"The world which has come into existence on account of my ignorance has dissolved likewise in me.
I now directly experience the world as supreme bliss of Consciousness." - Yoga Vaistha Sara
...
I, the pure, stainless and infinite Consciousness beyond maya,
look upon this body in action like the body of another.
The mind, the intellect, the senses, etc. are all the play of Consciousness.
They are unreal and seem to exist only due to lack of insight.
Unmoved by adversity, a friend of all the world in prosperity,
without ideas of existence and non-existence,
I live free from misery.
Inactive am I, desireless, clear as the sky, free from hankering,
tranquil, formless, everlasting and unmoving.
I have now clearly understood that the five elements,
the three worlds and I myself are pure Consciousness.
I am above everything; I am present everywhere; I am like space;
I am that which (really) exists;
I am unable to say anything beyond this.
Let imaginary waves of universe rise or fall in me who am the ocean of infinite Consciousness;
there is no increase or decrease in me.
How wonderful that in me, the infinite ocean of consciousness,
waves of jivas (individual souls) rise, sport for a while and disappear according to their nature.
The world which has come into existence on account of my ignorance has dissolved likewise in me.
I now directly experience the world as supreme bliss of Consciousness.
I prostrate to myself who am within all beings,
the ever-free Self abiding as inner Consciousness.
The above verses are chapter six of the Yoga Vasistha Sara (published by Sri Ramanasramam).
In the Yoga Vasistha, Rama receives instruction from his guru, the sage Vasishta.
It is one of the ancient texts that expounds upon the teachings of Advaita in what is considered to be its 'pure form' of ajatavada (the theory of 'non-origination'), similar in essence to Madhyamika Buddhism.
The Yoga Vasishta was frequently referred to by Sri Ramana Maharshi, known also as the 'Sage of Arunachala'.
Ramana is one of the key figures at the heart of the modern 'Enlightenment teachings'.
His students, and specially his students' students have been some of the most well-known and influential spiritual teachers of the 20th and 21st centuries.
His most well-known student (to Westerners) was perhaps Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja) who was the teacher of Gangaji, Andrew Cohen, and Mooji.
A note on 'neo-Advaita':
Papaji is sometimes criticized today for having been responsible, through some of his students, or in turn through their students, for what is now known as the 'neo-Advaita' movement, considered by its critics to be an incomplete understanding of Liberation because of its sometimes categorical denial of any kind of 'process' or 'method'.
Although Ramana was known to share this same perspective of 'pure non-duality' with some of those who came to him for guidance, it seems that his sensitivity to people's 'ripeness' led him to teach according to their specific needs.
This is the subtle difference between his teaching and that which can be found popularly today as 'neo-Advaita' - the selective generalization of elements of his teaching.
For a fuller, non-dogmatic, understanding of Advaita, it can be very revealing to look at the works of one of his closest students and life-long devotees - the south-Indian Tantric yogi Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni, who at the beginning of the 20th century was inspired to give Ramana the very title and name by which he came to be known: 'Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi'.
Ganapati Muni's biography, 'Maha Tapasvi - Life Story of Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni' is very revealing for those who want to get a deeper understanding of Indian spiritual culture in general, and specially those who are willing to use their spiritual study not just for accumulating knowledge, but for challenging their views and to help them let go of familiar and easy conceptions.
Despite the complexities and apparent contradictions, the Indian spiritual culture, when fully assimilated by a poet-activist-scholar-devotee such as Ganapati Muni is seen to be sophisticated and yet not dogmatic... Gracefully vibrant, alive and - although rooted in eternal presence - also in constant evolution.
Through this figure - who was arguably, the closest disciple of Ramana Maharshi - traditional Tantra and Advaita ('non-duality'), and the paths of knowledge (jnana) and devotion (bhakti), as well as the path of conscious and devoted action (karma yoga) are seamlessly reconciled, woven together in a tapestry of divine love.
