The Connection To Aham

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

Hi yajvan,
I also find Laksmanjoo's presentation of maya to be sublime and accurate. This struck me when I read his Secret Supreme and has stayed with me since. I am discussing a similar subject with a teacher on a Dzogchen list, who posted this response to a question of mine. I present it here for your consideration , as I feel it is an excellent piece and quite relevant:
Namaste

Namaste srivijaya,
Thank you for the post... the words are a bit different but the meaning is the same. When one talks of the pure awareness it is easy to spot. Then one feels at home no matter who talks of it.

There is more commonality we can share then differences when one wishes to talk about the fullness of Being and awareness. Please share more as you see fit.

I am also seeing another common principle that is written by Abhinavagupta and also found in the Yoga sūtras (Yogadarśana).

There is the principle of bhāvanā¹. This is called out as having the same components of saṁyama¹ i.e. dhyāna, samādhi and dhāraṇā.


Why do I bother mentioning this? Because of the end state Abhinavagupta offers as kaulika-siddhidam - that which brings about liberation in life in the form of unification with Divine Consciousness.

Another name for this unification is vaśitva or mastery of one's self , self-command , and freedom of will , being one's own master - described as unity-consciousness. We have been calling this state anuttara¹ in the various posts as of late. This may be also called Brahman Consciousness or brahmi chetana by some.


Please feel free to extend the conversation...as the notion of the post-string has been sameness sāma or samasta, that which is compounded, pervading the whole.


pranams



words and references

• bhāvanā भावना - reflection , contemplation ; finding by combination or compositio ; saturating any powder with fluid , steeping , infusion
• saṁyama संयम holding together; for a review of this principle please consider these HDF Posts: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=19591&postcount=5
• http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2507&highlight=samyama
• http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=909&highlight=samyama
• anuttara अनुत्तर - chief , principal; yet it is that which is unsurpassable; Abhinavaguputa says IT ( this state of Being) is the experient all and there is no other that can make IT his/her object of experience.

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

This word, sound, mantra aham is of great interest. Some call this parā vāk the Supreme Word or Sound. This parā vāk is also identified as 'She' or Śrī Devī. More on Śrī Devī and this Aham in an additional follow-up post.

Namaste

I thought to add a few more ideas to appreciate the qualities of Śrī Devī. I am always uplifted by writing about her.

We know Śrī Devī as Śakti. She is also known as anugrahātmikā of Grace incarnate.
We know Her as devatā -> divinity -> Devī. Yet we know this Devī is root in div�, yes? And when people think of div the notion of to shine , to be bright is brought to mind. Yet this div also means to play , sport.

It is said she sports with creative delight of her own consciousness; She is creating, manifesting. But who is doing this Śrī Devī or Śiva? There is no difference. There is no difference between Śiva and His energy, śakti. Just as there is no difference being a flame and its light, yet we talk of two.

We also know many are devoted to her, the root div also means to praise , rejoice and adore. She therefore is called Devī for those that praise and adore her.

She has access to everything and to everyplace. There is no place She/He is not. Śiva-Śrī Devī cannot be escaped from, slipped by, or taken holiday from. For even when you hide, you are still hiding in the arms of Śiva-Śrī Dev. So this div also means to go or to have access to. This div is also to spread and increase. She is there even before you arrive because of this quality of all pervasiveness and expansion.

So in this one word of div we see this sport and play, to overcome or surpass all ( called vijigiṣā), She is light, movement and adoration. It is though Śiva's śakti or Śrī Devī that He expresses and enters into creation.

It is also said, Śaivī mukhaṃ Ihocyate - Śhakti ( Śrī Devī) is the entrance door ( mukhaṃ or mouth, opening ) to Śiva. This is said in Vij�āna Bhairava , the 20th and 21st kārikā, Śiva is known through Śakti.


pranams



words

• mukha मुख - the mouth , opening aperture , entrance into or egress out of ; the mouth or spout of a vessel
• div दिव् - to play , sport , joke , trifle with; to shine , be bright ; to praise , rejoice ; to go ; spread , increase

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

Namaste,

There is a most interesting conversation in the 3rd chapter of the Spanda-kārikās. Kārikā 8 points-out this principle that the Mind is the slayer of the Real. When the slayer ( the mind) is slain, what remains ? The Real.

