Ashtavakra Says. Part Two. Illusion.

Ashtavakra says the one regarding oneself to be free is free and the one regarding oneself to be bound is bound. Like the saying goes, as one thinks so one becomes.

The Self is witnessing, pervasive, impeccable, nondual, free, still, unattached, dispassionate, silent, Pure Consciousness. That it appears to be of this world is just an illusion.

Contemplate immutable consciousness as the nondual Self while one is letting go the changeable illusion, both external and internal, of a reflected self.

~Ashtavakra Says, Part Two. (my free transcreation of Ashtavakra Gita 11-13 in one paraverse using the translations of Chinmayananda and Nityaswarupananda)

Ashtavakra Says. Part One. Be Happy.

1. Pure Consciousness (Awareness)

Ashtavakra says. First, avoid objects of the senses like poison. And seek forgiveness, compassion, honesty, joy, and truth like honied remedies. (And that’s all he would say on such matters.)

Look, you are neither earth, water, fire, air, nor even space. Know your Self as the witness of this universe, as Awareness itself.

Detach yourself from this body-mind and rest in that Awareness. Be happy, peaceful, and free.

2. One Seer

You belong to no class and no church. You are imperceptible by the senses. You are unattached, formless, and witness of all. Be happy, says Ashtavakra.

Good and bad, pleasure and pain, these belong to the mind and not you. You are neither doer nor enjoyer but forever free.

Yes, you are the one seer of all and you are absolutely free. That you do not see yourself as seer but as something seen is your only bondage.

3. Like a Snake

You've been bitten by the great black serpent of the ego hissing “I am the doer.” “I am not the doer;” drink this nectar faithfully. Further Ashtavakra says.

"I am the One Pure Consciousness." Burn down the forest of ignorance with that fire of conviction. Let go your grief and be happy.

You are that upon which this universe appears superimposed like a snake upon a rope, that bliss, that holistic bliss infinity, that Consciousness, happily existing.

~Ashtavakra Says, Part One. (my free transcreation of Ashtavakra Gita 2-10 in three paraverses using the translations of Chinmayananda and Nityaswarupananda)

~The Direct Path of Ashtavakra~

You are neither earth, water, fire, air, nor even space. 

Know your Self as the witness of this universe, as Awareness itself.

Detach yourself from this body-mind and rest in that Awareness. 

Be happy, peaceful, and free. 

~Ashtavakra (my trx)

~Ashtavakra on Avidya~

You belong to no class and no church. You are imperceptible. In fact, you are the formless witness of all. Be happy.

Good and bad belong to the mind and not you. You are neither the doer nor end-user but completely karma free.

You are one seer absolutely free. Seeing yourself as something seen is the definition of ignorance.

~untitled~

I am not the doer.

I am One Consciousness

Holistic Bliss Infinity

Happily Existing.

I Minus Maya

1. I Minus Maya

Birth is an appearance in the unborn.

The mind appears in consciousness. Consciousness is the witness of the mind.

Consciousness is the witness of the no mind of deep sleep as well.

I am not the mind. I am not no mind either. I am pure consciousness.

I am pure consciousness-existence. All life appears in ‘me’ and not vice versa.

I am Satcitananda, holistic and infinite Godhead in which all the gods appear.

2. Commentary

Birth is an appearance in the unborn, Aja, absolute existence. Ajatavada is the uncompromising stand of Gaudapada, old school Advaitin, native of Reality, guru of the guru of Shankara.

Consciousness is not to be confused with the reflection of consciousness. Pure consciousness is the witness of the mind. The reflection of consciousness is the witness of its thoughts. In samsara, moonlight lights the world. Sunlight lights the moon.

The mind turns on and off.

When mind is on and body is on is the waking state.

When mind is on and body is off is the dreaming state.

When both mind and body are off is the deep sleep state.

Ignorance is on in all three states.

But consciousness is never off.

I am neither theistic nor nihilistic.

They're just two sides of the same coin.

I am the nondual space in which this coin is flipping.

Not only does all life appear in me quote unquote, but its fire of sentience is my fire. Otherwise it's solid Maya through and through.

I am nonduality. My nine names are being, existence, presence, awareness, consciousness, intelligence, holistic, bliss, infinity. I have ninety-nine more. 

Ten thousand gods are appearing in me. It is estimated that eight billion people appear in them. And countless dreams.

Alice in Maya's Restaurant

1.

Maya can't be analyzed. 

First, it isn't real.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

2.

