Ravi.N
Re: Various quotes and musings in the light of Vedanta
The Gospel of Strength
Â« Reply #6 on: August 31, 2013, 03:19:15 PM Â»
Great saints are the object-lessons of the Principle. But the disciples make the saint the Principle, and then they forget the Principle in the person.
Inspired Talks-swami vivekananda
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I'll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass the world is too full to talk about."
[Rumi]
Web Page dedicated to the Great Sages:
https://someoneelsebg.000webhostapp.com/Sages/HTML.html
"Life is more or less a lie, but then again, that's exactly the way we want it to be."
[Bob Dylan]
"To Do Today, 1/17/08
1. Sit and think
2. Reach enlightenment
3. Feed the cats"
[Jarod Kintz]
This morning again I found something which troubles me. I haven't realized it to this day. It is about the 'origin' of the world. Saying that the world comes from me, that it exists only until I exist, disappears in deep sleep and so on is just solipsism. To say that existence of others depends on me is somehow not right in my heart. Where is the borderline between solipsism and Advaita?
Some thoughts, please?
Nagaraj
Hari, these questions are tricky and have no really written answers, and even if there are, may not necessarily be satisfactory!
I would like present some abstract thoughts, which may be of some solace.
The world is part of the body. The body is inclusive of the world, or, the world is inclusive of the body!
Truly, solipsism is for whom? its for the mind! The Self itself is not bothered if its there or not there! What is seen through mind is solipsism and when mind is sacrificed, there is the end of solipsism.
Just look at the plain night sky, before we knew what it was, what was it? Then we were told about the sky, and the sky was seen, then we were told about the stars, and the stars were seen, then we were told about zodiacs and we began to see the zodiacs in the stars and so on. So in such sense, it is said the world arises from you.
Do not bother much about these Hari, The Sages as i have understood mean to say that learn, discern that you are not this world as seen, you are not this body as see, and so on. You are free to play, thereafter!
The Upanishads have said and Bhagavan has said in his talks:
The world is only lokah, lokah = lokyate iti lokah (what is perceived is the world). That which is seen is lokah or the world. Which is the eye that sees it? That is the ego which rises and sinks periodically. But you exist always. Therefore That which lies beyond the ego is consciousness - the Self.
The Sages, the Vedas, have only revealed to us thus far, as to showing us that we are not not is seen, but we are the Seer, that is beyond! They never went to really say about the nature of that Seer, what it does, and so on --> these are just the speculations of mind!
The Sages were only giving out the message to discern and just know what you come across art not Thyself! That is all!
॥ शांतमात्मनि तिष्ट ॥
Remain quietly in the Self.
~ Vasishta
The Samskrut word 'prapancha' - a term used to describe the world or the universe, simply means, that which is seen through the 5 senses is prapancha, pancha means 5, and pra may mean anything like that which shines, shows and so on.
Suppose one of the senses is cut off, that sense of the world dies, if you loose your eyes, you no longer see the world, if you loose your ears you no longer hear the world, if you loose the tongue sensation, you can no longer taste the world, if you loose the touch sensation, you can no longer feel the world.
In addition, if you perhaps had an additional sense perception, we may have perceived the world in that sense.
The point is that it is somehow not right even logically to say that I (my body, feelings and so on) are real but others are not. That only I have mind and the people are just my creation. This is somehow not wisdom but huge egoism in my view. So some of Advaita's claims do not sound right. And even they are illusion after all.
Follow your heart, Hari, we have to find our own truth, if it matches or not with some siddhanta is of any irrelevance.
We all have to jump into the waters and see for ourselves! no matter how much we may describe the taste of tea, unless one drinks it, he does not know!
find your own truth, don't be limited by advaita or dvaita or shunya... who knows may be you may discover a new siddhantaa, in good spirit!
Hari, here is a Buddha quote, you are aware off:
â€œDo not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.â€�
just do so in good spirit! 'Stop not till the goal is reached' - Swami Vivekananda
This is not the point what I want. The point is that I could not have good spirit accepting that I am talking to ghosts in my head (you, my parents and so on).
You are right. And Lord Buddha's advice is the best advice given by a human. It does not mean to reject everything but to test it and to see by ourselves.