Now what is Real or what remains is ātmanya¹. Kṣemarāja says, svātmani or ones imperishable Self. The 8th kārikā uses an interesting metaphor (we can also call this saṃketa, symbol, or hint). It calls out a plunderer, who steals away the wealth of the highest consciousness and brings about poverty in the form of limitation ( for me, this limitation is the Infinite experienced in fractions and not as a whole, as fullness of Being). What is left ? That of glāni or a depressed state.

The sutra says this glāni proceeds from ignorance. Yet if that ignorance is taken away , torn off (vilupta) by unmeṣa how can that glāni remain?


So the key here is to understand the connection to unmeṣa. This is where the wisdom of the commentator, Kṣemarāja, brings the greatest value in adding his insights to these key words and phrases.

I will take this up with the next post and (do my best to) sew the 8th kārikā just reviewed with the 9th kārikā where unmeṣa is taken up; it is a bit more esoteric and requires some 'run way' to explain.


Yet when done this all connects back to aham, अहम् I , the very first post of this thread.

pranams


words used

• ātmanya आत्मन्य - being connected to ones own Self.
• glāni ग्लानि - depression of mind, exhaustion , fatigue of the body , lassitude , languor, debility
• vilupta विलुप्त - torn or broken off , carried away impaired , destroyed , ruined ; Interesting to note that this word is also at the core of the word plunderer or viluṇṭhikā.
• unmeṣa उन्मेष - the act of opening the eyes ; coming forth , becoming visible , appearing
• saṃketa संकेत ( some write saṇketa) - intimation, hint, allusion , preconcerted sign or signal or gesture

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

Namaste

Note to the reader… To explain this part of the 9th kārikā requires more definition. For some, you many find yourself a bit unsure of the information or concepts provided, that is fine, as this conversation is a bit more advanced. It will be good to read the last post above on this subject to get a 'running start'. At times you may find parts to be more esoteric for some, and comfortable reading to others.

In the last post a key idea was that of glāni or depression of mind. Ramākaṇtha¹, another commenter on the Spandakārikā-s suggests this glāni is due to sahajānanda hānirūpa. Now what is that? It is sahaj + ānanda + hāni + rūpa; The person's form or composition (rūpa), has the natural disposition (sahaj) of pure happiness (ānanda); this has been been laid aside (hāni). Or has laid aside or forgotten ones natural happiness, and this is glāni.

This glāni disappears with unmeṣa - the act of opening the eyes. Since we know we are working with hints and symbols (saṃketa) on this, it is important to understand this idea of unmeṣa, which will help unwrap the 9th kārikā.

This unmeṣa is also considered expansion. For the record it is the opposite of nimeṣa or absorption. This unmeṣa & nimeṣa is considered a way of expressing Śiva's creative power which is considered spanda-śakti. It is by this spanda-śakti that creation expands and contracts.
This unmeṣa & nimeṣa as One, also displays itSELF multiple ways:

• expansion & contraction
• opening & closing
• rest & activity
• display & suppression
• appearance & disappearance
• revealing & concealing
• emerging & submerging
• manifesting and absorbing
• maintenance & concealment , etc. etc.

Hence it is Śiva's śakti (we call Śrī Devī) that brings about the creation and expansion, also the dissolution of the Universe. But just as I listed some of the qualities, these emerge within the Unity of Śiva's nature, of wholeness, expressing diversity of creation at the same time.
All this occurs within Śiva and not outside of Him. Hence this Unity is always there, yet to us we see and experience diversity. It is the intent of Sanatana Dharma to regain this vision of Unity.

The qualities mentioned above are also found in ourselves. Our thoughts and our bodies, emotions, etc. We are in part and whole, an extension of this Creation, therefore we can experience these qualities of diversity ( as we do now) and Unity , which needs to be re-recognized, it's there.

Now lets go to the 9th kārikā , it says ,
That should be known as unmeṣa when the rise of another thought (in the native) takes place in the mind who is already engaged in one thought, one should experience it (introspectively) for oneself.

So what is the gem or meaning here? When the mind of the native that is to quit or retire one thought/idea and it is restrained, lets use another word to convey this restrained, nirodha. This nirodha means held back, withheld, held fast , stopped and is about equal to restrained, but also should convey without force. When this occurs, that is before going to another thought , the location of the mind then is in the middle position madhya, this is the key point.
This state of being in the middle (we have called the gap¹ on many occasions) allows this pure Consciousness, aham, to be experienced to shine through.
This is also confirmed in the 62nd kārikā of Vijñāna Bhairava. In fact this is where nirodha is called out as an established thought - niruddha cit.