Second, once a second is introduced, 

it's Pi all over again. 

Duality is at its heart an irrational number.

3.

Third, as long as one identifies with an individual consciousness (and the odds of one in a million is like being a billionaire in the material world),

there will be a Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer — you gotta serve somebody. 

But belief is not self-realization. Figure it out.

4.

Sorry, there are no tables.

There are thought-forms named tables.

These thought-forms are 99% space. We eat on the 1%.

We Three Seekers in Maya Are

The reflection of pure consciousness in the mind is still consciousness and not some different animal. Like moonlight is sunlight reflected off the moon.

Nondual Satcitananda passes through the prism of the mind becoming existence, consciousness, and bliss from the point of view of divided consciousness.

Thus individual consciousness may seek pure consciousness by basking in the reflected light of knowing. This is basically Advaita.

As an individual existence may seek pure existence by resting in the reflected light of I Am. This is basically Nisargayoga.

As love seeks holistic bliss infinity.

Dancing Satcitananda

1. Three Views on the Verb to Do

Nondoing is the dance of Brahman veiled in Maya.

Doing and not doing are the spasms of individual avidya.

Nirguna Brahman is beyond all qualities of doing.

2. Zen and the Art of Satcitananda

The principle of existence is beyond all qualities of being—like doing, not doing, or nondoing.

Similarly, the principle of consciousness is beyond all qualities of knowing—like ignorance, knowledge, or intuition.

Last but not least, the principle of bliss is beyond all qualities of holistic infinity—like love, hate, or devotion.

3. The Maya Mountains

Nondoing, Intuition, and Devotion are the Peaks of Maya.

Nondoing is Mount Existence and Intuition is Consciousness Mountain.

Devotion is Mount Saint Holistic Bliss Infinity.

The Land of Prehistoric Maya

The reflection of undivided existence-consciousness-bliss is I am, I know, I love. This is the primordial wisdom of Maya before its dawning goes down to the days of passionate action and dark, dull, inertia.

Such is the impossible dream of this samsaric hell in which I am an individual consciousness divided from the omnipotence of the universal, I know only my little corner of the world, and I love some things and fear the rest.

Return with me this night to the land of prehistoric Maya, that subtle reflection of satcitananda in godlike skies, and it’s thunder of tantra, jnana, and bhakta: I am, I know, I love!

a. Three Views on the Verb to Do

Nondoing is the dance of Brahman veiled in Maya.

Doing and not doing are the spasms of individual avidya.

Nirguna Brahman is beyond all qualities of doing.

b. Zen and the Art of Satcitananda

The principle of existence is beyond all qualities of being—like doing, not doing, or nondoing.

Similarly, the principle of consciousness is beyond all qualities of knowing—like ignorance, knowledge, or intuition.

Last but not least, the principle of bliss is beyond all qualities of holistic infinity—like love, hate, or devotion.

c. The Maya Mountains

Nondoing, Intuition, and Devotion are the Peaks of Maya.

Nondoing is Mount Existence; Intuition is Consciousness Mountain;

Devotion is Mount Saint Holistic Bliss Infinity.

 

1. Direct Path

Devotion is the art of bliss.

Devotion to existence and consciousness is Satcitananda.

Devotion to satcitananda is Direct Path.

Vedantasara's Apocalypse Now

Vedantasara basically says: after the qualified aspirant, by the practice of de-superimposition, sees through the I & That in Tattvamasi and suddenly understands its equation to be I minus Avidya Am That minus Maya (I-a=T-m),

a state of Absolute Unity arises in the mind resulting in its truly getting Aham Brahmasmi: “I am eternal, pure, self-illumined, free, real, supremely blissful, infinite, and one without a second.”

This getting of Aham Brahmasmi illumined by the reflection of consciousness conceives this thought-form of Parabrahman thereby destroying Original Ignorance.

And the matrix is burnt when the threads composing the matrix are burnt, even that thought-form itself. Furthermore, as the moon cannot illumine the sun but is overpowered by it, the reflection of consciousness in the mind is also destroyed.

Following this Great Apocalypse, there remains only Parabrahman, identical with Paramatman, as the image of a face in a mirror is resolved as Original Face when the mirror is removed.

~Nonduality Comics 240703wd (to grok or not to grok) footnotes

a. Electric Tattvamasi

Atheism is Bizarro-like religion. Its belief is not believing in God.

Nonduality sees through God. And Ego.

