Ramji,
Thank you, as always, for your time and consideration. Soon after I wrote my last email the doubts around revelation and the history of Vedanta began fading. I realize each time doubts arise they have to do with attachments to the body/mind, the jiva, and the apparent world. When I continually negate these attachments the experiential weight of them diminishes. As you said, “logic of the teaching produces knowledge, which removes the effects of ignorance and produces growth.” Stories, legends, personalities within Vedanta, or any tradition, are unimportant in light of the teachings, their veracity, and their applicability to one’s life. I came to Vedanta after discovering the idea of nonduality in some versions of Buddhism, neo-advaita, and in modern science and philosophy (e.g., psychology, neuroscience, phenomenology, physics) that are also showing how the ego-self or personality is a constructed fiction and how reality and consciousness are indeed nondual. I had discovered a budding logical and empirical case for nonduality before I encountered Vedanta. Vedanta provided a comprehensive logic, an historical tradition of scholars and teachers, and a sound empirical approach for effectively removing ignorance. Vedanta continues to prove to be a complete teaching that addresses the true nature of the person, the world, and Being. It also provides instructions for how to live dharmically and cultivate a sattvic mind so the teachings may be properly understood and life lived more harmoniously and peacefully. I am truly and eternally grateful for it.
Yes, I am beginning to understand how Vedanta destroys its own methodology. As Edwin Faust said in his commentary on the Vivekachudamani: “How can the knowledge of non-duality be realized by separating everything into two categories? We are faced with the proposition that the Self is one and the Self is all there is. But we are also told the Self can appear as the not-Self, the five “sheaths.” Vedanta is a means of knowledge that resolves this apparent contradiction. It is a process by which the Self uncovers its own true nature, which appears to be covered by the not-Self. The appearance of the not-Self occurs when awareness looks at itself from the standpoint of an individual body-mind. When awareness sees itself in its purity, it is one…The aim of Vedanta is to shift our attention from apparent objects to the awareness on which they are superimposed. Ultimately we realize that even the superimpositions, which we have been negating in the course of our analysis, are also awareness. These superimpositions are only thoughts that come and go, and thoughts are nothing but awareness.”
I am always the ever shining Self. No experience connects me to the Self nor transforms me into the Self. Vedanta removes ignorance and makes this truth evident: I am and always have been limitless, nondual, pure awareness. The apparent world, this jiva, and all the other jivas are all awareness. Tat tvam asi. All is one. Issues of revelation, rishis, scripture, religions, philosophies, tradition, etc., ultimately, are irrelevant once this knowledge is established. As are the experiences and knowledge of “Charles.” Freedom from Charles is an effect of the removal of ignorance and the firm grounding in this knowledge and I’m grateful for it.
Thank you for commentary. As it was, I read it on the shiningworld.com satsangs section before you sent it to me. I’ve since reread it several times and I look forward to the completed text. Is it out yet? Some thoughts in response to your commentary as I read it:
- Yes! I see this misunderstanding about Ramana all the time (that is, liberation is an experience achieved after certain practices). I’ve read “Be As You Are” edited by David Godman through the lens of what I understand about Vedanta–and Ramana very clearly teaches that we are already the Self and it is not something to be gained or transformed into. The “heart” is not a literal place. Keeping the mind on the “Self-thought” means Standing as Awareness and shifting attention to Being itself.
- The whole, complete, pure, perfect “you” is not your ego-self/body-mind but you as your true nature, Pure Awareness.
- Vedanta is thinking based on Seeing What Is not on repeating thoughts, ideas, or mantras.
- Existence-experience is not special, it is a universal experience shared by experiencing entities. We are a universal person.
- The “I-sense” does not belong to the Self. The Self is nondual and sentience has nothing to do with it. From self-shining, nondual awareness the I-sense apparently emerges.
- Giving up ideas is the most difficult thing of all in actualizing liberation.
- “Existence shining as consciousness is real and the world of objects is apparently real.” Viveka, discrimination, summed up nicely.
Update on my progress: Life continues to become sweeter and suffering less as I integrate the knowledge and apply karmic and dharmic living. I notice attachments and vasanas dissolving more quickly. I notice fears and desires having less of a hold on my jiva’s experiencing. I notice a growing sense of confidence, ease, and contentment.
With gratitude,
Charles
