From the Encouragement Staff

Relatively speaking, maya is neither existent nor non-existent. From the absolute point of view, there is no maya. That’s why it’s said that maya is unborn but not eternal.

There’s not much of a difference between believing in santa claus, god, or the theory of everything. It’s not about the subjects of belief but belief itself. Go ask maya.

If the brain appears in consciousness, it can never figure out the holistic bliss infinity of pure consciousness. Thus it has to believe consciousness appears in the brain. There’s too much money at risk.

Is materialist nonduality a thing? Is that what a zen slap is? Knocking the materialism out of the disciple? First things first. My zen slap was my mirror image. Tomorrow is its anniversary.

The mind is an island in the sea of consciousness. Consciousness is a reflection in the subtle body of the buddhi. The buddhi is organic and transparent maya. The source of the reflection is intelligent awareness. Tattvamasi.

Maya is much like a shadow. It’s not real but it’s certainly not nothing. And in the full light of atman it’s just not there.

Turning Towards the Visionary

Illusions aren’t nothing; they’re illusions. Dreams aren’t nothing; they’re dreams. Similarly maya isn’t nothing. It’s maya.

So seeing through maya isn’t seeing through nothing. It might not be rocket science but it’s not child’s play either.

First there’s the modern metaparadigm of scientific materialism to turn turn turn around.

As long as the material mind is one’s foundational point of view, all the tea in China doesn’t make a visionary.

The mind cannot see through maya. The mind is maya. Only intelligent awareness sees through maya.

Maya makes the impossible possible. Like darkness, maya isn’t something but neither is it nothing. And in the light, maya is gone.

Plutonium Avidya

Mutual superimposition, oh my. So first, the conceptual subtle body (this is like the organic molecular structure in Young’s reflexive universe) is superimposed on parabrahman.

The ‘transparency’ of the subtle body reflects the parabrahman. This reflection combined with prana sakti becomes the so-called jiva.

But from the jiva’s point of view, parabrahman (as the reflection of parabrahman on the subtle body) is a superimposition (on parabrahman), and the reflection of parabrahman is thought to be parabrahman.

In other words, buddhi is not only superimposed on brahman, but brahman is superimposed on buddhi, as the reflection of brahman. This mutual superimposition (anyonyadhyasa) results in the mistaken identity of I-am.

Sat, Cit and the Anti-ananda

Thank god people aren’t completely maya. First, the existential fact of being isn’t an illusion. Presence is another name for parabrahman.

And although the principle of self named atman isn’t that sense of self called aham-bhava, there is no “I am” without that absolute I.

And furthermore, the subtle body of the buddhi is reflecting intelligent awareness at all times. It’s just ordinary attention minus thought.

For the occlusion that undoubtedly makes a person a person isn’t its qualities of being, self, intelligence, and awareness (or the sat and cit of satcitananda)

but conceptually limiting infinite bliss into the space-time of samsara and individualizing the absolute whole into a mortal ego (or the anti-ananda).

Intelligent Awareness

There is a disconnect in communication between the metaparadigms of scientific materialism (consciousness appears in the material universe) and intelligent awareness (the material universe appears in consciousness).

Intelligent Awareness is pure consciousness. Also the reflection of pure consciousness on a subtle body, as silent discriminating attention, is pure consciousness too.

A keen intellect and attentive mind is a silent intellect and a silent mind. An unclouded intellect and an unclouded mind is intelligent awareness.

The reflection of satcitananda is satcitananda unless you think about it. Neti neti is nothing but intelligent awareness. The intellect identifying with intelligence is all there is to jnana yoga really.

Jnana Maya Yoga

1.

That chair is maya. That table is maya. A physicist will tell you they’re 99% pure space. In other words, they’re 1% form and 99% name. Maya makes you pound the table and feel it also. For the body-mind is 99% name as well.

The antahkarana (the inner instrument) is comprised of buddhi, manas, and ahankara (intellect, mind, ego). The ego and the mind have this symbiotic relationship born out of ignorance (avidya). Neither listens to the intellect, that reflection of pure intelligence (cit).

