On Mandukya 5-6: This [prajna, undiferentiated consciousness of deep sleep] is the Lord of all [Sarvesvara, Isvara, Saguna Brahman].

He who has got this state of deep sleep as his sphere is su,cupta- sthanah. He is said to be ekibhutah, undifferentiated, since the whole host of duality, that are diversified as the two states (of waking and dream) and are but modifications of the mind, become non-discernible (in that state) without losing their aforesaid characteristics, teristics, just as the day together with the phenomenal world becomes non-discernible under the cover of nocturnal darkness. As such, conscious experiences, that are but vibrations of the mind in the waking and dream states, become solidified, as it were. This state is called prajnanaghanah, a mass of consciousness, since it is characterized by the absence of discrimination. It is a mass of mere consciousness like everything appearing pearing as a mass by becoming indistinguishable under nocturnal darkness. From the use of the word eva, merely, it follows that there is nothing of a separate ate class other than consciousness. And he is dnanda- mayah, full of joy, his abundance of joy being caused by the absence of the misery involved in the effort of the mind vibrating as the objects and their experiencer; encer; but he is not Bliss itself, since the joy is not absolute. Just as in common parlance, one remaining free from effort is said to be happy or dnandabhuk, an experiencer of joy, so this one, too, is called dnanda- bhuk, for by him is enjoyed this state that consists in extreme freedom from effort, in accordance with the Vedic text, `this is its supreme bliss' (Br. IV. iii. 32). He is cetomukhah, since he is the doorway to the consciousness sciousness of the experiences in the dream and waking states. Or he is called cetomukhah, because consciousness, ness, appearing as empirical experience, is his doorway or entrance leading to the states of dream and waking. He is called prdjnah, Prajna, conscious par excellence, since in him alone is there the knowledge of the past and the future and of all things. Even though lying in deep sleep he is called Prajiia (conscious) because of his having been so earlier (in the two former states of dream and waking) ; or he is called conscious, since he alone is possessed of the peculiar characteristics of mere (undiversified) consciousness, whereas the other two have diversified knowledge as well. This Prajiia, as described, is the third quarter.

~Shankara on Mandukya 5 [on deep sleep] (tr-Gambhirananda)

****

All three states have a common feature, namely, the absence of the Knowledge of Reality. But deep sleep differs from waking and dreaming in that it is associated neither with gross objects nor with subtle impressions, which are the characteristics of the other two.

Deep sleep is a state of ease and repose. The friction caused by the subject-object relationship is absent. Hence a person in deep sleep experiences bliss, in the sense that one who is free from effort is said to be happy. This bliss is quite different from that of Brahman.

The unified consciousness of deep sleep, wherein all diversities disappear, is the antecedent of the waking and dream experiences. Hence it is regarded as the cause of, or the door to, the other two states.

~Nikhilananda on Mandukya 5

****

This [prajna, undiferentiated consciousness of deep sleep] is the Lord of all [Sarvesvara, Isvara, Saguna Brahman], this is the knower of all [jnana], this is the inner controller [of Maya], this is the source of all [manifestation]. And this is that from which all things originate and in which they finally dissolve themselves. [Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva]

~Mandukya 6 (tr-Chinmayananda) [notes in brackets are mine]

nonduality comics 231216

The person is not the doer. Universal consciousness is the doer. And love is what one does.

From the absolute point of view, nothing is done, but we’re not in that absolute point of view at this moment in time, are we?

And thinking you are is real sad, love.

The Consciousness Mountains

Thoughts appear in consciousness like fish in a river and you’re the river.

The river isn’t just a reflection of its mountain source. The river is no different than the source and thinking it is, is just delusional.

It's the same old song. The river is the source but the source isn’t the river. The waves are the sea but the sea isn’t the waves.

Stop overthinking things. Consciousness is brahman. That’s all you need to know.

nonduality comics 231215: buddhi knows best

a.

Forget it jake it’s namarupa

OG shapeshifter

Snake upon the rope

b.

On some reptilian level there is identification with the body.

It’s written in your dna.

Don’t fret the small stuff but don’t go playing in traffic either.

c.

Do it for the reptiles and birds, oh my.

Buddhi knows best.

No dinosaur, no buddhi, no self-awareness.

d.

The power of seven is the power of three cubed.

Nonduality equals universal consciousness divided by three or any primordial odd number.

You cannot deconstruct satcitananda. Satcitananda is the ground of all superimposition and resultant deconstruction. Stop digging when you hit water, grasshopper.

e.

Existence is the ground (even emptiness appears in existence).

Awareness is the godhead—universal consciousness is an appearance in that deep blue godhead as self-awareness is its fractal maya.

And bliss is the word ananda is the groove of holistic infinity, satcitananda.

Ayamatmabrahma 451

The world is completely conceptual. A bird is a bird because I call it a bird. But a bird is not a bird. A bird is absolute consciousness upon which namarupa has been superimposed.

The bird doesn’t know this fact but universal consciousness knows because I do. And this knowing is for the birds and all being. Om shanti.

Beneath the tri-state area is the substrate of pure ground. An inert outer body burns because of this satcitananda. Alas I’m not the wood I chop but the unmanifested fire within.

Nonduality Comics 231213

Neti neti is a practice and not a destination, and that’s the rub. I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by postmodern deconstruction.

First, deconstruct yourself as if dissolving the personal into the universal which is the real manifested you, my love.

“There is nothing to seek and find, for there is nothing lost. Relax and watch the ‘I am’. Reality is just behind it. Keep quiet, keep silent; it will emerge, or, rather, it will take you in.” ~@Nisargadatta_M

Go Fourth and Moksa

1.

There are three states of reflected consciousness: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. These are the equivalent of nuclear, atomic, and molecular in the reflexive universe of things.

Coming after the big bang of maya, these states of consciousness are just parts of a wave superimposed on pure consciousness: full, half, and new. Like a snake appearing in the mind, self-awareness appears in awareness.

The vedanta says I’m not the wave but the sea. The mandukya calls that the fourth. Find your inner self, your true self, the highest atman, that fourth; and know your real self as the godhead, ground, nondual, nirguna brahman. As the mandukya says, ayam atma brahma.

2.

The waking state is dreaming in colorful reflections of pure consciousness and that’s the love.

The dreaming state is dreaming in those binary black and white divisive shadows of the mind.

