Dear Sundari
I am new to Vedanta and Shiningworld, and am finding what you and James write about with regards to understanding the mind very helpful. From what I understand so far in my inquiry into Vedanta is that it is on another whole level in comparison to standard psychology.
Sundari: The nondual teachings of Vedanta are not really on another level as they take you beyond all levels, to the non-dual perspective of the Self. They cannot be compared with any psychological approach, standard or progressive, because only with Self-knowledge can you step out of duality, or ‘the system’, and understand how the mind and the field it transacts in, from ‘outside’ all levels.
Most psychologists would probably dismiss Vedanta viewing it as quasi-religious because it emphasizes the importance of God. But this is precisely why psychology will never truly address the real issue at the core of everyone’s difficulties – the identification with the doer. There is no way to negate the problematic doer without understanding the true nature of God, and the person, and their common identity as the nondual Self or Consciousness.
The purpose of the means of knowledge Vedanta provides is to negate duality – revealing that the person and the world are only apparently, no actually, real. Meaning they are that which is always changing and not always present. But to do that, you must understand objectively what the person and the world are, not just from a scientific, psychological or spiritual viewpoint, which are all in duality. From the viewpoint of the one factor that can never be negated, is always present, and is not ‘in’ duality: Consciousness. Taking Consciousness to be your true identity may sound simple, but negating the hypnosis of duality is the hard part.
Sue: Though I have found therapy helpful in some ways, it did not help me to find what I was looking for, or even approach knowing what that actually is.
Sundari: What everyone is searching for, whether they know it or not, is what they already have: the Self/Consciousness, that which is unborn and cannot die. The problem is that the hypnosis of duality (Maya) deludes the mind into thinking this can be obtained in some way or other. But you cannot gain what you already have. You only have ignorance of who you truly are, which is what is in the way of Self-knowledge, removed. For that, you need a means of knowledge capable of explaining and truly objectifying the mind, which therapy, religion and science, cannot do.
Vedanta recommends therapy as a means to address the person’s major psychological baggage. But the best case scenario is that this only takes you to the door of self-inquiry, no further. Therapy helps to develop the qualifications required for self-inquiry, (which are well explained and unfolded in many of the texts and writing on our website) but it is in no way equal to self-inquiry. Make sure you understand the methodology of Vedanta – it is a progressive teaching for very good reason.
If you get to that doorway of self-inquiry and are lucky enough to have found Vedanta and a qualified teacher, chances are you have developed one of the major qualifications required for self-inquiry to produce Self-knowledge: the understanding that there are no real solutions in the world, that there is nothing to gain in life, that it is a zero sum. While that may sound rather bleak, it is far from it. It is the clarion call that you are ready to step out of the world, and to objectify your mind with its typical thinking/emotional /feeling patterns.
Sue: Thank you for that, I am trying to digest and understand what is required of me to sign on the program, so to speak. I think I understand the difference between emotions and feelings having been subjected to much therapy. But could you explain it to me, from the Vedanta perspective:
Sundari: A quick AI search would give you this answer: Emotions are the immediate, usually unconscious, instinctual, and often physical reactions to a trigger. Feelings are usually conscious mental and physical sensations that arise as you process and give meaning to those emotions, and are shaped by personal experiences and thoughts. In other words, your subjective experience and interpretation of emotions.
This is a good explanation. To unpack this from the Vedanta perspective:
Emotions are sub-cognitive thinking/feeling patterns, called vasanas or samskaras, which are running in the background and giving rise to how you respond to your life experiences. Meaning, how you ‘feel’ about what is happening to you or in you, and how you respond to what life presents to you. You may or may not be in touch with or able to manage your feelings, depending how mature the mind is.
Emotions and feelings are inextricably linked. To know what needs to be addressed in the unconscious, one simply has to be objective about how you feel about anything, particularly when the mind is triggered. This can be in negative or positive ways. What gets to you and what makes you happy? This is a basic way to understand your personality and your conditioning.
This is why psychologists always ask ‘how does that make you feel?” While they are on the right track, they cannot give you what you really need beyond being able to identify your triggers. While the first step to healing is to understand how and why your mind works the way it does, that will only help you as a person to live a reasonably more sane life. It will not free you of the limitation of identification with the mind/doer, which is the real problem.
Known or unknown, the pain everyone experiences is the limitation of thinking you are a person, and you need something from life to make you whole or happy. As stated, for freedom from limitation, you need to develop the qualifications for Self-knowledge to obtain, to truly understand and objectify the mind, what conditions it and why.
There is much guidance on our website for how to proceed with self-inquiry, the importance of understanding the terminology and all the foundational teachings. Vedanta is extremely subtle, and you need to be properly taught as you cannot read your way to freedom from limitation. You need guidance to stay on track, and we are very happy to help you on your journey
Much love
Sundari
ShiningWorld.com
