Non-duality

The Truth of Vedanta (Ramana Maharshi, Guru Vachaka Kovai) | ‘Dry Vedanta’

~ Tom Das ~ Leave a comment

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In the text Guru Vachaka Kovai are recorded some of the most important teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi. Here are verses 148 and 149 which come under the heading ‘The Truth of Vedanta’ in the text. I have also included commentary from Sri Sadhu Om, a direct disciple of Sri Ramana Maharshi’s:

THE TRUTH OF VEDANTA

148. Those who know nothing but sense-pleasure,
To ruin and destruction doomed,
Resent transcendence of the senses
And call this fresh and fruitful wisdom
Dry Vedanta!

Tom’s comments: many seekers often resent the idea of turning away from sense pleasures, saying this is a dry or repressive path that is ‘anti-life’. Here Ramana calls this path ‘fresh and fruitful’ instead!

149. The experience of Vedanta comes
Only to those who are utterly
Without desire. Far, far it is
From those who still retain desires.
For such the penance is prescribed
Of longing for the Lord who knows
No desire, so as to end
Forever all desire.

Commentary from Sri Sadhu Om:

The term Vedanta is commonly understood to mean a particular system of philosophy, but its true meaning is the experience of Jnana which is gained as the conclusion [anta] of the Vedas.

The desire for sense objects, which are all 2nd or 3rd persons, is directly opposed to the desire for God, and so it is quite clear that God is not merely one among the many 2nd and 3rd personal objects, but that He must be the Reality of the 1st person. Therefore, we should understand that discarding all desires for 2nd and 3rd personal objects and having love for Self alone is the true devotion towards God.

Verse B 13 [which comes after verse 731] also asserts this same point.

731. The way of knowledge and the way of love
Are interwoven close. Don’t tear
Asunder these inseparables.
But practise both together holding
In the heart the two as one.

SRI BHAGAVAN 13: Meditation on the Self
Is devotion to the Lord
Supreme, since He abides as this,
Our very Self.

Tom: we see a similar teaching to verse 149 above from Sri Shankara, when he emphasises that the sage/jnani truly has no desires; this is from his commentary on the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.4 (I have written a post on this here which explains the method of self-realisation outlined by both Shankara and the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad):


But there are some who hold that even a knower of Brahman has desires. They have certainly never heard the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, nor of the distinction made by the Shruti that the desire for a son and so forth belongs to an ignorant man, and that with regard to the domain of knowledge, the statement, ‘What shall we achieve through children, we who have attained this Self, this world?’ and so on, is applicable. They do not also know the contradiction, based on incongruity, between the attainment of knowledge, which obliterates all action with its factors and results, and ignorance together with its effects [Tom: ie. all objects, duality, actions and suffering are removed with liberation, so there is no possibility of either desire or an object to desire in liberation].

What we truly desire

~ Tom Das ~ 3 Comments

Tom Das peace of deep sleep

What we desire…

We desire to be happy always without misery. What is this happiness? It’s not normal happiness, what you might think of, but the peace of deep sleep. To put it differently,  it’s the Peace of death whilst alive.

It’s when there is no mind. This is what we search for, we search for the mind to end. That’s what we really want.

When mind ends what you are is.

When you let go of everything…what is true, what is unchanging, what will never be destroyed, will be there fully.

 

When you let go of everything, that which is true, which cannot be destroyed, which is pure, that which always is…that God, that Divine, that One, that holiness, that will be there. Always…

So why worry?

If we can have faith in that, just let go of everything and That will be there. You don’t have to look for it, because it’s real. Everything else that is false will fall away. That which is real will be there.

And in your life you’ve got to do, what you’ve got to do. You have your responsibilities, you have to do those responsibilities. You just get on with it. They are not an obstacle. You look after your body, mind, you look after other body minds. Be as good person as you can be in this society. Knowing that this Divinity is always there.

Q. WHAT IS THE BEST & MOST DIRECT PATH?

~ Tom Das ~ 2 Comments

WHAT IS THE BEST & MOST DIRECT PATH?

When we find a way/teacher/path/’non-path’/’no-path’ that is right for us, it is natural to want to share that with others…but what is right for us is not necessarily right for others…ultimately we each find our own unique way…

Let us remain humble, acknowledge what works for us but not assume we know what is best for someone else or what will work for someone else…

By listening to others we allow them to teach us too, we allow the Divine to teach us through everyday interactions…

We learn from others, we allow others to become our teacher…

For everything and all are expressions of the Divine…

Each and everyone we meet is our True Guru…

All is Guru!

This is my experience at least

 

What do you think?

🙏

The Self is like a magnet

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If you are seeking, you think you are doing this and that, but actually the Self is doing all. The Self is like a magnet. It’s magnetic force is always drawing you towards it. You are just being moved by the Self.

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A power beyond the words

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Words are just expression of something that is beyond words. Even if you don’t understand what they mean, it doesn’t matter. There is a power, there is a potency, there is something there…There is a force, that is there.

When the words are coming from truth, it doesn’t matter what the words are. These words will draw you in, there is a power beyond the words. Which is in the stillness, silence… That stillness, that silence is in your heart. It is your essential nature, it is always pristine and pure, no matter what is happening.

Tom Das power beyond the words

An open approach to Meditation and Self Inquiry (a natural & easy way)

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When the seeker is ready to open his/her Heart, spiritual practice can become less rigidly structured and the exploration can naturally go on in a more open, kinder, loving way. Here what Tom has to say about this natural and easy way.

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No single teaching is right for everyone

~ Tom Das ~ Leave a comment

Each teaching has a utility, but no single teaching is right for everyone at any point in time. Sometimes the way is Bhakti (love and devotion), sometimes Silence, sometimes intellectual understanding, sometimes letting things be, sometimes none of these… sometimes the mere notions of a teacher, a teaching and someone to be taught is too much!

God/Life shows us ‘the way’ if we learn how to listen…

Hence the ‘true teacher’ is always with us

What is the difference between Laya, Nirvikalpa Samadhi and Sahaja Samadhi?

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Question: Thank you for this post on Laya and Samadhi. What is the difference between ‘Laya’ and Samadhi? And what is the difference between Nirvakalpa Samadhi, and Nirvakalpa Sahaja Samadhi? Thank you. 🙏

Tom: There are several different definitions of each term, depending on the scripture and school (eg. yoga, vedanta, etc). However, in essence, when the mind has been made still but I-thought (ie. ego) has NOT been removed, that is laya, so the ego remains latent and does not end up being destroyed. Instead, once the samadhi is over, the ego sprouts up again and causes suffering. This ‘Laya’ is sometimes known as Nirvikalpa Samadhi.

Abiding as the self is to remain as the Self without the I-thought. This is called Mauna (Silence), and naturally, over time, leads to Moksha once the vasanas (egoic tendencies) are rooted out. This is because the root cause of suffering, namely ignorance or the ‘I thought’ is directly attacked in this practice. Moksha is also called Sahaja Samadhi (which roughly translated means ‘the natural state’), as it is unforced and natural, but there is no sense of egotism/I-thought.

Confusingly, these terms are often used in different ways, even within a single philosophical school such as Advaita Vedanta. Sometimes the word Laya is used to mean Moksha, for example, and Mauna, Self-Abidance and Nirvikalpa Samadhi are also equated at times. At these times it will be said that Nirvikalpa Samadhi does lead to Moksha.

Best wishes!