And deep sleep dreams in the place where the wild things go.

Where the wild things go: prajnanam brahma, tattvamasi, ayam atma brahma, aham brahma asmi.

The World's a Stage but All is Brahman

1.

Maya is like a prism through which the light of Brahman is passing through. Or Maya is like a laser superimposing holographic waves on the silent sea of Brahman. Or Maya is the sword of power that Isvara is using to cleave the undivided, unlimited, and untroubled into samsara.

Whereas the mind dreams in thought, Brahman dreams in consciousness. Thus the universe is neither wave nor particle but pure consciousness in which the yin of waves and yang of particles appear.

To an individual of avidya, the Universe appears to be real; to a scientist of Maya, the universe appears to be a paradox; but to that insightful one, nothing is not Brahman.

2.

To get from the absolute immutable to the relatively transformative, Maya is assumed to be the unknown X in all such equations.

Thus Maya is not as much a theory of relativity as it is a law of the absolute.

With Maya firmly established in the mathematical mind, the Mahavakyas may be entertained, contemplated, and realized. Yes, Virginia, Aham Brahma Asmi.

The Satcitananda Review

Satcitananda, to review, is being-existence-presence, consciousness-awareness-intelligence, holistic infinity bliss.

Satcitananda is not an attribute of Brahman but its essential nature. Each word may substitute as the name of Brahman, but there is no name for Brahman, that big beyond the bang.

Brahman is not non-existent, not unaware, and undivided, unlimited, and untroubled. In other words, Brahman is Satcitananda.

Nonduality Comics 231208

a.

Universal consciousness (god) appears in pure consciousness. Individual consciousness (person) appears in universal consciousness. Departmentalized consciousness (nightdream) appears in individual consciousness.

Consciousness is nothing if not fractal.

So does dna (karmic consciousness) ultimately appear in departmentalized consciousness and if so, does god ultimately appear in karma and so on until realization? 

b.

In other words,

karma creates the gods, god creates people, a person creates nightmares, a nightmare creates karmas, karma creates the gods, the cycle of maya.

And the blood of gods is dna!

Jai Guru Deva Om

1.

There’s the egoic self (I am something-else) constructed with thoughts, and there’s the reflected self (I am) created with the devatmasakti of saguna brahman, and there’s the true self (I, paramatman) which is unborn.

The cause of the personal self is ignorance (avidya) of its universal being. The cause of the universal self is that intelligent illusion called self-awareness (maya) appearing in the absolute ground of the true self (parabrahman).

Deconstructing ego involves seeing through thought (see pratibodha viditam for the particulars) to this universal being where absolution suddenly happens. Om, attention minus thought equals pure consciousness.

Transcreating Svetasvatara 1.16

Atman, all-pervasive like butter in milk, and the source of self-reflection and self-realization, is Brahman, the highest truth. That is the supreme upanisad.

~Svetasvatara 1.16 (my tx)

Devoted to the One Who Shines

1.

Individual consciousness is the cause of hell on earth. No individual consciousness can rid the earth of this mortal hell until it rids the earth of all individual consciousnesses. There’s always a catch.

This is not to say an individual consciousness cannot try to build a better hell. But one person’s better hell is another person’s worse one. It’s good to remember the universe is karma neutral in that way.

Meanwhile, devotion to universal consciousness from the illusory individual consciousness is not a bad practice. Although universal consciousness, Isvara and all the gods, are illusory too, universal consciousness is the direct reflection of nirguna brahman.

Look, the ‘I am’ is already your god. Just recognize its universal quality and give it an ever-loving name. That’s all. Like Devatmasakti or Deva for short, the one who shines.

2.

The source of the sun and all celestial beings like my beloved Deva is 

Parabrahman (not a black hole)

as the source of electricity is pure potentiality. Plug in, turn on, shine.

Be the unknown.

NdC 231204 (devatmasakti)

1.

Between parabrahman and the mind is devatmasakti.

It’s the technical name for ‘I am.’

Love god, know god, be god.

2.

a. If you’re looking for me, my triangulation at the moment is Nisargadatta of the Navnath way, Nikhilananda, Gambhirananda, and Tyagisananda of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda way, and Chinmayananda, Dayananda, and Tejomayananda of the Tapovan way.

b. Parabrahman is the source and devatmasakti is the power of three.

c. For the power of seven, see the reflexive universe created by the sound of a bell. Om.

3.

There are ten thousand ways of seeing lightning in the sky.

Thirteen ways are like a blackbird.

Devatmasakti!

Gods of Tattvamasi

Another name for maya is devatmasakti: deva for the god of bhakti, atman for the self of jnana, and sakti for the chakras of kriya.

The mind dreams in concepts. Brahman dreams in universal consciousness. Isvara dreams in individual consciousnesses called the mind.

Between the mind and the absolute is universal consciousness and its fundamental devatmasakti. Respect the gods of tattvamasi.

Nonduality Comics 231202

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231202a

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First, disassociate ego from intellect.

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It’s ok to associate love and intellect. Let love be the force of the buddhi.

---

For true knowing happens in the intellect. Some call this knowing, intuition. Some call it affectionate awareness.

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231202b.

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Love is the state of universal consciousness. Samsara is the state of individual consciousness.

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Knowing only happens in the state of universal consciousness. This is a fact and not some romance novel.

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The subtle I-Am is that universal immaculate conception like the Christ story.

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231202c

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boston university winter 70-71 grateful dead incarnated then with pigpen

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me and tony watching from the rafters after our small mob busted in through the back door

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and we watched them warm up for a long hour but soon the workingman's dead were playing for infinity

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231202d a nonduality comics haiku

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grand canyon south rim sunrise striking butte by butte in the land of ten thousand sunrises

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mummy cave ruins across canyon del muerto whilst sitting by the diamond timelessness of chinle creek blues

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hiraizumi, matsushima, yamadera.

---

---

Buddhi is the inner buddha.

Welcome to act seven, scene seven, in this play of self-awareness, called Lila.

Intuition is affectionate awareness as jnana is bhakta.

---

Everybody talks about the universe as if it’s a god. What’s up with that? If it’s a god, then have the common courtesy to give it a name.

My god is Brahman wielding the power of Maya and my bible is the Principal Upanishads.

My guru is Nisargadatta Maharaj.