So yajvan, why then did you bring up all this regarding unmeṣa? Well, this transcendental awareness of pure Consciousness arises (unfolds, displays, manifests i.e. unmeṣa) from spanda¹. It is where there is no difference between object and subject. All of the thoughts of the mind are arrested, niruddha, one is found in the middle or madhya.
Since this unmeṣa cannot be grasped like an object, as 'this thing' one has to approach it in a very delicate way to experience it. The awareness is free from effort e.g. ones intent cannot therefore be , I will go experience and capture this unmeṣa and inspect it; I will inspect this pure Consciousness. This aham, pure consciousness has to be experienced in a very innocent and delicate way.


Recall in the beginning glāni disappears with unmeṣa. It is with madhya that this experience takes place. Because if you are centered, you are not going to another thought or another object/idea. The mind is alert and fresh, awake yet absorbed, the proper condition to innocently experience this aham, this pure Consciousness.
But why? In this innocent state unmeṣa expands Pure Consciousness, it serves it up. The kārikā calls it aparodaya - the rise of another awareness¹. And what is that the rise or unmeṣa, of another awareness? -> Pure Consciousness.

The key is the fixity of mind, being able to establish madhya with techniques or dhāranā. Much is to be said for absorption (fixity). This assists and helps establish niruddha. This can be done by various upāya-s (or means) for reaching the upeya or aim.

With this process offered in the Spandakārikā and in the of Vijñāna Bhairava one may experience this - with skillful means, with innocence.
What questions then are answered?
In whom does this awareness rise? In the aspirant who is absorbed.
But what kind of thought is needed? A thought or object in which all fluctuations of the mind are stilled; dharana or upāya is the means to create this absorbed condition.
And what arises? Pure Consciousness, SELF, aham.
And where does this arise from? From spanda , the principle of the SELF, aware of itSELF
And how does this rise ? Unmeṣa.
And what then is retired ? Glāni.

We have now broken the code of the following:
Mind is the slayer of the Real. When the slayer (the mind) is slain, what remains ? The Real.


pranams


Words and references

• glāni ग्लानि - depression of mind, exhaustion , fatigue of the body , lassitude , languor, debility
• Ramākaṇtha wrote a commentary called Vivṛti which I have not read. His works are also pointed out in this edition of
  the the Spanda-kārikā-s by Jaideva Singh to throw additional light on the subject.
• sahajānanda = sahaj सहज - natural state or disposition ; born or produced together or at the same time; born or produced together or at the same time + ānanda आनन्द= pure happiness , some call bliss + hānirūpa = hāni हानि abandonment , relinquishment ;taking off , laying aside + rūpa रूप = in the form of ; likeness , image , reflection
• unmeṣa उन्मेष - the act of opening the eyes ; coming forth , becoming visible , appearing
• saṃketa संकेत (some write saṇketa) - intimation, hint, allusion , preconcerted sign or signal or gesture
• spanda स्पन्द - throbbing , throb , quiver , pulse , tremor , vibration , motion , activity ;This spanda is considered the slight movement within Consciousness of the Absloute , a throb. This throb for us can be considered Self-Referral, that this Absolute, is aware of itSELF, hence the motion of spanda is due to this being Aware of ItSELF.
• madhya मध्य - middlemost , intermediate , central ; Also see HDF Posts on gap:
  http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2996&highlight=madhya
• http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2337&highlight=madhya
  http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=18446&postcount=5
• aparodaya - the rise of another awareness is offered by Kṣemarāja in his commentary of the 9th kārikā

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

Namaste,
This is a continuation of post 13 and 14 from above.

What is the gem or meaning here? When the mind of the native that is to quit or retire one thought/idea and it is restrained, lets use another word to convey this restrained,nirodha . This nirodha means held back, withheld, held fast , stopped and is about equal to restrained, but also should convey without force. When this occurs, that is before going to another thought , the location of the mind then is in the middle position madhya, this is the key point.
This state of being in the middle (we have called the gap¹ on many occasions) allows this pure Consciousness, aham, to be experienced to shine through.
This is also confirmed in the 62nd kārikā of Vijñāna Bhairava. In fact this is where nirodha is called out as an established thought - nirodha cit.