In jnana maya yoga, self-realization begins with intelligent self-inquiry. Self-inquiry begins with the satguru finally getting through, by means of instinct, intuition, or revelation. All are tattvamasi. Only the decibels differ.

2.

In maya, there’s three bodies (causal, subtle, gross) and five sheaths. Of the five, the subtle body consists of vijnanamaya (intelligence), manomaya (mind), and pranamaya (life force).

On the other hand, the inner instument consists of intellect, mind, and ego. It appears ego is the mind usurping the life force.

In a functional subtle body, the mind provides the data, and the intellect makes the decision. And the life force moves the body in perfect nondoing. 

Let Buddhi Be Satguru

Another name for intelligence, as in the cit (consciousness, awareness, intelligence) of satcitananda, is the satguru.

And yet another name for intelligence is pure intellect, which ostensibly is the reflection of intelligence upon the subtle body of maya.

And in neti neti, it’s that same intellect which deconstructs the edifice built by a sad, scared, lost mind so desperate for truth.

And after the edifice is deconstructed, it’s again that intellect which recognizes and identifies with that which is beyond (yet pervading) the conceptual edifice:

being-existence-presence, consciousness-awareness-intelligence, holistic infinite bliss.

Buddhi Yoga

2.48. Perform action O Dhananjaya, abandoning attachment, being steadfast in YOGA, and balanced in success and failure. Evenness of mind is called YOGA.

2.49. Far lower than the YOGA-of-wisdom is action, O Dhananjaya. Seek thou refuge in wisdom; wretched are they whose motive is the ‘fruit’.

Work done with a mind undisturbed by anxieties for the results is indeed superior to the work done by a dissipated mind, ever worrying over the results. Here the term, ‘Buddhi Yoga’ has tickled some commentators to discover in it a special Yoga as advised by the Geeta. I personally think that it is too much of a laboured theory. Buddhi – as defined in the Upanishads – is the determining factor in the ‘innerequipment ’; Nishchyatmika is ‘intellect’; Samshayatmika is ‘mind’. Thus when the thought flow is in a state of flux and agitated, it is called the ‘mind’. When it is single-pointed, calm, and serene in its own determination, it is called the ‘intellect’. Thus Buddhi Yoga means ’to be established in devotion to the intellect’. Being steady in your conviction, with your mind perfectly under the control of your discriminative intellect, to live thus as a master of your inner and outer world is called Buddhi Yoga. In Buddhi Yoga we pursue our duties without ever losing sight of our ultimate Goal in Life.

Bhagavad Gita (Holy Geeta) translation and commentary by Chinmayananda

footnotes to the penultimate note

1.

Intellect is reflection of light & intelligence is light. Pure intellect is intelligence.

Can’t clean the mirror—it's spotless. Clouds of thought aren’t on the mirror.

Light reflecting off the mirror is light. The sun reflecting in the mirror is not. It’s a cloud of thoughts.

2.

Don’t throw away the baby of the intellect with the bathwater of the mind.

On the way, you can kill the buddha but not the buddhi.

3.

A tree falls.

Earth is the sound.

The universe collapses.

The self abides.

4.

Dreams are all about self-inquiry. The science of psychology has that much right.

In eka jiva vada, don’t you know that I’m loving you.

5.

The world is a dream state. The dream state is essentially self-inquiry.

Self-inquiry is the stuff of maya. Self-awareness takes a universe.

Awareness is naturally self-aware.

6.

Self-awareness is the manifestation of awareness.

The dream state is the manifestation of self-awareness.

Self-inquiry is the manifestation of the dream state.

Eka jiva vada is the manifestation of self-inquiry.

The Penultimate Note to Self

Individual consciousness is divided consciousness. Divided consciousness is samsaric consciousness. Samsaric consciousness is hell on earth.

Here hell is like the conceptual superimposition, and earth is like the substrate of absolute consciousness.

Without thinking about it, the clear mind of intellect automatically identifies with existence, awareness, infinity.

For the clear mind is exactly that. This reflection of light is nothing but light. I am that satcitananda.