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Thread: What is the root of all human suffering?

  1. #11
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    Re: What is the root of all human suffering?

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~

    namasté
    Now, how to get rid of this ignorance ? This in and of itself is an interesting conversation.
    This is quite an interesting question. To suggest I know all the ways to do this would be absurd, for who am I ? Just another bump on a log.

    In general there are classically 3 ways¹; but there are multiple schools of thought that deal with the 3 ways e.g. bhedābheda vedānta, etc.
    If I went into each school and each way then I would be wondering off this string’s path and venture out beyond the posts I have offered above. So, For this post let me offer the views found within advaita vedānta and kaśmir śaivism – keeping me within the guardrails I set in post 6 & 8 above.

    Both these schools are of the opinion that you are indeed the Supreme already. This is supported by the upaniṣads (the advaita vedānta side of the equation) and by the śaivāgama-s¹ (on the kaśmir śaivism side). So then, to the very ripe person ready to become the avibhāgin – one who is non-different from the Supreme, these words alone may be enough. For others it is dealing with this ignorance that is at hand.

    On the the advaita vedānta side of the equation this ignorance is rooted in the mind. Within the vivekacūḍāmaṇi¹ , ādi śaṅkara devotes no less then 8 śloka-s pointing to the mind that sustains liberation or bondage. He talks of residual impressions in the mind ( 170th śloka) i.e. vāsana-s. These same vāsana-s are a focal point in patañjali-s yoga sūtras. Ādi śaṅkara says, clearly there is no ignorance apart from the mind (( 171st śloka). He then says the mind must be diligently (prayata¹) purified by those that are seeking this mokṣa.

    So , how then is this ignorance removed ? . Ādi śaṅkara informs us , it is destroyed or vinaṣṭautterly lost or ruined , destroyed, by knowledge. More specifically this is called jñāna nivartya. Note that nivartya means ‘ turned back’, ‘anulled’. We know that jñāna is knowledge. So it is that knowledge that turns-back , annuls ignorance. This jñāna nivartya is 1 of the 6 marks¹ of charactering avidyā ( more of the ~offical~ name for ignorance) found in this school. The 6 are:
    • anādhi – it is beginningless
    • jñāna nivartya – it is destroyed or vinaṣṭa , turned back, nullified by knowledge or jñāna
    • bhāvarūpa – it is a entity of an existant ( or human condition)
    • anirvacanīya – indescribable
    • āvaraṇa and vikṣepa – concealing and projecting(letting loose); this ignorance has the power of concealment and projection
    • jīva and brahman – its locas is either in the individual or brahman
    To confirm the clarity of the importance of knowledge in this approach ādi śaṅkara says in the 204th śloka , the disappearance of false knowledge takes place through correct knowledge, not otherwise. Correct knowledge ( called samyag-jñānea¹ ) according to the scriptures is the realization of the identity of the individual and the Absolute or brahmāmaikatva.


    So, that is the thumbnail view of the advaita vedāntan. Could it be more exhaustive ? Sure, yet I spare the reader and myself from not going down too many roads and adding complexity to the conversation.

    Now, how does kaśmir śaivism’s advitīya view this ignorance ? As you will see, it is slightly different. We will take this up in the next post.

    iti śivaṁ

    words
    • 3 ways – can be considered that of jñāna (knowledge), kriyā (actions and performances), and bhakti (devotional)
      • Yet ‘3 ways’ in kaśmir śaivism are the 3 upāya-s - they are āṇavopāya, śāktopāya, and śāmbhavopāya
    • the śaivāgama-s – there are 92 the āgama-s that are counted; it is the bhairava śāstra-s that are non-dual, advitīya ( whole, full, non-dual)in their knowledge.
    • vivekacūḍāmaṇi – crest jewel of discrimination
    • prayata – intent; self-subdued , dutiful , careful , prudent, well prepared.
    • 6 marks – why 6 and not 5, 7 or 10 ? The 6th house in jyotish is the house of enemies, misery, sorrows. That is the connection; it is a dusthāna house.
    • samyag = samyañc = correct or accurate. It also means turning towards one another, together or in one direction. A perfect word as I see for the notion of the avibhāgin – one who is non-different from the Supreme
    Last edited by yajvan; 03 October 2014 at 05:38 PM.
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  2. #12
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    Re: What is the root of all human suffering?