---

because of this subtle body, existence feels like i am

but understand this feeling is a universal one. thinking this feeling is an individual one is the only mortal sin there is.

om.

---

---

Brahman Dreams of Maya

This subtle body of organic chemicals and functional compounds doesn’t reflect pure consciousness as much as let that omnipresent light into this box of mindstuff revealing it as so much Maya.

Maya is like the dream of Brahman. Like a dream, Maya isn’t real. But like a dream, Maya is certainly happening. And Maya is like a metaphysical koan. Does the universe have a maker, it asks. Maya (or mu), it answers.

If Maya is like a dream, pure consciousness is not like deep sleep, but existence itself. In other words, deep sleep appears in awareness as the sun appears in that omnipresence so bright, it burns out the mind’s eye looking at it. So it’s called a black hole by the nihilists.

Svetasvatara 1.3 on devātma śakti (aka maya) with commentary by Tejomayananda and Nikhilananda

The first and second verses [Svetasvatara 1.1 & 1.2] raise the following questions: Is Brahman the cause of the universe, or should time, or nature, or necessity, or some other factor, be considered as the cause? Can Brahman properly be called the cause, or is It devoid of causal relationship? Does Brahman, if It is the Creator, create the universe with outside help? If It is the cause, should It be regarded as the material cause or as the efficient cause? Or is It both efficient and material cause? Lastly, if Brahman is designated as the cause then what are Its characteristics; and if It transcends the causal relationship then, too, what is Its nature?

The answer is that the Pure Brahman is neither the cause nor something other than the cause, nor both, nor some thing other than both. Further, It is neither the efficient cause nor the material cause, nor both. Brahman is one and without a second, and devoid of any causal relationship. From the standpoint of the Absolute there is no creation; therefore Brahman cannot properly be described in terms of cause and effect. From the standpoint of the universe, however, Brahman with maya appears to be associated with creation, preservation, and destruction.

~Nikhilananda

two translations of Svetasvatara 1.3

1.3. Following the path of meditation, the students saw the power of the Lord, hidden by its own inherent qualities, the Lord who, alone presides over all the causes – from time to the individual self. (tr-Tejomayananda

1.3. The sages, absorbed in meditation through one-pointedness of mind, discovered the [creative] power, belonging to the Lord Himself and hidden in its own gunas. That non-dual Lord rules over all those causes —time, the self, and the rest. (tr-Nikhilananda)

some commentaries

The infinite Truth has an infinite potential to create. This inscrutable divine power is called māyā. Thus the infinite Truth (Brahman) associated with māyā is the cause of the world... The various factors like time, inherent nature, nature’s laws, matter and energy are manifestations of māyā, or creations of māyā... Māyā cannot exist separate from Truth as Truth is of the nature of Existence. Anything other than Existence cannot exist. Then māyā must be one with the Truth. If so it becomes the Truth itself. Hence māyā cannot be said to be either separate or one with the Truth. Then maybe it does not exist at all. Since creation exists, its cause, the creative power also must exist and this power must exist in the infinite Truth alone. Hence this power is called inscrutable (anirvacanīya).

~Tejomayananda

"Maya is like a twisted rope consisting of three strands, which are the three gunas. All that exists in the universe consists of these three gunas. Brahman, or the Great Spirit, after projecting the universe, remains hidden in it, just as a seed, after producing a tree, remains hidden in the tree. The cause produces the effect and remains concealed in the effect. First of all, Brahman is conceived as the Lord of maya; next, the same Brahman is known as the Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer of the universe. The creative aspect, associated with sattva, is known as Brahma; the protective aspect, associated with rajas, is known as Vishnu; and the destructive aspect, associated with tamas, is known as Siva. These three aspects are related to the phenomenal world; they have no bearing upon the attributeless Brahman.

~Nikhilananda

The word 'devātmaśakti' is an aphoristic ex- pression which is variously interpreted by various commentators, but to us it seems to embody the following view: The word 'deva' represents the God of Religion, 'ātma' the Self of philosophy, and 'śakti' the Energy of Science. The word also means the self-conscious power which is in everyone, Deva meaning self- luminous. It thus means to emphasize the presence of the Ultimate Truth in every- body in the form of self-conscious power. Devātmaśakti also means the source of knowledge, emotions and will, the three aspects of mind, Deva standing for knowledge, Atma for the emotions, and Śakti for will. This gives the characteristics of the Ultimate Reality which is beyond the province of mind and language.

~Tyagisananda

Nonduality Comics 231129wd

01.

Here’s the thing about the truth: when it’s finally known, it’s almost impossible to think you never knew it.

Those who are capable of thinking about the unthinkable are sometimes called bodhisattva, sometimes guru.

And those who think the unthinkable is unthinkable, stop thinking. Thank you for your service.

02.

In deep Mandukya-speak, avidya is the dreaming state, advaita is the waking state, and nirvikalpa is the deep sleep state.

Some say there are three states of samadhi instead: non-savikalpa, savikalpa, and nirvikalpa. That tracks.

~Thursday, April 27, 2023

03.

I was more the walker than peak bagger. That’s why I hiked Acadia whenever I could.

Nineteen years past 1984 and I had hiked every major trail but the holy precipice where ten thousand peregrine falcons rule the pink cadillac granite cliffs of downeast maine.

I’m told the precipice of The Brihadaranyaka is by invitation only as well but unlimited guests shall be allowed.

04.

That is infinite and this is infinite too.

Infinite universes are emanating from an infinite brahman.

Remember children, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

05.

To know oneself as “I am Brahman,” yin and yang must first be born.

Then turn, turn, turn.

That the material world appears in consciousness and not vice versa is in the first degree.

06.

This was brahman in the beginning knowing i am brahman,

the same with seers and all the people—whoever knows the self as brahman is all this

so says Brihadaranyaka 1.4.10 as in Aham Brahma Asmi,

Brihadaranyaka Says (I am Brahman)

Some say Advaita is Buddhism without Buddha. And others say Buddhism is Vedanta without Brahman. Who cares?

Considered one of the oldest Upanishads, the Brihadaranyaka says ‘I am Brahman” and after sleeping on it, I agree.

This experiential awareness is the consciousness accompanied by, at the very least, the primal thought of ‘I am’.