E=mc² is tired. I-a=T-m is wired.

b. Happy Aham

To grok or not to grok—

I am really spaceless and timeless, unfettered and unadulterated, infinite and nondual.

Merry Brahmasmi!

c. Screen Versus Movie

Watch as King Kong Mahavakya

destroys Godzilla of Original Ignorance

in Technicolor.

d Matrix 10000

The matrix is disassembled

as the objects of the matrix

are deconstructed.

e. Faces

As the mirror of mind is removed

the reflection of a face

is original face.

Realization According to Vedantasara

170.

Now is being described the meaning of the sentence, “I am Brahman” (Bṛ. Up. 1. 4. 10), expressive of intuitive experience.

171.

When the teacher in this way clears the meaning of the words “That” and “Thou” by the removal of superimpositions,

and makes the qualified student grasp the import of the sentence, “Thou art That”, which is Absolute Unity,

there arises in his mind a state of Absolute Oneness in which he feels that he is Brahman,

by nature eternal, pure, self-illumined, free, real, supremely blissful, infinite, and one without a second.

172.

That mental state, illumined by the reflection of Pure Consciousness, objectifies the Supreme Brahman,

unknown but identical with the individual self and destroys the ignorance pertaining to Brahman.

Then, just as a cloth is burnt when the threads composing it are burnt, so all the effects of ignorance are destroyed when their cause, viz. ignorance, is destroyed.

Hence the mental state of Absolute Oneness, which forms part of those effects, is also destroyed.

173.

As the light of a lamp cannot illumine the lustre of the sun but is overpowered by it,

so Consciousness reflected in that state of the mind is unable to illumine the Supreme Brahman, self-effulgent and identical with the individual self, and is overpowered by it.

And on the destruction of this state of Absolute Oneness with which that Consciousness is associated there remains only the Supreme Brahman,

identical with the individual self, just as the image of a face in a looking-glass is resolved into the face itself when the looking-glass is removed.

174. 

Such being the case, there is no contradiction between the following Śruti passages: “By the mind alone It is to be perceived” (Bṛ. Up. 4. 4. 19), and “That which cannot be thought of by the mind” (Kena Up. 1. 5). We are to suppose that the unknown Brahman is brought into contact with only the mental state, but not with the underlying Consciousness. 

1 Mental state—Which simply destroys the aspirant’s ignorance concerning Brahman, but does not help to reveal It. 

2 Underlying etc.—Brahman is self-luminous. It does not require the help of another Consciousness to reveal Itself.

~Sadananda (tr-Nikhilananda)

Reflections of Satcitananda

Things don’t exist. Things appear in pure existence. (Non-existence is only a thought appearing in Existence.)

This body is reflecting pure existence. This mind is reflecting pure consciousness.

And the deep sleep of original ignorance is reflecting holistic bliss infinity.

a. And Ayam Atma Brahma

The concept of Maya is a genius one. Not only does it allow for the God of Samsara, it ascertains atheism is completely illogical— 

as long as you practice individual consciousness, you should observe a universal one as well.

Further in audacious deconstruction, Saguna Brahman (God) minus the universe of collective Maya equals the absolute ground of Nirguna Brahman.

Furthermore, individual consciousness minus personal ignorance equals the absolute self of Atman. And Ayam Atma Brahma, people.

b. Absolute Truth

Uselessness is for apprentices instructs the Taoist sage—it’s the usage of such uselessness that makes the master.

The deep sleep of ignorance is the spacetime in which the dreamstate of the mind is appearing.

Within this reflexive universe, the molecular stage contains the turning point in which organic chemicals materialize.

Last night, from out of ten thousand dreams, this one is appearing as the world today. You are in it and I am in it with you.

Forget the special theory of relativity. This is the open truth of the absolute: (I – Avidya) = (God – Maya)

c. Hymn 101

From Emerson, Whitman, and Walden Pond to Black Elk.

From Toltec to Tolle from Maharaj to Vedantasara.

Who are you? Who am I? From me to you, I am That.

d. Hymn 102

I've never been to Tucson but I've been to Tucumcari.

The moon is reflected consciousness, et tu?

Some say enlightenment is like a new moon.

e. overture to 240629st

The deep sleep of original ignorance is reflecting holistic bliss infinity.

If you practice individual consciousness, observe a universal one as well.

This is the open truth of the absolute: (I – Avidya) = (God – Maya).

From Toltec to Tolle from Maharaj to Vedantasara,

some say enlightenment is like a new moon.