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#1563 - Sunday, September 21,
2003 - Editor: Gloria Lee
A return to classic sources edition
All the precious words
you and I have exchanged
have found their way
into the heart of the universe.
One day they'll pour on us
like whispering rain
helping us arise
from our roots again.
~ Rumi
Mazie ~ Rumi to Hafiz
photo by Al Larus
Most
recent of Alan's photos in higher resolution:
http://www.ferryfee.com/bluesky/The%20Sems%20lake.htm
http://www.ferryfee.com/bluesky/Behind%20the%20cloud.htm
http://www.ferryfee.com/bluesky/Red%20cabin.htm
Viorica Weissman ~ MillionPaths
D. If the mind is merely
a shadow , how then is one
to know the Self
?
Maharshi -
The Self is the Heart, self-luminous.
Illumination
arises from the Heart and reaches the brain, which
is the seat
of the mind. The world is seen with the mind; so
you see the world
by the reflected light of the Self. The world is
perceived by an
act of the mind. When the mind is illumined,
it is aware of the
world; when it is not so illumined, it is not
aware of the world.
If the mind is turned in, toward the source of
Illumination,
objective knowledge ceases and the Self alone
shines as the Heart.
The moon shines by reflecting the light of the sun.
When the sun has
set, the moon is useful for displaying objects.
When the sun has
risen, no one needs the moon, though its disc is
visible in the
sky. So it is with the mind and the Heart. The
mind is made useful
by its reflected light. It is used for seeing
objects.
When turned inward, it merges into the Source of
illumination,
which shines by Itself, and the mind is then like
the moon in the
daytime.
When it is dark, a lamp is necessary to give light.
But when the sun
has risen, there is no need for the lamp; the
objects are visible.
And to see the sun no lamp is necessary; it is
enough if you turn
your eyes toward the self-luminous sun. Similarly
with the mind:
to see the objects, the light reflected from the
mind is necessary .
To see the Heart, it is enough that the mind is
turned toward it.
then the mind does not count and the Heart is
self-effulgent.
Pete Seesaw ~ NDS
No Scape
Scaping from self
To self, I returned to Self-
Rocks are my bones,
Vegetation, my flesh,
The wind is my mind,
my soul, the blue sky.
No exit, no scape,
No refuge from self.
Karta ~ NDS
Those who dismiss sacred ritual and myth should
remember that even
in the face of (or precisely because of) our societys
rampant
secularism, people still ritualize their lives and
mythologize their
world. The big difference, though, is that secular
rituals (watching
football on Saturday) and secular myths (notably the
notion of
limitless progress) do not have the power to uplift or
change us for
the better. As psychiatrist Rollo May has shown in his
last book, we
cry out for myth. This is why so many people who have
been deprived
of their more traditional mythic anchorage seek
intellectual and
emotional refuge in aliens, end-of-millennium
revelations, and other
similar products of New Age provenance.
Although the seer-bards aspired to give voice to the
fruit of their
prayerful meditations in the form of poetry, or hymns,
they knew
that essentially prayer was beyond the mind, or
transcognitive
(acitta). Yet sacred utterance was important to them.
For, through
masterful verbal communication and the seer-bards were
superb
crafters of language, the unnamable Reality could be
hinted at and
thus become an efficient means of self-transformation for
their
listeners. Their hymns are called mantras because they
are tools for
focusing the mind (manas) to accomplish the great work of
penetrating into the mysteries of the cosmos and winning
the "highest heaven," the abode of immortality.
In a famous hymn, dubbed the "Creation Hymn,"
one Vedic seer-
composer by the name of Dîrghatamas ("Long
Darkness") displays a
wonderful loftiness of thought:
In the beginning, desire, the first seed of mind, arose
in That.
Poet-seers, searching in their heart with wisdom, found
the bond of
existence in nonexistence.
Their [visions] ray stretched across. Perhaps there was a
below;
perhaps there was an above. There were givers of seed;
there were
powers: effort below, self-giving above.
Who knows the truth? Who here will pronounce it whence
this birth,
whence this creation? The Gods appeared afterward, with
the creation
of this [world]. Who then knows whence it arose?
(Rig-Veda X.129.4-6)
The entire Rig-Veda is traditionally held to be a
nonhuman
revelation, because its 1028 hymns were all the fruit of
the seer-
bards prayerful meditations and visions. Thus this
hymnody is in
effect a product of yogic creativity, and the oldest one
at that.