And absolute awareness is that pure consciousness beyond this hydrogen bomb of a thought. I Am That, my dear Nisargadatta is echoing Brihadaranyaka.

Transcreating Katha 2.3.2-4

All there is—this universe and everything within it—vibrates with life. 

For all is projected from Brahman and exists within the ground of Brahman. 

And that Brahman has supplied this great jolt like a diamond thunderbolt.

And those who are struck by this knowledge realize one's immortality.

For in awe of Brahman, this inferno burns:

Sun shines, rain falls, wind blows, and death runs out the course.

But if one prevails in realizing one is Brahman before the blaze burns out, 

Then one is freed from such fearful embodiment by that great self-awareness.

Nonduality Comics 231127: See of Awareness, Part Two

1.

That awareness is nameless of course. Pure consciousness is nameless too.

Let’s say ‘attention minus thought equals awareness’ because the power of three.

Resting in awareness is as good a practice as any, but dreaming in awareness is what’s happening.

2.

I know what this natural awareness is but all I can say it's not any thought swimming in that awareness.

That awareness is the air beneath these wings, the sea beneath this wave.

That awareness is my everything.

3.

Some say awareness is not a name but a scientific term. I say awareness is as much a name as any name of god, Walt Whitman.

Shiva is as good a name as awareness and may be better. There is nothing more deserving of devotion than this grand nondual equation: a-t=A (attention minus thought equals awareness).

This natural awareness, this pure consciousness, this paramatman, this this, is the great substrate (parabrahman) upon which the supernatural (brahma wielding the sword of maya) is imposed.

footnotes

Seeing through cognition itself is seeing timelessness awareness, pratibodha viditam.

Shankara comments that the strength needed for knowledge of atman is acquired through atman alone and not through anything else. I call this the Paradox of Kena 2.4

Resting in awareness isn’t resting as much as listening to the tao of the satguru. Consciousness is talking to consciousness. Quiet on the set!

The See of Awareness, Part One

1.

You’ve been led to that deep well of awareness

But only you can drink from, and dissolve in, that.

2.

That awareness is the substrate, the real self, paramatman,

And not yourself.

3.

Not only is that sea of awareness always there,

This superimposition of yourself is merely conceptual, dreamlike, maya.

4.

Any thought, including yourself, is merely floating in that awareness,

like waves in the sea, like words burning in a fire.

5.

The more time you float in that water of awareness,

The more realized is that water is the sea, and there all the time.

6.

And further, time is just a concept floating on that timelessness,

And I am, in truth, that timeless awareness.

Ayam Atma Brahma Forever

I'm going to strawberry fields / Nothing is real / And nothing to get hung about / Strawberry fields forever

1.

Brahman is not a name as much as an adjective without a noun—

big. As in beyond the bang.

2.

And atman is the very breath, the inner spirit, soul, heart, swing, poetry.

3.

Atman is brahman is the big reveal

and paradoxical revelation—

haiku kahuna koan.

Brahmavidya in the Material World

No language can describe the nondual truth but scientific language in particular is especially out of its element.

Science is concerned with the material world and is quite wonderful in its ability to circumscribe that maya, but brahmavidya not so much.

The genius of scientific language is in the inner logic of locking its discoveries into place. In brahmavidya, logic is important too, but so is artistry and paradox, not exactly the expertise of science.

Shankara, that 8th or 9th century proponent of advaita vedanta, is nothing if not logical, yet often lands on metaphor for his most important points.

The rope is never a snake, the sky is never a cloud, the desert is never a mirage, the sea is never a wave, and truth is never a science.

Song of Maya

The expression of brahman is always changing but brahman never changes.

The ignorant will freeze some particular span of space and time to worship for its monumental creativity—and defend its monument against all change.

Only the grateful dead live are the grateful dead. A poet reads in order to write. As consciousness, one writes.

The poet is not the word as brahman is not the universe but the wave is the sea.

Ode to Enlightenment

It’s not true everyone is enlightened about their true nature, but it is true that no one is not brahman.

Enlightenment is just an ostentatious word for having rid oneself of this unborn ignorance once and for all. But I like it.

Not only is that one attentive to one’s natural awareness amidst the word cloud of the world’s loud benightedness,

but one is actually that awareness—awareness is always enlightening one if one is actually listening.

Nonduality Comics 231121tu

1

The mind may come to know what it isn’t and what the mahavakyas say it is and cipher exactly the value of one and exactly the value of two and wait there for the magic bus that is coming to take me away ah ha!.

They say realization happens in the intellect, that reflection of divine intelligence, that cave of atman, that city of brahman, that lotus of my heart.

Call it pratibodha and say om.

2.

So what science sees as a great black hole is actually the self-shining seer seeing science.

You can't see it. That's why you have to listen. Silence is not an end in itself. It's the prerequisite for this listening.

And one doesn't listen by this listening. One listens by heart.

3.

At the heart of every concept is awareness, pure consciousness, that essential principle of existence.

Vedantic scientists have named this postulate of truth, pratibodha-vidatam.

Vedantic poets call it rope and snake.

4.

Awake the lotus heart is lucid dreaming.

Stevie wonder dreaming in the city of brahman—skyscrapers and everything.

In my day, the grateful dead were grateful for their psychedelic resurrection as pure consciousness and the beatles went all the way to rishikesh. This was my generation baby.

5.

Everything appears in the self-shining light of pure consciousness (natural awareness), does it not?

So the question you have to ask yourself punk, are you the appearance or the natural awareness?

It's the simple equation behind every koan: om is mu.

X.

Call it pratibodha and say om.

So what science sees as a great black hole is actually the self-shining seer seeing science.

Vedantic poets call it rope and snake.

Awake the lotus heart is lucid dreaming!

It’s the simple equation behind every koan: om is mu.

6.

If you feel you need to breathe, your god is obviously still vayu.

And by the transitive property of the gods themselves, you may choose any aspect of this absolute manifestation to worship instead.

For this is the heart of all polytheistic points of view. Praise maya!

The Sun of Self-awareness

The sea pervades and envelops the wave that’s not a wave but is maya’s brave new world of dreaming unawareness.

For unawareness is just a temporary state, much like the grand appearance of a superstar and its transformative return to the great black hole of brahman.

Look, only the mind sees that paramatman as a great black hole; the nondual self is in reality the self-shining seer.

Nonduality Comics 231118st

1.