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~
    namasté


    Now, how does kaśmir śaivism’s advitīya view this ignorance ?
    In kaśmir śaivism or trika¹ this advidya ( ignorance ) is not aligned to māyā as in the advaita vedānta view. It is aligned to aṇumala; the blemish (mala) of smallness, limits (aṇu ). The term that is used is apūrṇatā or non-fullness. It is when the Supreme throttles Itself down into seemingly bounded conditions. It is not put on Him , or he is not veiled. It is something He chooses to do because of His svātantrya (as mentioned before). This means He is totally and absolutely free – complete and absolute independence. See the point ? He is not doing anything to you ( as human being) ; it is He that chose to throttle / transform Himself into the level of being human , and that is you! But we have forgotten our original and unbounded nature, yet we are still none other than śiva albeit in a transformed way.
    In kaśmir śaivism we do not have the villain māyā to blame, even though there is māyā-śakti and māyā-mala (written māyiyamala); they are just the tools of the supreme (paramārthaḥ or the highest reality).

    So , let’s take a look at this ajñāna ( ignorance or the bleimish of aṇumala) at the component level within kaśmir śaivism. There are two items – that of bauddha ajñāna and that of pauruṣa ajñāna.
    • bauddha ajñāna is intellectual ignorance – that is, not knowing the truth from an intellectual/knowledge point of view that originates in the āgama-s & śāstra-s.
    • pauruṣa ajñāna is the lack of personally experiencing of one’s own Being, one’s own Self. One could even say the absence of samādhi using a more familiar yogic name.
    One could say when bauddha ajñāna + pauruṣa ajñāna have been eliminated then it ~like~ ādi śaṅkara’s declaration that the disappearance of false knowledge takes place through correct knowledge, not otherwise. The correct knowledge or samyag-jñānea aforementioned in the last post, is in kaśmir śaivism the direct personal experience of Being + the knowledge of this Being (śiva) from the śāstra-s. This would be equal to ādi śaṅkara’s ‘correct knowledge’ that eliminates ignorance. But herein lies the pickle.

    Śiva ( code for the fullness of Being, you!) has chosen this condition; He is still Himself even in this revised form we call human being. So what does this school of kaśmir śaivism say ? It says that the human condition ( aṇumala ) śiva has put Himself in is ignoring (aparijñāne¹) His real status. We find this wisdom corroborated within the pratyabhijñāhṛdayam¹ , 12th sūtra found therein, as it says:

    tadaparijñāne svaśaktibhirvyāmohitatā saṁsāritvam | 12

    This says,
    to be the saṃsārin¹ (saṁsāritvam) or the one that goes from birth-to-birth ( that would be us, some call paśu ) means to be bewildered or perplexed (vyāmohitatā¹) by one's own powers (śaktibhiḥ) on account of being unaware or aparijñāne¹ ( ~ ignoring~) of that (tad).

    We have forgotten who we really are. And what needs to occur ? Re-recognition of one’s true Self. Enter the trika system. What is so robust about this trika system, this trika darśana (seeing, knowing) is there are 4 systems aligned to it and they have risen out of the śaivāgama-s¹. They are there for our support.

    I will call out the 4 in the next post, and make a few overall observations that I hope will add value to the conversation.

    And as always, is there more to say in this kaśmir śaivism and trika point of view when addressing ajñāna (ignorance) ? Yes, for sure. But we wish not to boil the ocean.

    iti śivaṁ

    words
    • pratyabhijñāhṛdayam – the ‘lite’ version of this means the re-recognition of one’s own Being/Self. It is twenty sūtra-s written by Kṣemarāja . It is the cream ( or condensed version) of utpaladeva-ji's Īśvarapratyabhijñā which offers 199 sūtra-s.
    • The literature within trika broadly categorized into 3 groups: āgama śāstra, spanda śāstra, and pratyabhijñā śāstra. You can see where this fits in.
    • saṃsārin - attached to mundane existence ; moving far and wide; the human condition
    • vyāmohita - bewildered, infatuated.
    • aparijñāne - means 'not flashing forth'; not aware of
    • śaivāgama-s – there are 92 the āgama-s that are counted; it is the bhairava śāstra-s that are non-dual, advitīya ( whole, full, non-dual) in their knowledge.
    Last edited by yajvan; 03 October 2014 at 05:48 PM.
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  3. #13
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    Re: What is the root of all human suffering?

    Namaste,

    The trolls bring out two positive features of this forum,

    1. Lot of new knowledge comes out for the benefit of the general population.
    2. So many members are ready to provide info, however imperfect, and help others.