For this reason, the translation of the Rig-Veda presents
formidable
difficulties, and several generations of Western scholars
failed to
do justice to this scriptures spiritual depth and
symbolic
intricacy. It took a great Yoga adept like Sri Aurobindo
to wrestle
from the difficult image-laden Vedic hymns something of
their deeper
meaning and to point scholars in a new, more credible,
and rewarding
direction. No doubt it will take several more generations
of
scholars who are spiritually sensitive or Yoga adepts
with a
penchant for scholarship to unearth the deeper layers of
Vedic
thought and symbolism.
At present we can know the Archaic Yoga of the the Vedic
period only
partially (and this short article has barely touched on
what we do
know about it). To be sure, it is useful for Yoga
students to
acquaint themselves with the Rig-Veda. After all, it is
the
fountainhead of Hinduism and all later Yoga. Among other
things, it
shows us that the earliest masters of Yoga, the Vedic
seers, were
far from being life-denying ascetics without education or
talent.
They did not shun the mind but trained it for a higher
purpose that
of realizing their true nature in the immortal dimension
of
existence. They loved this world but were not captives of
it. They
loved the Infinite but did not fail to realize that for
the Infinite
to be truly infinite it must include the finite realm.
These
pioneers of the spirit were no primitives, as is
overwhelmingly
evident from their highly skillful poetry. If their
symbolic
language is alien to us, it is perhaps because we
ourselves have
become so alienated from the deeper levels of our own
psyche and
from the invisible realms of existence.
Readers of Patanjali's Yoga-Sûtra will know that study
(svâdhyâya)
is one of the elements of Classical Yoga. This always
meant
primarily study of the sacred scriptures. From the
vantage point of
the twentieth century, this kind of study, which was
intended to
enrich ones personal practice and inner growth, is at the
same time
a study of the history of Yoga. Obviously, it would be
beneficial to
begin such a study with the Archaic Yoga of the Rig-Veda.
Rather
than being a chore, this would be an edifying task.
Reading the
Vedic hymns attentively, even given the less than
imperfect English
renderings, is like listening to the great Yoga masters
of yore. If
we can shelve our presumptions and prejudices and, in
Francis Bacons
words, "ask councel" from the Vedic adepts,
they can still teach us
much.
http://tinyurl.com/o5j3
chart for the yogas
from Yegar Yoga page
Gautam Madan ~ NDS
original post by Tim
Gerchmez
From Chapter VI: The Yoga of Meditation
VI.29. SARVABHOOTASTHAMAATMAANAM SARVABHOOTAANI
CHAATMANI;
EEKSHATE YOGAYUKTAATMAA SARVATRA SAMADARSHANAH.
(Krishna speaking to Arjuna)
With the mind harmonized by Yoga he sees the Self abiding
in all beings and all beings in the Self; he sees the
same everywhere.
VI.30. YO MAAM PASHYATI SARVATRA SARVAM CHA MAYI
PASHYATI;
TASYAAHAM NA PRANASHYAAMI SA CHA ME NA PRANASHYATI.
He who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me,
he does not become separated from Me nor do I become
separated from him.
COMMENTARY: The Lord describes here the effect of
oneness.
* View the ENTIRE Bhagavad Gita online, with
commentary provided by Swami Sivananda at:
http://www.thedivinelifesociety.org/download/bgita.htm
* More Bhagavad Gita selections with commentary by Swami
Sivananda
available at:
http://www.sivananda.org/publications/quotes/gita_quote.html
* Sanskrit->English dictionary available at
http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/glossary/glossary.html
Jerry Katz ~ NDSN
Meditation as healing science still tied to
religion. The most recent book by the seminal
researcher on meditation and health, Harvard University's
Herbert Benson, indicates that patients who practice
meditation for health reasons often report religious
experiences, often in the form of sensing a closeness to
God or some other spiritual force. "You and I might
think this is like saying, 'If you go swimming, you're
going to get wet,' " Spiegel said. "But here
they were, trying to be good scientists and take
meditation out of a religious context. What they found is
that when people begin a religious practice, they have a
religious experience." -more-
If you can't see the links, please visit http://nonduality.com/index.html#1.
You'll see several other recent stories never posted
to this list. --Jerry
Gloria
Lee
All
copyright materials are used under authority of the Fair
Use statute.
(United State Code, Title 17) Fair Use chapter.