Indidividual consciousness is called the knowing atman because unborn ignorance has this natural need to know.

Universal consciousness is called the great atman because the wizard of maya.

And pure consciousness is called the peaceful atman as in tattvamasi satcitananda.

2.

It’s ok to call science your god.

God is the god of ten thousand attributes. Take as many as you want.

My god is maya neat.

3.

Science is still looking for the God of Consciousness inside Its Dream.

That’s like looking for the sea in the middle of an island paradise.

The big bang is easy. Beyond the big bang is the razor’s edge.

4.

Individual consciousness is a conditioned consciouness. 

The conditioner is the world of individual consciousnesses.

It's a vicious cycle.

5.

A table is more than 99% space. Relax, you can’t put your elbows on it.

Objects appearing in consciousness appear to be something other than consciousness. They’re not.

Pure consciousness you are, Luke.

6.

Tao is to parabrahman

as te is to the sattva of maya

and sunday is to tamas

and yang is to the guna of rajas.

Om Lao Tzu

7.

Existence is the substrate and life its expression.

Personal lives are its writhing dreams and nightmares.

Waking up is every dreamer's destiny. Arise!

8.

Five days out of seven I'm not saying what I'm thinking; that's my earworm to be seen through.

Two days out of seven I am consciousness talking to consciousness. Each one of those days is like a long weekend.

Wake up Maggie, I've been playing the Upanishads louder lately. Enjoy!

9.

tao is to parabrahman

as te is to the sattva of maya

and yin is to tamas and yang is to the guna of rajas,,,

om, l,ao tzu

The Nondual Trinity of Consciousness

Individual consciousness is due to ignorance. All the ignorance in the world is due to this avidya. It’s why the world is what it is: samsara.

Universal consciousness is still an illusion, although its laws of nature work impeccably. You can put your trust in maya and give it any god-like name you love.

Pure consciousness is the godhead. The principle of existence is its nature. And as natural awareness, it is the deep blue substrate sea.

Vedantic Cosmology:Nikhilananda on Katha 1.3.10,11,13 (and Shankara on the Sanskrit)

Beyond the senses are the objects; beyond the objects is the mind; beyond the mind, the intellect; beyond the intellect, the Great Atman; beyond the Great Atman, the Unmanifest; beyond the Unmanifest, the Purusha. Beyond the Purusha there is nothing: this is the end, the Supreme Goal.

~Katha 1.3.10-11 (tr-Nikhilananda)

The first manifestation of Pure Brahman, due to Its association with ajnana, is called the Unmanifest. The first entity to emerge from the Unmanifest is Hiranyagarbha, also known by such other epithets as Brahma (the World Soul, or the Cosmic Mind) and Prana (the Cosmic Life).

It may be stated here that the purpose of the Vedantic cosmology is to explain the universe and its origin in such a way that it can establish the sole reality of Brahman, apart from which the universe is unimportant either from the standpoint of reality or from the standpoint of ultimate value. In the deepest spiritual experience the material universe is found to be non-existent.

~Nikhilananda

The wise man should merge his speech in his mind, and his mind in his intellect. He should merge his intellect in the Cosmic Mind, and the Cosmic Mind in the Tranquil Self.

~Katha 1.3.13 (tr-Nikhilananada)

The activities of the senses should be stopped and the attention directed to the mind. Then the mind should be drawn into the buddhi, or discriminative faculty. Next the aspirant should sink the buddhi into the Cosmic Mind, or Hiranyagarbha. In other words, he should make his mind as pure as the Cosmic Mind, which is free from all notions of discrete individuality. Last, the thin veil of the Cosmic Mind should be rent, and the seeker should merge in the Absolute, which is calm because of an utter absence of any distinction or difference either with regard to others or within Itself.

~Nikhilananda

Shankara's Sanskrit Commentary:

Prajnah, the discriminating man;

yacchet, should merge. What (should he merge)?

Vak, i.e. vacam, the organ of speech, (i.e. all the organs), vak being used suggestively for all organs. Where? 

Manasi, into the mind; the use of the word with a long i is a Vedic licence.

Tat, that mind, again;

yacchet, he should merge;

jnane atmani, into the intellect - bright by nature-which is their self; as the intellect pervades the organs, beginning with the mind, it is their self, their innermost principle.

Jnanam, the intellect;

niyacchet, he should dissolve;

mahati atmani, in the Great Soul-the First Born (Hiranyagarbha). The idea is that he should make the intelligence as clear in its nature as is the First Born. And that Great Soul again,

yacchet, he should sink;

sante, into the peaceful -whose nature does not admit of any distinction, which is unchangeable; (into that peaceful)

atmani, Self-into the real Self which is within all and is the witness of all the modifications of the intellect.

~Shankara (tr-Gambhirananda)

Nonduality Comics 231115: Maya, Maya, Maya

a. Never Misunderestimate Maya

1. Maya is more than a mirage. 

2. Maya is more powerful than a locomotive.

3. Maya is mirage plus suffering, and further, jnanam sakti.

b. Talkin' Maya to Maya

1. The three powers of maya are veiling, projecting, and jnanam sakti in the highest.

2. Jnanam sakti is consciousness talking to consciousness, the greatest power.

3. Reflexive Consciousness is beyond spacetime. It is the speed of light.

c. To Satcitananda, Love Maya

1. Between awareness and self-awareness is maya. Between the rope and snake is applied this layer of maya.

2. Between the light and the material world is entered this atomic maya code. 

3. Between the molecular universe and the light of self-awareness is the power of satcitananda.

d. Greatest Hits

1. Maya is mirage plus suffering, and further jnanam sakti. Jnanam sakti is consciousness talking to consciousness.

3. Between the light and the material world is entered this atomic maya code. Between the molecular universe and the light of self-awareness is the power of satcitananda.

4. Omkara is the bow, Atman is the arrow, and Brahman is named the goal. That is to be struck by an attentive mind.

Three Reflections on Divine Truth

Self-awareness almost always takes a back seat to the world of Maslow’s lower needs. 'You had one job.'

Atman meditation should be my number one priority, but this assumes I know what atman really is. If not, 'lectio divina' is priority too.

In advaita, listening to divine truth is 'sravana,' contemplating this truth is 'manana,' and breathing that truth is 'nididhyasana.' Three work procedures.

