Summary:

In this session, the concept of Ishvara is explored as the only way to understand Awareness. The discussion delves into the order of creation: Awareness, potential (knowledge), manifestation, and jiva. It emphasizes that all that exists is Knowledge, with Awareness being its truth.

The session addresses the reconciliation of differences between attributeless Awareness and the body-mind with attributes. It explains the need for an intervening potential belonging to Awareness, which allows for manifestation without being an attribute itself.

The concept of Maya is elaborated upon, describing it as potential with all-knowledge and all-power. Maya is divided into Vikshepa-shakti (power to manifest) and Avarana-shakti (power that veils reality).

The relationship between Ignorance and Adhyasa is explored, explaining how beginningless ignorance leads to superimposition. Finally, the session highlights that individuals are given the key (suffering, advanced mind, free will) to remove ignorance and realize their true nature.

ISHVARA: 

• ONLY WAY TO UNDERSTAND AWARENESS IS THROUGH ISHVARA:
  • If can’t explain differences you see, tendency is to people dismiss everything as maya (and erroneously call it illusion), and live in pratibhasika (your own bubbles of what reality is). 
  • Only way to understand Awareness is through Ishvara. IE: Snake > rope > analysis > concepts > Awareness.
  • All that is here is Knowledge. And truth of knowledge is Awareness.
  • How did we come to this conclusion?
    • We see forms. Analyze any form, can’t find final tangible building block (cause). Final is knowledge, because you can’t create anything without blueprint for it. And knowledge can’t put things together outside Awareness. Just as potential to manifest a dream can’t come without a Conscious being.
    • Order: Awareness > potential (knowledge) > manifestation > jiva.
• RECONCILING DIFFERENCES:
  • Awareness is attributeless. But can’t deny your body-mind (with attributes). Thus confronted with two phenomena.
  • How to account for attributes? Has to be an intervening potential which belongs to Awareness. Awareness is independent of the potential, and without potential, Awareness can’t manifest as many.
  • How to prove potential is not an attribute of Awareness?
    • If potential was stuck to Awareness, then Awareness would become the changing universe, in which case you wouldn’t find non-changing Awareness.
    • Awareness illumines the state of manifest and unmanifest, thus is free of both.
  • Grace needed: To understand the vision, need grace of Ishvara, because you’re not operating independent of Ishvara.
• SHOWING ALL REALITIES RIGHT NOW:
  • Vedanta is about there-and-now:
  • Right now, there is Awareness (Brahman). Knowledge-power (Ishvara) putting together your various limbs, brain, digestion. Potential (maya) for a new thought in 5 minutes, or potential how body will be in 10 years. Can’t really separate manifest (Ishvara) and unmanifest (maya). Both are true simultaneously.

MAYA: 

• Maya means potential whose nature is all-knowledge, all-power.
• All-knowledge-All-power is divided into 2 fold:
  1. Vikshepa-shakti:
     • Power to manifest as time-space-objects. In scientific terms, big-bang from which all comes.
  2. Avarana-shakti:
     • It veils reality from you. If everyone knew reality (Knowledge-Power or Intelligence & Awareness), everyone would be wise. Because both realities are covered — you see yourself as distinct individual, missing presence of reality.
     • From Ishvara’s standpoint, avarana-shakti creates differences. From jiva’s standpoint, avarana-shakti becomes avidya (ignorance that jiva is knowledge-power – whose truth is Awareness). Consequently, ignorance creates havoc in life.
     • What is the relationship between Ignorance and Adhyasa? Because of beginningless ignorance (caused by avarana-shakti) — you always came with a body-mind (adhyasa). Thus ignorance of your nature leads to adhyasa (superimposition).
     • YOU’RE GIVEN THE KEY: You’re given the key (suffering, advanced mind, free will) to collapse potential of removing ignorance.

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Recorded 11 July, 2024