So now the question, can we find other points of reference for the knowledge we reviewed? One may want to look to Patañjali’s Yogadarśana. We need not go too far into his works. Samādhi Pada ( chapt 1): sutra 1. 2 yogash citta-vrtti-nirodha

• vrtti: A modification, patterned spinning, bias, recurring thought patterns; machinations, wave form vacillations, processing, fluctuations, unstable condition, bias, or your basic whirling of the mind thought, all that.
• citta: mind-field: Field of consciousness.
• nirodha: cessation, cancellation, dissolution, stillness, restraint
• citta + vrtti: taken as a whole is the the wavering, vacillations, agitations, within the field of consciousness.
• yogash occurs when citta + vrtti is nirodha (stilled).
  

The mind or ego identifies with the whirlings that continue day-in-day-out i.e. a state of mind where the observer identifies with these permutations of the mind. Patañjali informs us this ceases or yogash occurs when citta + vrtti is nirodha.

That is, yoga is there already, we need to just remove the 'noise level'. Just like a room filled with children playing, jumping, etc. We remove the children and the room is back to its state of silence...

So what is this state of yoga योग then... this yoking, connection, junction, union? It is being possessed of the SELF, of ātman, aham.

Some Observations
We have talked many times on HDF that Reality is omnipresent. The Upanishads say that SELF is is present everywhere and fills us up to our nail-ends ( finger nails). Yet when viewed partially it is seen as incomplete. That is, the view of the Ultimate (anuttara) is hindered by one's awareness that is caught up in finite objects.

There is so many things that this mind can be entertained with, that it goes from object-to-object, thought-to-thought, emotion-to-emotion, as a bee visits as flowers flying from one to another unceaselessly (vrtti).

Yet the Spandakārikā-s , Vijñāna Bhairava, Patañjali’s Yogadarśana, and many more inform us we can experience this Reality, this pure consciousness within ourselves if we set up the conditions for this to occur. And that occurrence is the gap (saṃdhyā&#185, the in-between, thoughts, objects, emotions and the like.
The condition is just recognizing this pure consciousness and experiencing it. That between all the activity of doing, there is the underlying non-doing, unchanging (nirvikalpa&#185 level of Being, this pure consciousness which is the basis for all other levels of awareness we entertain, use and exercise.

For those that experience this pure consciousness, it is not something one has to toil and dig for - just allowing it to occur in a very innocent and natural way and in time it unfolds more and more. We have chosen to call these 'ways' upāya-s, yet they are techniques and can go by other names from other schools.


Truly there is in this world nothing so purifying as knowledge; He who is perfected in Yoga, of himself in time finds this within himself. Bhāgavad gītā, Chapt 4, 38th śloka.

pranams

words

• nirodha निरोध -restraint , check , control , suppression , destruction ;cessation, cancellation, null, dissolution, stillness, emptiness, or extinguished
• nirvikalpa निर्विकल्प - free from change or differences ; not wavering
• saṃdhyā संध्या - junction , juncture; holding together , union

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

Namaste,

She has access to everything and to everyplace. There is no place She/He is not. Śiva-Śrī Devī cannot be escaped from, slipped by, or taken holiday from. For even when you hide, you are still hiding in the arms of Śiva-Śrī Dev. So this div also means to go or to have access to. This div is also to spread and increase. She is there even before you arrive because of this quality of all pervasiveness and expansion.

This idea/reality mentioned above is very interesting. Abhinavagupta extends this idea by saying the following:
Khe brahmaṇi abhedarūpe sthitvā carati iti khecarī
It says, khecarī is that which, while stationed in brahman (brahmaṇi) in indistinguishable Unity, moves about.

This moving about is of great interest to me. Stationed in the unmovable, it moves. I find this quite awakening to one studying
this knowledge - let me offer why I think this.

Abhinavagupta spends some time on this concept of khecarī¹. It is interesting to note the roots of this word . We have khe + carī - moving in the air. This khe is rooted or associated with kha¹. Kha is a bija sound for Brahman, and also is defined as vacuity ,space, ether some like to call it sky. That is why its associated with Brahman, as ākāśa. This ākāśa or space is that which holds and envelops everything and is a nice adjunct to one component of Brahman.
We have talked much about this ākāśa on many HDF Posts (my favorite no less). You will see how it fits into this conversation as we take a look at this knowledge.
Note we see kha then in ākāśa and Brahman which holds everything, nothing is outside of it. And carī¹ or cara is moving, or going - so that which moves is carī.

