognitive issue rather than a moral failing. Here's a more comprehensive view:

   Sin, in Vedantic terms, is essentially ignorance (avidyā) of one's true nature, which leads to inappropriate actions. It's not an inherent flaw or a stain on the person, but rather a misunderstanding that causes mental disturbance and unaligned behavior.

   This ignorance manifests as:

   1. Mistaken notions about oneself and reality
   2. Attachment to fleeting desires and outcomes
   3. Actions driven by these misunderstandings and attachments

   The mind, operating from this ignorance, creates its own framework of “shoulds” and “shouldn'ts” that may not align with dharma (cosmic order or righteous living). This misalignment leads to inner conflict and potentially harmful actions.

   The remedy is not punishment or atonement, but gaining correct knowledge (vidyā) of one's true nature and reality, which naturally aligns one's thoughts and actions with dharma.

6. What is purpose of rituals (karma-kāṇḍa)?
   

   The practice of rituals (karma-kāṇḍa) makes the mind single-pointed. Such a prepared mind alone is fit for steady contemplation over the Upaniṣadic declarations.

7. How does one always remain established in purity (nitya-sattvasthaḥ)?
   

   ‘Sattva‘, the subtlest of the guṇas, often becomes impure by its contact with attachments and the consequent agitations (rajas) that attack the intellect with delusion and grief, and veil it from the right cognition of the real nature of things (tamas).

   To be always established in purity (sattva), would therefore mean keeping ourselves least agitated, and so, least deluded in our perceptions of things and beings, and in our estimation of their true nature.

8. When is one said to have attained Yoga?
   

   One is said to have attained Yoga when the intellect, despite encountering perplexing or contradictory information, remains steadfast in the knowledge of the Self. This state of realization is characterized by:

   1. Unshakeable understanding: A jīvan-mukta (liberated being) can encounter various philosophical texts or ideas without doubting their realization. They recognize that any confusion or doubt arises in the mind, not in the Self.
   2. Distinction between Self and mind: The realized person clearly distinguishes between the unchanging Self (Atman) and the changing states of the mind and intellect.
   3. Equanimity amidst stimuli: The mind typically gets agitated by the constant influx of sensory stimuli from the external world. The sense organs act as conduits for these stimuli, potentially disturbing one's mental equilibrium.
   4. Non-identification with mental states: While the mind may still experience various thoughts and emotions, the jīvan-mukta doesn't identify with these fluctuations, remaining established in the knowledge of the Self.

9. Introduction to 5 kośas (sheaths) covering Atma (self).
   

   Image borrowed from Chinmaya International Foundation.

   Jīva is made up of 5 layers or sheaths or kośas. Each layer serves a function.

   Problem is Jīva‘s ignorance is solely due to identification with all or even just one of these kośas.

   In reality, YOU (Consciousness) are free of all kośas. Meaning you are free of the person who you think you are.

   Detailed Introduction to 5 kośas:

   Within the five-sheath structure of human beings lies pure Consciousness which is called Ātman. The Ātman (Consciousness, Brahman, Self, Awareness) veiled by the five sheaths may be compared to a person wearing five layers of clothes, each layer representing a sheath.

   Just as the wearer of the clothes lends life to the lifeless vestures when they are worn, the Ātman provides sentience to the five insentient material layers of the human personality.

   Each one of the five concentric layers of personality is described to be within its immediate outer layer. Thus, the vital-air sheath is said to be within the food sheath, the mental sheath within the vital-air sheath, the intellectual sheath within the mental sheath and the bliss sheath within the intellectual sheath.

   The Ātman is the innermost of all. This picture of concentric circles of matter with the Ātman residing deep within generally leaves a wrong impression in the minds of students that the Life Principle in human beings is an infinitesimal entity.

   Such a conception is opposed to the repeated declarations in the Upaniṣads that the Ātman is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. The term ‘within’ should not be taken literally. It is used here in a philosophical context and, therefore, its implied meaning should be understood.

   In the Vedāntic literature, when a sheath is described as being interior to another, it means that the inner one is subtler than the outer. The subtle controls, regulates, feeds and nourishes the gross.

   Hence, the Ātman (Consciousness) which is the subtlest, being the controller and the nourisher of all layers of matter, is described as the ‘innermost’.

   Again, in this philosophy subtlety is measured by its pervasiveness. An object is said to be subtler than another if it is more pervasive.

   For example, when a piece of ice melts, the water formed spreads over a larger area than the ice.

   In philosophy, this phenomenon would be described as ‘water is subtler than ice’.

   Further, when water is boiled steam spreads in the entire atmosphere thereby filling a much greater space than it occupied in its condition as water. Steam, therefore, is considered to be subtler than water.

   Applying the same principle to the five sheaths of the human personality, the food sheath is considered to be the grossest by virtue of it being the least pervasive.

   The vital-air, mental and intellectual sheaths follow the ascending order of subtlety in that order and the bliss sheath, being the most pervasive, is the subtlest of sheaths.

   The Ātman (Self) is even subtler than the bliss sheath. The following reasoning helps to validate this theory of increasing gradation of subtlety right from the food sheath to the bliss sheath and then to the Ātman (Self).

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14 Aug 2018