    Pranam.

  4. #14
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    Re: What is the root of all human suffering?

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~
    namasté



    I wrote,

    The literature within trika broadly categorized into 3 groups: āgama śāstra, spanda śāstra, and pratyabhijñā śāstra


    This notion of trika or 3 is aligned to parā (supreme or highest) , parāparā (or mixed) and āpara ( entry point ). That is of this whole universe, mind, body, spirit, animate and inanimate is an expression of this trika view.

    I also as just said the literature that offers this knowledge generally fits within trika or three. Within the śaivāgama-s of which there are 92 the āgama-s counted:
    • It is the bhairava śāstra-s that are non-dual, advitīya ( whole, full, non-dual) in their knowledge and they align to parā and there are 64 of them. These 64 are attached to kaśmir śaivism
    • Then there is the rūdra śāstra-s and they align to parāparā; there are 18 of them and considered bhedābheda or non-dual-dual.
    • And finally there is the śiva śāstra-s and they align to the āpara; there are 10 of them; they are not attached to kaśmir śaivism
      as they are dual (dvaita) in nature.
    The depth and breadth of the liturature is profound. This depth is found within 4 schools (darśana) of trika:
    • kula darśana – living in totality ; the fullness of everything; the full 36 tattva-s called out within the śaivāgama-s
    • pratyabhijñā darśana – to re-recognize and realize your true Self
    • spanda darśana – the movement or vibration as spanda; spanda is a quiver, vibration, throb , pulse.
    • krama darśana – rising in succession, step by step as krama means regular arrangement , succession; ‘progressing step by step’
    Now if you recall I also mentioned the means or 3 ways¹ or 3 upāya-s for one’s unfoldment, purification, alignment , all meaning a method or set of methods to ‘recall’ your real status i.e. to assist you to become the avibhāginone who is non-different from the Supreme, non-different from śiva, your real status. These 3 align to parāparā, parāparā and āparā. They are āṇavopāya, śāktopāya, and śāmbhavopāya.

    As much as I would like to align these to the 3 -trika theme for a nice tailored-fit of 3's there is one more way. The wise then say there are 3 ½ ways. This other way is called anupāya. Please do not confuse this as a typing error with the term previously used āṇavopāya as they are 180º apart.

    With these 3 ½ ways let offer just a snippet on these. ( Also note they are discussed in detail here on HDF – you can search for them if you wish).
    • Let me start at the top with the new term just offered - anupāya. This is most attractive as it is called ‘the no way’ . We call it a upāya meaning ‘that by which one reaches one's aim’, but the prefix of ‘an’ is there . The syllable-sound ‘a’ when used before a vowel becomes ‘an’ . Thus ‘a’ = ‘an’ = not ; it is like ‘un’ in the English language prefix e.g. un-broken, un-open, all indicating not broken, not open.
      So, anupāya = an+ upāya = ‘not a way’. It is that upāya in which nothing has to be done.
    • āṇavopāya = āṇu + upāya – one uses a upāya or takes support from approaches from all facilities available to the individual or āṇu. This could be techniques in breathing, concentrating, contemplating, using a sense organ and the like; it is the ‘support’ that aids ones awareness to be absorbed (līnaḥ¹).
    • śāktopāya = , śākta+ upāya one uses a upāya or takes support in firmly centering the awareness or madhyama state – the in-between condition. It is the madhyama state when one has abandoned one object and remains fixed without moving to another object; it is this middle state where there is just awareness alone, the energy (śākti) of awareness only remains… some call this the gap.
    • śāmbhavopāya - śāmbha + upāya or the supreme means. It is the one that preserves thoughtlessness . It is the flow of silence.
    As usual there is abundantly more one could offer for discussion regarding this subject, but will leave that for another time.

    But yajvan, why did you mention all of the above ? It is the alignment to the overall post; the alleviation of suffering, and the removal of the blemishes (mala-s) that instigate suffering.

    iti śivaṁ
    • Other 3 ways people talk of : jñāna (knowledge), kriyā (actions and performances), and bhakti (devotional). These are co-mingled in the ‘3 ways’ in kaśmir śaivism and within the knowledge set offered.
    • līnaḥ - being dissolved or absorbed in
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  5. #15

    Re: What is the root of all human suffering?