Nikhilanda on Om in Katha 1.2.15

Pronounced om, as in home, Om is the most sacred word of the Vedas and may be compared to the Word referred to by St. John in the opening of the Fourth Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

According to Hindu philosophy, the whole of this universe has name and form (namarupa) as the conditions of its manifestation. (The form is its outer crust, of which the name or idea is the inner essence or kernel. The name is inseparable from a word or sound.)

The universe perceived by the five senses is the form, behind which stands the eternal, inexpressible Sphota, the Word or Logos. This eternal Sphota, the essential, beginningless material of all ideas or names, is the power through which the Lord creates the universe;

nay, the Lord first becomes conditioned as the Sphota by His own maya and then evolves Himself as the more concrete sense-perceived universe.

The symbol of the Sphota is Om, also written Aum. Since a word is inseparable from its idea, Om and the eternal Sphota are inseparable. Therefore the eternal Om is the mother or source of all names and forms, and hence is the holiest of all holy words.

There may be other words to denote the eternal and inexpressible Sphota; but the Hindus contend that Om is a unique word and uniquely apposite.

The Sphota is the material or foundation of all sounds or words, which are inseparable from names or ideas; yet it is not any definite, fully formed word. That is to say, if all the peculiarities that distinguish one word from another be removed,

Then what remains will be the Sphota, or Om. Therefore Om is called the Nada-Brahman, the Sound-Brahman... It is the symbol both of the Personal God (in His aspect of Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer [A, U, and M]) and of Impersonal Reality. 

On Adhyātma-yoga in Katha 1.2.12

The wise sage, who, by means of the meditation on the inner Self, recognises the Ancient, who is difficult to be seen, who is unfathomable and concealed, who is hidden in the cave of the heart, who dwells in the abyss, is lodged in the intelligence and, seated amidst miserable surroundings indeed – renounces joy and sorrow.

~Katha 1.2.12 (tr-Chinmayananda)

taṁ durdarśaṁ gūḍhamanupraviṣṭaṁ guhāhitaṁ gahvareṣṭhaṁ purāṇaṁ, adhyātmayogādhigamena devaṁ matvā dhīro harṣaśokau jahāti.

Tam, Him - the Self that you want to know; which is durdarsam, hard to see, because of Its extreme subtleness; gudham anupravistam, lodged inaccessibly, i.e. hidden by knowledge that changes in accordance with worldly objects; guhahitam, located in the intellect- because It is perceived there; gahvares- tham, existing in the midst of misery-in the body and senses which are the sources of many miseries. Since It is thus lodged inaccessibly and located in the intellect, therefore, It is seated in the midst of misery. Hence It is hard to see. Matva, meditating on, that puranam, old (everlasting); devam, Deity- the Self; adhhatmavogadhigamena- concentration of the mind on the Self after withdrawing it from the outer objects is adhyatma-yoga--through the attainment of that; dhirah, the intelligent man; jahati, gives up; harsasokau, happiness and sorrow-since there is no excellence or deterioration for the Self.

~Shankara on Katha 1.2.12 (tr-Gambhirananda)

Adhyātma-yoga (the technique of meditation) – This is the only place where this word appears in this Upaniṣad and so it is very difficult to ascertain what Yama meant by it. As a matter of fact, this is the first occasion in the entire literature of the Upaniṣads we have the mention of ‘Yoga’ as a term. ‘Yoga’ the word, comes from the root ‘yuj’ to join or unite. Earliest usage of this root was in the sense to yoke horses, bulls and so on. It is later on that the word developed into a complete śāstra and today it has a meaning of exertion of disciplined activity of the body; and with reference to the mind, it means concentration or control through meditation. Śaṅkarācārya, therefore, combines both these meanings and says ‘yoga’ is deep meditation (samādhāna) with thoughts withdrawn from external objects.

...

Meditation is the process by which a purified mind, and therefore, a highly concentrated mind, is brought to contemplate exclusively upon the nature of the Ᾱtman through a total avoidance of the mind wandering into any other object of contemplation. This process of making the mind think solely through an appointed channel of thinking, to the total effective exclusion of all dissimilar thought currents eroding in to disturb and muddy the planned channel of thought, can be successful only when the meditator is weaned away from all its gross negativities.

...

Though the ordinary means and methods of getting our day-to-day objective knowledge are not available in seeking or knowing or realising Truth, there is a special method by which we can develop our powers of intuition, which are now lying dormant in us beneath the thick layers of our own fattened encrustations and by which we can experience the Ᾱtman. This technique of communion with the Self is the exact significance of the word ‘adhyātma-yoga’ here.

~Chinmayananda on adhyātma-yoga in Katha 1.2.12

Adhyaatma Yoga: There is a scientific means to realize the Self. This means is summarised by Adhigamena, which refers to the process of meditation on the Self. Since the meditation is on the Self, the Self is referred to as a Deva or ‘Deity’ being worshipped during meditation. The intellect is repeatedly brought to a focus on the inner Being. The process is well-known as just meditation, or sometimes as transcendental meditation. 

~from the Sandeepany Katha

footnote

Nisargadatta on 'Atma-yoga'

There are any number of Upanishads and yogas like hatha-yoga, Patanjali yoga, and others. But I know only atma-yoga, which is Self-knowledge and nothing else.

That is why I say my process is atma-yoga, which means Abidance in the Self. When the “non-being” state became the being state, the world, along with so many things, came into existence. As per my guru’s directive, I became one with the beingness. Beingness means having the vision that one is the entire dynamic universe. When one transcends individuality, one is the manifest beingness only. In this process the Unmanifest reveals itself.

~from Nectar of Immortality (tr-Powell)

Grokking the Katha

1.

let's talk upanishads.

this autumn, i'm grokking (aka sravana) on the mantropanisads.

these are the verse upanishads. i'm currently grokking the katha.

where nachiketa talks to yama the lord of death. 

using nikhilananda, chinmayanada, and gambhirananda for trans and comms.

2.

let's talk translators. i basically trust:

nikhilananda and gambhirananda from the ramakrishna-vivekananda school.

chinmayananda and tejomayananda from the tapovan & sivananda merger.

and their prodigal son, dayananda*

3.

let's talk dayananda*

nobody does deep diving in the sanskrit than this guru.

but there are two dayanandas:

those works published before his mahasamadhi and those after*.

those published before are sublime edits. those published after are faithful transcripts of his lectures.