Why is this of value? Because the very first verse of Parā-trīśikā Vivaraṇa, Śrī Devī asks how can one achieve sameness (samatā) with Śiva or kaulika-siddhi - an achievement (or success) that occurs while/within this human body, khecarī-samatāṃ vrajet - acquire the same unconditioned Consciousness of the Divine (Śiva) . A most profound question.

This is the state of khecarī-samatā - that sameness with aham, 'I'. This khecarī is the movement , śakti (Śrī Devī) moving in kha ( Brahman).
So we as humans can know two states - that of the pasū - the bound individual, and that of the mukti¹ , one liberated. This goes buy two names:

• Khecarī vaiṣamya¹ - the movement , śakti, in vaiṣamya or singleness, uneven-ness
• Khecarī samatā ( some write sāmya) - the movement , śakti, in sameness

This lays the foundation to go a bit deeper for the next post.

ॐनमःिशवाय

pranams

words used

• This knowledge is found in the Parā-trīśikā Vivaraṇa.
• khecarī खेचरी - the power of flying though space; some call this one of the siddhi-s.yet one needs to look to its components:
  kha ख is the locative cas of khe. Kha is space , ether , sky yet considered the Supreme Brahman; It is also a cavity , hollow , cave , cavern , aperture + carī or cara चर - moving, going , walking , wandering. (I can see how the english 'car' for auto has come about from this word cara, moving or going); carita चरित gone , gone to; moving, going, motion
• vaiṣamya वैषम्य unevenness, solitariness , singleness
• bodha बोध - knowing, understanding; waking or becoming awake; perception , apprehension, thought, knowledge , understanding , intelligence
• mukti मुक्ति - final liberation or emancipation ; setting or becoming free , release , liberation , deliverance; some even call this a discharge of debt... the debt of ignorance

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

Namaste

This is the state of khecarī-samatā - that sameness with aham, 'I'. This khecarī is the movement , śakti (Śrī Devī) moving in kha ( Brahman).
So we as humans can know two states - that of the pasū - the bound individual, and that of the mukti� , one liberated. This goes buy two names:

• Khecarī vaiṣamya� - the movement , śakti, in vaiṣamya or singleness, uneven-ness
• Khecarī samatā ( some write sāmya) - the movement , śakti, in sameness

This khecarī vaiṣamya mentioned in the last post suggests and points to singleness, that of the individual within the duality and multiplicity of life - IMO 99.9% of the world's population experiences this.

Experiences of the individual i.e. perception, actions, even kāma and krodha ( passions and wrath) are experienced 'single' or disparate, completelt seperate from the whole. This vaiṣamya is due to ones ignorance, this mala or blemish, not knowing the naure of anuttara (the Supreme) - as which we have discussed many times in this section and in others. What is the result? Limitation of experince, seperateness.
Yet with this experience of anuttara�, the experince becomes khecarī samatā - the movement in sameness, within anuttara. We do not associate (then) with limitations.
Abhinavagagupa suggests even if kāma and krodha arise within this state thy appear as the nature of the the Divine ( Univeral or Bhairava Consciousness). With khecarī samatā, the individual ( no longer that, individual) experiences the Divine everywhere, the movement (khecarī) within the Divine.

This is the blessing the comes from ones sādhana - saṃhāra� with the Divine arises.

ॐनमःिशवाय

pranams

words used

• This knowledge is found in the Parā-trīśikā Vivaraṇa.
• khecarī खेचरी - the power of flying though space; some call this one of the siddhi-s.yet one needs to look to its components:
  kha ख is the locative cas of khe. Kha is space , ether , sky yet considered the Supreme Brahman; It is also a cavity , hollow , cave , cavern , aperture + carī or cara चर - moving, going , walking , wandering. (I can see how the english 'car' for auto has come about from this word cara, moving or going); carita चरित gone , gone to; moving, going, motion
• vaiṣamya वैषम्य unevenness, solitariness , singleness
• anuttara अनुत्तर - chief , principal; yet it is that which is unsurpassable; Abhinavaguputa says IT ( this state of Being) is the experient all and there is no other that can make IT his/her object of experience
• saṃhāra� संहार - bringing together , collection , accumulation; contraction; drawing in pratiprasavaप्रतिप्रसव - return to the original state ; counter-order , suspension of a general prohibition in a particular case ; an HDF post on this subject: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1462&highlight=Patanjali