DHARMA
TEACHING
by Chogyam
Trungpa Rinpoche (Mudra, 1972)
A teaching
on the awakened state, by the great Dzogchen
teacher Jigme Lingpa (1730-1798)
Translated by
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Maha ati
THIS IS THE LION'S ROAR which subdues the rampant confusions
and misunderstandings of those meditators who
have abandoned materialistic attachments to
meditate on the Innermost Essence.
The maha ati [Tib.: dzogchen], which is beyond
conceptions and transcends both grasping and
letting go, is the essence of transcendental
insight. This is the unchanging state of non
meditation in which there is awareness but no
clinging. Understanding this, I pay ceaseless
homage to the maha ati with great simplicity.
| Here is the essence
of the maha ati tantra, The innermost heart of
Padmakara's teachings,
The life-force of
the dakinis.
This is the ultimate
teaching of all the nine vehicles.
It can be
transmitted only by a guru of the thought
lineage
And not by words
alone.
Nevertheless I have
written this
For the benefit of
great meditators
Who are dedicated to
the highest teaching.
This teaching was
taken from the treasury of dharmadhatu
And is not created
out of attachment
To theories and
philosophical abstractions.
|
First
the pupil must find an accomplished guru with whom he has a good karmic link.
The teacher must be a holder of the thought
lineage transmission. The pupil must have single
minded devotion and faith, which makes possible
the transmission of the teacher's understanding.
The maha ati is of the greatest
simplicity. It is what is. It cannot be shown by
analogy; nothing can obstruct it. It is without
limitation and transcends all extremes. It is
clear-cut nowness, which can never change its
shape or colour. When you become one with this
state, the desire to meditate itself dissolves;
you are freed from the chain of meditation and
philosophy, and conviction is born within you.
The thinker has deserted. There is no longer any
benefit to be gained from "good"
thoughts and no harm is to be suffered from
"bad" thoughts. Neutral thoughts can no
longer deceive. You become one with
transcendental insight and boundless space. Then
you will find signs of progress on the path.
There is no longer any question of rampant
confusions and misunderstandings.
Although this teaching is the
king of the yanas [vehicles], meditators are
divided into those who are highly receptive to
it, those who are less receptive and those who
are quite unreceptive. The most highly receptive
pupils are hard to find, and it sometimes happens
that teacher and pupil are unable to find a true
meeting point. In such a case nothing is gained
and misconceptions may arise concerning the
nature of maha ati.
Those who are less receptive
begin by studying the theory and gradually
develop the feeling and true understanding.
Nowadays many people regard the theory as being
the meditation. Their meditation may be clear and
devoid of thoughts and it may be relaxing and
enjoyable, but this is merely the temporary
experiencing of bliss. They think this is
meditation and that no one knows any better than
them. They think, "I have attained this
understanding:' and they are proud of themselves.
Then, if there is no competent teacher, their
experience is only theoretical. As it is said in
the scriptures of maha ati: "Theory is like
a patch on a coat ..one day it will come
apart."
People often try to
discriminate between "good" thoughts
and "bad" thoughts, like trying to
separate milk from water. It is easy enough to
accept the negative experiences in life but much
harder to see the positive experiences as part of
the path. Even those who claim to have reached
the highest stage of realization are completely
involved with worldly concerns and fame. They are
attracted by Devaputra [personification of the
force which causes attraction to sense objects].
This means they have not realized the
self-liberation of the six senses. Such people
regard fame as extraordinary and miraculous. This
is like claiming that a raven is white. But those
who are completely dedicated to the practice of
dharma without being concerned about worldly fame
and glory should not become too self-satisfied on
account of their higher developments of
meditation. They must practice the Guru Yoga
throughout the four periods of the day in order
to receive the blessings of the guru and to merge
their minds with his and open the eye of insight.
Once this experience is
attained it should not be disregarded. The yogi
should thenceforth dedicate himself to this
practice with unremitting perseverance.
Subsequently his experience of the void will
become more peaceful, or he will experience
greater clarity and insight. Or again, he may
begin to realize the shortcomings of discursive
thoughts and thereby develop discriminating
wisdom. Some individuals will be able to use both
thoughts and the absence of thoughts as
meditation, but it should be borne in mind that
that which notes what is happening is the tight
grip of ego.