(dayananda's kena and mundaka are commentarial masterpieces deserving of a 20th century shankara. but based on my experience with drg drsya viveka, i'm not intending on grokking the taitiriya and mundakya soon.)

4.

to recap. i always want gambhirananda for his translation of shankara's commentaries. period.

i always want nikhilananda for his succinct footnotes and spare lightning-like commentary. he doesn't say a lot but what he says is earth-shattering.

dayananda for the kena and mundaka. triangulating with chinmayananda for the remainder he did and my intent is using tejomayananda for the svetasvatara which he didn't.

(i should also mention the sandeepany series which are free as pdf downloads. these are always worthwhile, and often contain useful charts and tables. they also are good for their emphasis on the sanskrit.)

5.

btw the mantropanisads are isa, kena, mundaka, katha, svetasvatara, and sometimes gaudapada's karika on the mandukya counts.

Nonduality Comics 231111: A Brahman Odyssey

One. (Ron Burgundy Was Here)

a.

awareness is never not awareness.

unawareness is still awareness.

ignorance of that fact is no excuse.

b.

just because you’re just a dream doesn’t mean you’re nothing—

it just means surrender to the dreamer that is you.

c.

i started off on eckhart.

but soon i hit advaita stuff.

Two. (Advaita Stuff)

a.

i am is the genesis.

i am the light is the apocalypse.

b.

i am x is the fall.

i am not x is the resurrection.

c.

aham brahma asmi is

our gospel.

Three (The Walrus was the Carpenter)

a.

light, nuclear, atomic, we are devo.

molecular and egocentrical samsara.

b.

vegetable, animal, krishna,

atman is brahman.

c 

aham brahma asmi.

goo goo g'joob.

Four. (untitled)

a.

o pratibodha vidatam

city of brahman

lotus of my heart

b.

i am is

the genesis.

i am the light is

the apocalypse.

i am x is

the fall.

i am not x is

the resurrection.

aham brahmasmi is

my gospel.

c.

y'all my guru.

It's Brahman Time

What appears to be something is really nothing and what appears to be nothing is all there is—there is no nothing.

For Maya is the expression of Brahman through and through. Not only is love its letter, self-awareness is its word.

And as one comes to nirvana through samsara, awareness is aware of awareness through unawareness.

Such is the arc of this reflexive universe. Light is devolving into the molecular and evolving into self-realization. Aum.

Nonduality Cartoons 2023

a.

As consciousness is the reflection of awareness, living is the reflection of existence. As happiness is the reflection of ananda. 

As reflection is another word for manifestation, a happy conscious life would be the character of a true god, it would appear.

b.

As i = nirguna brahman and i am = saguna brahman, i am x = samsari.

As nirguna means no guna (either tamas, rajas, or sattva (like yin, yang, or te)), nirguna brahman is tao.

As saguna brahman means brahman with gunas like a god.

c.

As tamas is failing to see the rope clearly, and tamas is seeing a snake instead, sattva is seeing through this superimposition to the substrate of parabrahman.

As gravity is the one within the many, and inertia is the changeless in the changing, kensho is ananda in the limited.

d.

In this maya that is self-awareness, all creation is a means for deconstruction only.

Nothing is certain but existence and consciousness, death and taxes notwithstanding.

Existence says, I am. Consciousness says, I know. Holistic bliss infinity says ananda.

The Lotus of My Heart

It’s one thing to drop an old metaparadigm of materialism and pick up a new one of pure consciousness in which all material things appear, and another thing to identify that awareness as one’s self, Atman so to speak.

And it’s one thing to identify that pure consciousness as one’s invariable awareness through every thought and not in the City of Brahman, but it’s another thing to identify with that Brahman in the lotus of my heart.

The mind may be convinced Aham Brahman Asmi, but it’s up to Atman to let one know. Look, Brahman is saying ‘I am’ with every apparent breath. If you’re serious about self-awareness, don't just sit there—listen carefully.

The City of Brahman:Dayananda on Mundaka 2.2.7

Divye brahmapure vyomni hyeṣa ātmā pratiṣṭhitaḥ: this self-evident ātman abides in the space in buddhi, the city of Brahman. It does not mean that the buddhi is a location where ātman is seated. Buddhi is the place where ātman can be known, because ātman manifests there in the form of caitanya.

Buddhi is called brahma-pura, where Brahman exists, meaning, Brahman is recognised. Nowhere else one can recognise Brahman. Brahman exists in the buddhi as awareness in every thought as well as in the space of awareness that is free from thoughts...

Brahman is everywhere. How can one recognise it in a particular place? Where one recognises everything, there alone one has to recognise Brahman also. The buddhi is the place where everything else is recognised and Brahman also is recognised there.

~Dayananda on Mundaka 2.2.7

footnotes: 

1. Shankara on Brahmapure

pratisthital, seated: in the divye, luminous--illuminated by all the states of the intellect: brahmapure, in the city of Brahma-this being the place where Brahman is ever manifest in Its nature of Consciousness: so "the city of Brahman" means the lotus of the heart. 

Vyomni, in the space, that is within that heart: Brahman perceived as though seated there in that space within the lotus of the heart: for any going, coming, or staying, in any other sense, is impossible for One who is all-pervasive like space.

2. Chinmayananda on Brahmapure

Brahmapure – The term is to indicate the spot where Brahman or the total Self, resides. It is only figurative explanation in terms of the finite to indicate the palace of the Infinite. This land of the Self is described as luminous, because Consciousness is the very illuminator of all the objects and the illuminating principle in all the planes of consciousness.

This is considered to be located in the cave of the heart because it is there, among the vibrations of the intellect and the waves of thought, that a seeker can struggle to discover the pure Consciousness. Though seated in the heart, He is the very substance of all the activities of the body, the vital airs, the mind and the intellect.

From Denali to Parabrahman

i.

I is parabrahman.

I am is the conceptual reflection of pure consciousness, that I.

Omkara meditation is the invariable sea (C) immutable consciousness substrate.

If I equals C and I Am equals Wave, I Am Wave equals avidya (beginningless ignorance).

ii.

No one hikes a mountain; at some altitude the mountain hikes you.

In North America this mountain is Denali, the Big.

