Diana: Thank you so much for your latest satsang on Surrender to Isvara. It is so interesting to see how you are refining the words to make the meaning as exact as possible for whoever reads it. You have been writing satsangs for many years now so it must be coming more and more clear to you how people understand/misinterpret the knowledge, and therefore how to both make the knowledge complete and minimize any possibility of misinterpretation. Vedanta is an exact science (the original meaning of the Latin word science being knowledge) and I think that most minds that are not trained to think that way struggle with some of the logic even though they know who they are. I am more and more mind blown by how perfect and complete a teaching Vedanta is, covering every base and gently leading the seeker towards themselves. So brilliant!!!
It is such a joy to start putting thoughts into words, but I realize how hard it is. Words are very tricky things and using them correctly so as not to distort the meaning of the scripture or cause confusion is extremely subtle. And such a responsibility too. I am really fascinated by the process. Especially of what is entailed in being a good Vedanta teacher. What I find particularly interesting regarding teaching Vedanta is the use of English equivalents for the important Sanskrit terms. James really has pioneered the way forward for this. I have been tempted to study Sanskrit, and though I love the terms, I see how it can be an impediment for Western minds.
I will write some more.
Sundari: I love that you are putting the knowledge into words so gracefully, these exchanges between us are proving very helpful to many. You make a good teacher. Funny, I just had another person write about this, a Sanskrit scholar, inquiring about teaching. More on this below. Yes, Vedanta is an exact science, it is an oral tradition giving direct knowledge of the true and eternal nature of reality, (that it is a non-duality and not a duality) employing irrefutable logic. It is not easy to communicate because the subject (Self) is subtler than the object (mind/intellect), and because of the inherent flaws and fallibility of words: all words have implied and ostensible meanings.
In addition, everyone hears things through the filters of their vasanas, or biases, i.e., hearing is subjective. Therefore, to teach the truth that is not based on subjective experience, words must be as accurate as possible, presented as simply and carefully as possible. Sanskrit evolved for this purpose; it is one of the languages least open to interpretation. But all the same, all words are mithya, so of course subject to interpretation, which is why to qualify as a competent Vedanta teacher requires not only the svadharma for it but a lot of learning and skill.
We can tell very easily at what level of assimilation an inquirer is by their use of words, and this is where it takes skill to teach. Not only must the teacher identify the student’s level of understanding or lack of it but what their actual doubt is. Very often the inquirer does not know. It takes some time for the inquirer to know what questions to ask, and it’s the teachers’ job to lead them there, at their own pace. For this reason, it is very important in responding to an inquirer that the teacher does not assume the student knows what they know. All the definition of the terms, the meaning of the words and connection between ideas must be faithfully explained, over and over, if necessary.
It took me a while to learn this because I learn very fast, not always a good thing. If some of the steps are missed because an inquirer does not assimilate them or jumps ahead too fast, they will get stuck. A good teacher knows when to give an inquirer a shove or put the brakes on. Very often, the inquirer thinks they know more than they do, or, ecstatic that they have realized they are the Self, have not understood that Self-realization is where the ‘work’ of self-inquiry begins. The shift from indirect to permanent direct Self-knowledge is very subtle and never easy because of the nature of ignorance. Negating the jiva involves considering some pretty brutal truths about its program, as unreal as it may be, and of course, the application of the teachings to the life of the jiva. Intellectual knowledge is not enough.
Some inquirers are in a hurry to ‘get there’ because they think that ‘enlightenment is an object to obtain. Spiritual egos are always a problem, as is ES, enlightenment sickness, as you know. Most people go through some stage of ES, it is pretty normal. It only becomes a problem if you don’t know you have it, and it lingers. Thus teaching is a tricky balance; the teacher must tread carefully so as not to offend the ego. While of course the ego is the problem and ultimately must be ‘busted’, it is not the teacher’s job to do this directly. This is Isvara’s ‘inside’ job.
So, the teacher presents themselves as a benign and trustworthy friend, a humble back door servant. The teacher is the devotee of the devotee. In my case, I really had to learn this because my tendency is to go straight for the front door! But this is counterproductive because if the ego gets offended, the mind shuts down and gets defensive. I had this recently with an inquirer who is James’ student and started writing to me. He got offended because I was too direct in informing him that Self-knowledge is not fully assimilated, it flits between direct and indirect, which is normal, all inquirers go through this stage. Where he was at, knowing this did not help him, and the teacher’s job is always to help not hinder.
Another inquirer recently, an intellectual with a lot of his own ideas, got really angry with me and complained to James because he got offended that I told him in no uncertain terms that Vedanta is not up for debate. I was too direct again, and that can appear arrogant when it is not. This is where I have had to learn subtlety, to put myself in the shoes of the inquirer and hear what is being said from their position. It has been hard for me. But a good Vedanta teacher knows how to guide an inquirer to where they need to go, no matter where they are coming from, and does not get thrown off balance no matter what gets thrown at them. It is not always easy. Though the teacher is Isvara, they are in service to Isvara. It is never the teacher that removes ignorance but Self-knowledge itself.