Look out for the subtle
hindrance of trying to analyze experiences. This
is a great danger. It is too early to label all
thoughts as dharmakaya [the body of ultimate
truth]. The remedy is the wisdom of nowness,
changeless and unfailing. Once freed from the
bondage of philosophical speculation, the
meditator develops penetrating awareness in his
practice. If he analyzes his meditation and
post-meditation experiences, he will be led
astray and make many mistakes. If he fails to
understand his shortcomings, he will never gain
the free-flowing insight of nowness, beyond all
concepts. He will have only a conceptual and
nihilistic view of the void, which is
characteristic of the lesser yanas.
It is also a mistake to regard
the void as a mirage, as though it was merely a
combination of vivid perceptions and nothingness.
This is the experience of the lower mantras,
which might be induced by practice of the
Svabhava mantra. It is likewise a mistake, when
discursive thoughts are pacified, to overlook the
clarity and regard the mind as merely blank. The
experience of true insight is the simultaneous
awareness of both stillness and active thoughts.
According to the maha ati teaching, meditation
consists of seeing whatever arises in the mind
and simply remaining in the state of nowness.
Continuing in this state after meditation is
known as "the post-meditation
experience."
It is a mistake to try to
concentrate on emptiness and, after meditation,
intellectually to regard everything as a mirage.
Primordial insight is the state which is not
influenced by the undergrowth of thoughts. It is
a mistake to be on guard against the wandering
mind or to try and imprison the mind in the
ascetic practice of suppressing thoughts.
Some people may misunderstand
the term "nowness" and take it to refer
to whatever thoughts happen to be in their mind
at the moment. Nowness should be understood as
being the primeval insight already described.
The state of non meditation is
born in the heart when one no longer
discriminates between meditation and
non-meditation and one is no longer tempted to
change or prolong the state of meditation. There
is all-pervading joy, free from all doubts. This
is different from the enjoyment of sensual
pleasures or from mere happiness.
When we speak of
"clarity" we are referring to that
state which is free from sloth and dullness. This
clarity, inseparable from pure energy, shines
forth unobstructed. It is a mistake to equate
clarity with awareness of thoughts and the colors
and shapes of external phenomena.
When thoughts are absent the
meditator is completely immersed in the space of
non-thought. The "absence of thoughts"
does not mean unconsciousness or sleep or
withdrawal from the senses, but simply being
unmoved by conflict. The three signs of
meditation clarity, joy and absence of thoughts
may occur naturally when a person meditates, but
if an effort is made to create them the meditator
still remains in the circle of samsara.
There are four mistaken views
of the void. It is a mistake to imagine that the
void is merely empty without seeing the wild
space of nowness. It is a mistake to seek the
buddha nature in external sources, without
realizing that nowness knows no path or goal. It
is a mistake to try to introduce some remedy for
thoughts without realizing that thoughts are by
nature void and that one can free oneself like a
snake unwinding. It is also a mistake to hold a
nihilistic view that there is nothing but the
void, no cause and effect of karma and no
meditator nor meditation, failing to experience
the void which is beyond conceptions.
Those who have had glimpses of
realization must know these dangers and study
them thoroughly. It is easy to theorize and talk
eloquently about the void, but the meditator may
still be unable to deal with certain situations.
In a maha ati text it is said:
"Temporary realization is
like a mist which will surely disappear'
Meditators who have not studied these dangers
will never derive any benefit from being in
strict retreat or forcibly restraining the mind,
nor from visualizing, reciting mantras or
practicing Hathayoga. As is said in the Phagpa
Dudpa Sutra,
"A Bodhisattva who does
not know the real meaning of solitude,
Even if he meditates for
many years in a remote valley full of
poisonous snakes
Five hundred miles from the
nearest habitation,
Would develop overweening
pride."
If the meditator is able to use
whatever occurs in his life as the path, his body
becomes a retreat hut. He does not need to add up
the number of years he has been meditating and
does not panic when "shocking" thoughts
arise. His awareness remains unbroken like that
of an old man watching a child at play. As is
said in a maha ati text: "Complete
realization is like unchanging space."
The yogi of maha ati may look
like an ordinary person but his awareness is
completely absorbed in nowness. He has no need of
books because he sees apparent phenomena and the
whole of existence as the mandala of the guru.
For him there is no speculation about the stages
on the path. His actions are spontaneous and
therefore benefit all sentient beings. When he
leaves the physical body his consciousness
becomes one with the dharmakaya, just as the air
in a vase merges with the surrounding space when
the vase is broken. •
From Mudra, by Chogyam Trungpa
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