Tibetan for Mount Everest is Chomolungma, Mother of the World.

Nepali for Goddess of the Sky is Sagarmatha.

iii.

Neither north face nor south face, atman is deep face.

That deep unborn beginningless brahman is the substrate.

The world is just a dreamlike superimposition on the substrate of parabrahman.

Parabrahman is I.

iv.

Strawberry Pratibodha Forever—

Either identify with i or disidentify with x says i to i am.

I is the substrate but x is phenomenal. Timothy Leary's dead.

Nonduality is the Jesus. Advaita is the Brahman. Within without is the ouroboros, Paul.

Parabrahman In Excelsior

Awareness is unadulterated consciousness. Pure consciousness is parabrahman.

On the one hand, thought superimposed on satcitananda is the world of samsara.

On the other hand, disidentifying with some time-consuming stream of thought

naturally reveals the great substrate of unadulterated consciousness I really am.

For verily pratibodha viditam is parabrahman in excelsior!

footnote 1

Not to be vedantic, but it’s not a stream of consciousness; it’s a stream of conscious thought.

Beneath the stream of conscious thought is the immutable substrate of Brahman.

Thought in itself is inert because the mind is nonsentient without that reflection of unadulterated consciousness.

This reflection of pure consciousness is not as much a phenomenal reflection as it is a conceptual one: I am.

footnote 2

A wave acquires sentience from the unadulterated sea.

A wave is rising from the sea and falling back into the deep blue sea.

Like sparks returning to their bonfire, aham bonfeu asmi.

footnote 3

The Mundaka can be necessarily mundane at times but when it’s not it’s glorious. I’m using Dayananda as the main text and Chinmayananda for review. Gambhirananda is always in play because of Sankara’s bhasya. And Nikhilananda is always clear and bright.

Basically I’ve found Dayananda, Chinmayananda, Gambhirananda, and Nikhilananda speaking Nisargadatta’s language when it comes to the vastness of the upanisads. That’s paramount here. Ymmv.

Tolkien’s ents were trees without clothes, the i am without x. Again, the reflection of consciousness is more conceptual than phenomenal, more ‘I am’ than anything else.

footnote 4.

I is parabrahman.

I am is the conceptual reflection of pure consciousness (i).

Om is the invariable sea (c).

If i equals c and i am equals wave, i am wave equals avidya (beginningless ignorance).

footnote 5.

No one hikes a mountain; at some altitude the mountain hikes you.

In North America this mountain is Denali, The Big.

Tibetan for Mount Everest is Chomolungma, Mother of the World.

Nepali for Goddess of the Sky is Sagarmatha.

Neither north face nor south face, atman is deep face.

On Om

Dayananda on Om

The linguistic meaning of Om:

One looks at Om as a word with a specific linguistic derivation. In Sanskrit, one traces the derivation of a word from its root. Om is a derived word. It comes from the root ‘av, rakṣaṇe, to protect, to bless.’ Avati rakṣati iti Om, that which protects or sustains a person is Om.

To get the meaning of Om in the sense of agency, one adds a suffix ‘man’ to the root av. There is a rule in grammar which says that both the ‘a’ and ‘v’ of the root ‘av’ will be substituted by ‘ū’ when ‘man’ is added. Now we have ‘ūman’. When there is a ‘man’ suffix, ‘ū’ takes its guṇa form and becomes ‘o’-man. Now, ‘ṭi-lopa,’ dropping of the last syllable,’ takes place. Here, the ‘an’ in the ‘man’ drops off. What remains is Om, the protector.

how Om becomes a meaningful name for Brahman

In amātrā, there is no ‘a’ ‘u’ or ‘m,’ no waker, dreamer or sleeper. Amātrā, silence, is caitanya ātman, pure consciousness. When you chant ‘Om,’ caitanya ātman is manifest in the form of the whole creation; when you stop chanting, caitanya ātman is free of manifestation. The invariable is caitanya ātman, and that is the truth. The letters ‘a’ ‘u’ and ‘m’ and all that they represent are but superimpositions on ātman, which is why they can resolve in ātman. In the chant, Brahman is saguṇa with incidental attributes. When the chant ceases, Brahman is nirguṇa, free of all attributes, being its svarūpa, pure consciousness. It is how Om becomes a meaningful name for Brahman. It covers both aspects—the manifest and the unmanifest.

The meaning of Om is consciousness that is invariable in all thoughts. It is something you can straightaway see. Every thought that occurs in the mind has to be recognised as Brahman. Then the thought really loses its virulence, and your vision is only in Brahman, which is you. 

May you take the great bow of Om that is revealed in the upaniṣads and fix the arrow of mind that is sharpened by meditation. Then may you strike the target of Brahman with a mind that is committed to the meaning of Om by pulling the string of the bow.

~Mundaka 2.2.3 (tr-D.)

Oṁkāra is the bow, ātman indeed is the arrow and Brahman is said to be its target. It must be known without indifference. One should become one with that Brahman, like the arrow (with the target).

~Mundaka 2.2.4 (tr-D.)

Focus, Friend:Transcreating Mundaka 2.2.2 & 4

2. That which is self-shining, that which is most subtle, but which worlds and their inhabitants depend upon for support, that is indestructible Brahman.

That is the vital force. That is speech and mind. That is the Truth. That is immortal. That alone is the target. Focus, friend.

4. Omkara is the bow, Atman is the arrow, and Brahman is named the goal. That is to be struck by an attentive mind. And as that arrow becomes one with the target, one's Self is known to be Brahman.

Nisargadatta on Waking Sleep

Q: I know only my conditioned existence; there is nothing else. 

M: Surely, you cannot say so. In deep sleep you are not conditioned. How ready and willing you are to go to sleep, how peaceful, free and happy you are when asleep!

Q: I know nothing of it.

M: Put it negatively. When you sleep, you are not in pain, nor bound, nor restless.

Q: I see your point. While awake, I know that I am, but am not happy; in sleep I am, I am happy, but I don't know it. All I need is to know that I am free and happy.

M: Quite so. Now, go within, into a state which you may compare to a state of waking sleep, in which you are aware of yourself, but not of the world. In that state you will know, without the least trace of doubt, that at the root of your being you are free and happy. The only trouble is that you are addicted to experience and you cherish your memories. In reality it is the other way round; what is remembered is never real; the real is now.