    Namaste

    Thank You for elaborating.
    līnaḥ - being dissolved or absorbed in
    A most comfortable state to be in.
    Vileen, leena/ lIna in the param, paramAtmA, parameshwar.
    Last edited by smaranam; 05 October 2014 at 08:56 PM.
    || Shri KRshNArpaNamastu ||

  6. #16
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    Re: What is the root of all human suffering?

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~
    namasté



    I wrote on another HDF string¹ then following:

    The notion of digesting suggests the following. Within the upaniṣad-s there is no set form that was used. That is, a vast ocean of knowledge is discussed within and throughout the upaniṣad-s. To the casual observer one could think that the knowledge is disjointed and that various views regarding brahman was inconsistent or contradicts one another.

    It is though bādarāyana-ji’s brahmasūtra-s¹ that this inconsistency was to be reconciled. We can see this even in the chapter (adhyāya) titles :

    1. samanvaya adhyāya – chapter on regular succession or order , connected sequence or consequence , conjunction , mutual or immediate connection
    -- sama – the right measure, equitable ; Said another way the 1st chapter’s intent is to harmonize the views on brahman across the upanisad-s that are taken up¹.

    2. aviodha adhyāya - non-opposition; harmony - addresses objections to vedānta philosophy i.e. opponents to vedānta.

    3. sādhana adhyāya - the practice or means : describes the process by which ultimate emancipation is to be achieved.

    4. phala adhyāya – the fruit ; what unfolds within this fullness being experienced; the fruit of liberation
    If we look at the 4 sections of the brahmasūtra-s we can see it offers knowledge ( 1,2) and practice ( 3,4).

    Within the śiva sutra-s the orientation is a bit different. There are 3 chapters or adhyāya-s and they align to the 3 means or upāya-s : parā, parāparā and āparā discussed above ( post 14):
    • Chapter 1 is considered śāmbhavopāya and aligns to parā
    • Chapter 2 is considered , śāktopāya and aligns to parāparā
    • Chapter 3 is considered āṇavopāya and aligns to āparā
    It aligns to the 3 means or upāya-s that re-establishes one’s true status , Being, or Self , or śiva. Would you not think that starting at the bottom (āṇavopāya) and working one’s way up to śāmbhavopāya would be a logical approach? Why is the highest means the 1st chapter ?

    iti śivaṁ

    words
    Last edited by yajvan; 10 October 2014 at 04:56 PM.
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  7. #17
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    Re: What is the root of all human suffering?

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~
    namasté


    Would you not think that starting at the bottom (āṇavopāya) and working one’s way up to śāmbhavopāya would be a logical approach? Why is the highest means the 1st chapter ?

    The wisdom offered here comes from abhinavagupta-ji and explained by my teacher ... It is to 'capture the highest first'. Let me explain.

    The adhikārīn (fit aspirant; the eligible one) may be pursuing this knowledge. Just the right words, along with the grace ( anugraha) of the Supreme may be at hand. That is, this person may just be ripe to re-recognize ( re-call) his true nature or ātmasamarpaṇaṃ¹. Therefore the subject matter within chapter one is aligned to this need. So , one is pursuing the highest first, the 'highest' one can reach within his/her first access to this level of knowledge and experience.

    Then the question falls from one's lips: yajvan, but what if this does not occur ? Then what ? Then one goes to the next level of sādhana which is found in chapter 2. And if this yields meager results, then on to the third chapter.

    Recall this word sādhana , which means leading straight to the goal ; it also means 'any means of effecting or accomplishing; any agent or instrument or implement or utensil'; this is another term or definition for upāya and the śiva sutra-s addresses the 3 means ( see the posts above).
    Now , just reading it without insight and a teacher, guru or master ( these 3 can be of different qualities) could bring some challenges to one's comprehension. Yet IMHO it is worthy of one's time to come into contact with this body of work.

    For those the 'get it' , it is the beginning of his grace at work. I know for me each time I read it , there is a new ahhh-ha! that is given to me and it brings insight and delight. Yet one has to chose the author wisely and ( as always) read several different translations. If you recall many of the sūtra-s are just one or two words. Even if you know saṃskṛt, the depth and breath of the word-meanings with the trika school is rather profound. Hence the notion of a great author is recommended. My recommendation is svāmī lakṣman-jū ; I have read others, but continually rely of svāmī-ji for his wisdom.

    iti śivaṁ

    words
    • ātmasamarpaṇaṃ = ātma+samarpaṇaṃ
      • ātma - Self
      • samarpaṇaṃ - handing completely over , consigning , presenting , imparting , bestowing
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

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