More at:
www.knowtantra.blogspot.com
I now directly experience the world as supreme bliss of Consciousness." - Yoga Vaistha Sara
...
I, the pure, stainless and infinite Consciousness beyond maya,
look upon this body in action like the body of another.
The mind, the intellect, the senses, etc. are all the play of Consciousness.
They are unreal and seem to exist only due to lack of insight.
Unmoved by adversity, a friend of all the world in prosperity,
without ideas of existence and non-existence,
I live free from misery.
Inactive am I, desireless, clear as the sky, free from hankering,
tranquil, formless, everlasting and unmoving.
I have now clearly understood that the five elements,
the three worlds and I myself are pure Consciousness.
I am above everything; I am present everywhere; I am like space;
I am that which (really) exists;
I am unable to say anything beyond this.
Let imaginary waves of universe rise or fall in me who am the ocean of infinite Consciousness;
there is no increase or decrease in me.
How wonderful that in me, the infinite ocean of consciousness,
waves of jivas (individual souls) rise, sport for a while and disappear according to their nature.
The world which has come into existence on account of my ignorance has dissolved likewise in me.
I now directly experience the world as supreme bliss of Consciousness.
I prostrate to myself who am within all beings,
the ever-free Self abiding as inner Consciousness.
The above verses are chapter six of the Yoga Vasistha Sara (published by Sri Ramanasramam).
In the Yoga Vasistha, Rama receives instruction from his guru, the sage Vasishta.
It is one of the ancient texts that expounds upon the teachings of Advaita in what is considered to be its 'pure form' of ajatavada (the theory of 'non-origination'), similar in essence to Madhyamika Buddhism.
The Yoga Vasishta was frequently referred to by Sri Ramana Maharshi, known also as the 'Sage of Arunachala'.
Ramana is one of the key figures at the heart of the modern 'Enlightenment teachings'.
His students, and specially his students' students have been some of the most well-known and influential spiritual teachers of the 20th and 21st centuries.
His most well-known student (to Westerners) was perhaps Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja) who was the teacher of Gangaji, Andrew Cohen, and Mooji.
A note on 'neo-Advaita':
Papaji is sometimes criticized today for having been responsible, through some of his students, or in turn through their students, for what is now known as the 'neo-Advaita' movement, considered by its critics to be an incomplete understanding of Liberation because of its sometimes categorical denial of any kind of 'process' or 'method'.
Although Ramana was known to share this same perspective of 'pure non-duality' with some of those who came to him for guidance, it seems that his sensitivity to people's 'ripeness' led him to teach according to their specific needs.
This is the subtle difference between his teaching and that which can be found popularly today as 'neo-Advaita' - the selective generalization of elements of his teaching.
For a fuller, non-dogmatic, understanding of Advaita, it can be very revealing to look at the works of one of his closest students and life-long devotees - the south-Indian Tantric yogi Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni, who at the beginning of the 20th century was inspired to give Ramana the very title and name by which he came to be known: 'Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi'.
Ganapati Muni's biography, 'Maha Tapasvi - Life Story of Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni' is very revealing for those who want to get a deeper understanding of Indian spiritual culture in general, and specially those who are willing to use their spiritual study not just for accumulating knowledge, but for challenging their views and to help them let go of familiar and easy conceptions.
Despite the complexities and apparent contradictions, the Indian spiritual culture, when fully assimilated by a poet-activist-scholar-devotee such as Ganapati Muni is seen to be sophisticated and yet not dogmatic... Gracefully vibrant, alive and - although rooted in eternal presence - also in constant evolution.
Through this figure - who was arguably, the closest disciple of Ramana Maharshi - traditional Tantra and Advaita ('non-duality'), and the paths of knowledge (jnana) and devotion (bhakti), as well as the path of conscious and devoted action (karma yoga) are seamlessly reconciled, woven together in a tapestry of divine love.
More at:
www.knowtantra.blogspot.com
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