So, regarding the use of words in communicating Vedanta, where the ostensible meaning does not work, we must take the implied meaning, by removing all the non-essential variables to get to what is non-negatable. Luckily for us, because Vedanta is a valid, complete, and independent means of knowledge for Awareness, it is possible to get direct knowledge through the implied meaning of words when they are unfolded correctly by a qualified teacher. Some people insist that Sanskrit is essential for moksa but no text claims that it is a qualification for liberation, even though the source texts are in Sanskrit. The important point is that the words are wielded by a competent teacher and convey accurate Self-knowledge capable of removing ignorance. English has good equivalents for most of the Sanskrit terms, with a few exceptions, one is the gunas. In this case, we always give the English term in parenthesis.
The words Existence, Consciousness, or Bliss are as good as satchitananda, Atman, Brahman, or any of the many Sanskrit words that have the same meaning. What matters is that they are contextualized by the complete teaching i.e., if their meaning is exhaustively unfolded and available for personal verification. A big point in so far as nobody needs a means of knowledge to know that they exist or that they are conscious. They need to know what that actually means. What is essential is that limitless Consciousness is identified as the Self, your true identity, no matter what you call it. While it is certainly helpful if you know Sanskrit, there are many Sanskrit scholars who are not liberated because they have no desire for liberation and/or they don’t have a qualified teacher if they do. The fact is you can’t read your way to freedom because the very fact that you are independently investigating the Self means that you are ignorant that you are it.
So, without proper teaching you will interpret the words according to your own experience, which is not a valid means of Self-knowledge in so far as the Self is beyond perception and inference, the only means available to you. You need to be properly taught by someone who has been properly taught by a qualified teacher, a Mahatma. There are two types of qualified and genuine Vedanta teachers. A brahmanistha is someone who has completed the nididyasana phase, in other words, someone who has no sense of doership and who knows how to wield the means of knowledge (Vedanta pramana) perfectly, such as Ramji, Dayananda, Chinmayananda, Paramarthananda, to name a few greats. These are true Mahatmas, and very rare.
A srotriya is someone whose Self-knowledge is direct and firm, they have no doubt about their identity, have been properly taught by a Mahatma, have the svadharma to teach, and can wield the teachings correctly and effectively to remove ignorance. They have mastered the whole methodology of the teaching, which is all about creating a logical experience-based context in which the words can work their magic. But they are still in the nididhysana phase. There is still the last residue of ignorance to purify, as slight as it may be, though this does not affect the inquirer if the teachings are wielded correctly. This is where you and I are at and, we have had the great good fortune to be taught by Ramji. In my case, I am also still learning how to wield the teachings in a non-confrontational, gentle way. Clarity is important, but so is humility.
Some people get frustrated that they cannot easily communicate the teachings, even though they may not have the svadharma to be a teacher. They just want to share them, but it’s not easy. A person in the hearing phase of inquiry (srvanna) can’t teach because they don’t know the proper definition of the words, nor can a person in the reflecting (manana) phase teach because they still have a doubt about their identity as Existence/Consciousness. And a person in the nididyasana phase can’t teach either unless they can wield the teaching in such a way that it removes ignorance, very important! Some inquirers tell us that they want to ‘learn’ or teach Vedanta by immersing themselves in Vedanta, to ‘study’ it. This is usually a sign that they have misunderstood the meaning of Vedanta as a means of knowledge, a pramana. You cannot study Vedanta because it is who you are. It is the map, but the map is you. What matters is that you can read the map and realize this. Once you have, you no longer need the map.
However, liberation, the assimilation that I am the Self/limitless/complete/Bliss/Existence, does not usually accompany the knowledge of my Self because the body/mind/sense complex is invariably associated with Self-knowledge. There is still a transactional jiva in the mix. Therefore, Self-actualizing is so difficult: it is really hard to render the jiva as good as non-existent. Once the Self-knowledge is direct and the meaning of the words of Vedanta assimilated, the means of knowledge has done its job. It’s a throw-away. Intellectuals with rajasic intellects often get fascinated by Vedanta and don’t “gain” moksa because they are loath to let go of the means, which, as Ramji likes to say, is more or less equivalent to discarding the coke and drinking the bottle.
So, the nididhysana phase, also called Self-actualization, is all about scrubbing away teaching remnants, leaving the person as a (more or less) faithful reflection of who they really are. Even if you can teach well, you still need the guidance of a Mahatma until this stage is complete. As I said in my previous emails to you, for everyone who has reached this last stage of inquiry, here on in is unchartered territory. The last thing to go is the desire for moksa and the attachment to the means. What do you need moksa or the means for if you are moksa and you are the means? So, karma yoga continues because the remaining ignorance can only be removed by Isvara, and this can involve some ups and downs! But when there is total surrender to Isvara, Isvara levels all the hard parts and makes them plain. Nothing moves anymore. Magic carpet ride!
As you can tell, I once again added a lot that you already know as this is very helpful for others who read our website faithfully and have been following our discourses.
Thank you for your contribution to the teachings, keep it up!
Much love
Sundari
