A few thoughts and notes from the lecture series of Swamy Sarvadananda Priya: Deconstructing the layers that make up our Perception, The power of Human Projection, Meditation technique for observing the Self.
Starting with the Optical path of visual perception, it very directly plunges into the core philosophy of intellectual discrimination and differentiation.. Viveka means to differentiate.. Like the intellect to differentiate a Cow vs a Tiger, a Boy vs Girl. Drig Drishya Viveka esentially covers the tenets of differentiation between the object and the viewer and slowly takes us to the core non dualistic teaching of the Self.
The Author of the work is not clearly Known.. whether it is Shankaracharya or Vidyanarayana who was the Guru to the Vijayanagara Kingdom. It has about 35 simple verses in Sanskrit.
The Eyes sees a variety of objects in front. The eyes cannot see themselves and are distinct from the objects. The objects may change but the eyes remain the same.
The Mind collects the inputs from the eyes and hence different from the eyes. The eyes may be semi blind, effected by cataract or vision problems but the mind distinct from the plurality of the condition of the eyes.
The Mind could be in different states but experienced by the Self. Hence the Mind becomes the ‘Seen’ and the Self the ‘Seer’.
We shine in the reflected consciousness of the Self.. Just like Moonlight appears to be shining to us due to the incident Sunlight.. . Moon does not have a light of its own.. Nor do the jewels that glitter with light.
Consciousness is everywhere. It needs a mind to experience.. Just like Sunlight is everywhere but gets reflected only in tiny water droplets and water bodies..
Consciousness shines through the body all the time. It is the mind that operates fully, partially or shuts down that we have different experience of wakefulness, dream and deep sleep.
During the day, we all have different alertness levels. Different people have different alertness level.. This is due to purity of mind. Consciousness is same in all.. Clarity level in the Mind varies like a polished mirror vs a dull mirror.
As quoted in Gita, we all have different gunas. Guna of purity, mental health, intelligence, physical health. “guna guneshu varthanthe”.. Perhaps that is why different people have different levels of alertness.
“Maya has 2 powers… Projection and Covering.. Vikshepa and Aavrutthi..Unfolding and Folding. With the ability to project and synthesise the world in the imagery of the mind, the samsaara and world is born. Sa samsaara karanam. Soon there is Naama roopa prasarana.. Network of name and forms that gets masked on top of the reality.”
“This world is like like foam on the surface of the ocean. Due to Maya Aavarana covering Shakti.. one is not able to differentiate the seer and seen both inside and outside.. Antra drig drishya bhedam..”
Maya has 2 powers..
a) Vikshipta the Power of projection which we continuously exercise to perceive the world..
b) Aavarana ..the power of covering the layers and hence offering us the myriad samsaara..
In a movie one can watch the waves and sound of Ganges.. but not get a glass of water from the river.. A realized person views the world in a similar way.. Samsaara is created by power of projections and coverings..
A realized person sees through the coverings like an X-ray machine scanning below the skin..
A beautiful story illustrating the hidden self.
Kuccha had returned back home after his graduation. Prajapati asks his son Kuccha if he found peace after that lofty education… He then advises him to renunciate and find that inner peace.. Kachha tried all sorts of things but in vain… He renunciates his work and householder duties.. Then renunciates elaborate food.. Later renunciates even his clothes and visits the holy pilgrimages. Finally he thinks of giving up his life as he did not find peace yet..
Then his father reveals to him.. It was about renunciation of his identity that he was tightly clinging to.. Once we dissolve the false clinging of identity and ego.. we discover self and there is ultimate peace..
Like in the Story of the 10 fools crossing a river and wailing for the missing one.. We miss seeing our true Self. The Guru and scriptures establish the Shraddha that the 10th one and the Self is right within us..
When the Knowledge is revealed, the illusion disappears like in the story of Princess of Kashi.
The Royal family of Kashi had decided to host a play inside the palace. For the lack of a child princess, the queen mother decided to dress up the young prince as princess. After the play, the queen was so excited seeing the prince in princess costume that she decided that a painting should be made of the princess of Kashi and it was labelled Princess of Kashi.
Years later, the prince had grown up. One day when he was exploring the older blocks, he discovers this painting, observes the date of the painting and falls in love with the Princess. He is filled with anxiety. On repeated enquiry, he reveals the situation to his minister.. The minister is perplexed and slowly explains the situation.. The desire to marry suddenly vanishes as the princess was all along with him.. It was his self.
There are 5 factors behind any experience. We are generally lost in the network of name and forms.. the naama roopa identity that is given to everything around which forms the samsaara.
The higher 3 factors form the brahma roopam.. Be it a tree or a mountain.. The deep existence asti bhava, the shine bhaati bhava and the deep harmony in every thing priya bhava. These 3 emotions translate to the sat-chit-ananda feeling in every object and being around us and is experienced in the Self.
asti bhaati priyam roopam.. naama cha iti amsha panchakam aadya trayam brahma-roopam.. jagad-roopam tatah dvayam [20]
Hence a realised person sees an undivided ocean of Self everywhere and is undisturbed by the transient waves and bubbles. Non discriminating.. Everything is same with in.. 5 elements.. Only name and form change.. A realized person sees himself in everyone.. His filters of Raaga Dwesha are slowly diminished.
Focus on the ‘is’ness and defocus the name form.. Focus on the screen and not the objects. Focus on the food, it’s existence and not on the kind of food.. sat chid Ananda..The Raaga Dwesha slowly reduces..
After following and digesting the teachings of Drid Drishya Viveka, it is time for implementation. The author suggests 2 kinds of meditation practices to deepen this journey. A quiet seated meditation and meditative outlook of Life.
The meditation progresses slowly from savikalpa to nirvikalpa thought.. Visual support.. Word support.. No support.. Drishya->Shabda->Nirvikalpa
Similarly, we can adopt this lens and attitude in day to day living when ever possible.
akhanda eka rasam vastu.. satchidaananda lakshanam iti avicchhinna chintaayam ..samaadhih madhyamah bhavet [28]
Enjoy the unfragmented undivided ocean of consciousness bliss.. of sat-chid-ananda and be in meditation amidst..
From the myraid name and forms appearing in the movie, may we expand our imagination to the reality of the projector and the underlying screen. Let us contemplate on the Sun that fuels the names and forms and take our awareness to that reality..
The layers of intelligence and discerning differentiating power that we accumulate uphill over the years.. with this knowledge.. let us unclinging the layers and seeing unity and integrity in everything..
bhidyate hṛdayagranthiśchidyante sarvasaṃśayāḥ | kṣīyante cāsya karmāṇi tasmindṛṣṭe parāvare || 2.8.8 ||
When both the high and low is seen, the knot of the heart is untied, all doubts are cut asunder and all the karma is exhausted.. Mundaka Upanishad.
Swami Sarvapriananda lectures.
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