Trev Light
Bown From your own post
"5. As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other such things lying above it and (finally) grasping, but never comes out by being (merely) called out by name, so the transparent Truth of the self, which is hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.".
So this "knower of Brahman" sounds very much like a teacher/guru, or pointer to truth within as self.
SK:- The truth starts revealing on
its own when one indulges in deeper self-search. Sage Sri, Sankara has indicated
how to go about but only few who are sharp enough able to grasp it others they are in
parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand’ . Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana
is given to chosen few who were capable of assimilating realizing it. It is no use parting the self-knowledge or Brahma
Gnana or Atma Gnana to the ignorant who are incapable of grasping Self-knowledge
or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.
As the seeker goes
deeper in self-search he realizes the fact that WHO AM I? And I AM THAT is
meant for the ‘beginners’ in later stages they are inadequate
and useless to reach the ultimate end of understanding. Form those who were ‘perfected’ their
understanding through deeper self-search will acquire Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.
Sage of the truth in past
have denied ‘this wisdom to the unqualified because they strongly believed Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana should be hidden from those who are mentally
blind’
It is very difficult to talk to
people about ultimate truth or Brahman because everyone thinks he knows the
ultimate truth or Brahman. This- I know business is dangerous. And
whatever his reached conclusion is second hand stuff. Therefore,
accepting accumulated knowledge without verification will lead the seekers to
hallucinated realization based on the ego. One may have some flashes of
truth when someone tries to indicate it through fewer words. But it takes
nearer to truth not realization.
YOGA
VASISTA: The greatest Gnani:
“His state is indescribable yet he will move in the world like anybody
else," ..."Though acting after every feeling such as love, hate, fear
and the like, he who stands unaffected within is said to be real
jivanmukta."Sage, Sri, Sankara's
commentary.
The one who identifies
himself as swami, guru or yogi is not a Gnani. A Gnani never identifies himself
as swami, guru, pundit or yogi. Swami, guru, pundit or yogi belongs to
religious and yogic path not to path of truth or wisdom.
Swami
Vivekananda said: - “You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you,
none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.”
Sri, Sankara's commentary:- Page 489: "The knower of Brahman
(self-realized or Gnani) wears no signs.
Page 500 asks in effect "Tell us what you know, show it, and let us
examine it under the mental microscope." It means we must bring notions
and beliefs out of vagueness into clearness. It also criticizes the mystics who
claim superior knowledge but who cannot communicate it for purposes of verification.
On
page 482: On Gnani: "The knower of Brahman wears no signs. Gives up the
insignia of a monk's life…his signs are not manifest, nor his
behavior." When
the knower of Brahman wears no signs it means he does not identify himself as
guru or teacher.
Upanishad's
say "He who thinks he knows, does not know." This means that to
know anything implies a second, an object of knowledge, hence duality, i.e. no
Gnana.
Second-hand knowledge of the self-gathered from books or gurus can never
emancipate a man until its truth is rightly investigated and applied; only
direct realisation will do that. Realise yourself, turning the mind inward. –Tripura Rahasya, 18: 89
The pursuit of truth is a mental journey. Deeper self-search makes
one aware of what truth is and what is untruth and the subconscious will
be able to reject the untruth after knowing, what is Truth. Whatever prevails
after rejecting the untruth is the ultimate truth or Brahman.
The urge to know the truth cannot be
imposed on others. It has to sprout
within. One need not become holy Shepard because the holy Shepard is within in
to guide every seeker. If one is aiming to be a master, Guru or teacher, he
will never reach his destination. One has to share his knowledge with the
fellow seeker not to make them his followers but only direct them if they are
interested to travel beyond form, time and space.
It is foolish to impose our idea on others
because everyone is not in same level of understanding. Every one's inner work is on. When they are
ripe enough they will understand, assimilate and realize on their own. If they are ready and sharp enough they will
grasp it instantly and they will reach their destination with lesser time and
effort. Thus preaching, teaching is not wisdom, but by very careful reasoning,
seeker has to determine the nature of reality. Thinking in right direction
alone helps seeker determining the nature of reality.
The sugar cannot know
itself its sweetness. The true self without ignorance is without the experience
of duality or illusion. Thus one has to base on the sugar not on its sweetness.
Without the sugar there is no sweetness. Similarly without the consciousness,
the three states cease to exist as reality.
Awakening is nothing but a complete, perfect
understanding and assimilation of what is what. A clear cut understanding of a
‘what is what’ is awakening. Reality is not to be achieved; it is there as it
is. After this perfect understanding assimilation and realization, nothing is
required.
And we expect
"awakening" to be some great, mysterious happening! "Reality is
not to be achieved; it is there” as it is, as unchangeable existence within the
changeable illusion.
Kabir views humanity as being
caught up in illusion, searching for Ultimate Reality in all the wrong places,
always seeking It outside of ourselves in various rituals, temples, forests and
mountaintops, not realizing That for which we seek is already hidden within
us.
The
ultimate truth or Brahman dwells within the three states like fragrance in the flower;
Musk lies within the Musk-deer yet seeks it afar." Until one trace the
truth within the three states the illusion of birth, life, death and the world
is experienced as reality.
Moksha is freedom.
Freedom is becoming free from experiencing the illusion or duality as reality
by realizing the fact that, the self is not the form but self is formless. It is possible to realize this without realizing the fact
that, the individual self or ego is reality within the false experience. Thus all the knowledge accumulated by judging
on the base of false self, is false knowledge.
People believe in old myths
propagated by their religion. Every religion has propagated its own myth. Every
religious belief contradicts other beliefs. It is mere blind belief accepted as
truth without verification and evidence.
This causes division. Modern science has exposed many Religious dogmas
as myth. All these dogma were introduced in primitive era before people had the benefit of modern
science. Science attempts to objectively discover how life works, and religion
makes one blindly believe and cast his
burden on the blind belief without verification, to live in peace and harmony in practical
life within the practical world.
The Seekers main aim is to
investigate both dual and non-dual experiences to find and define the underlying
truth in everything, thereby realizing what the ultimate truth is. Because of so many beliefs propagated by
belief system, people think seekers of truth are atheists because they do not accept the
belief blindly. The Seekers of truth believe the religionist and atheists both
are believers because religionist believe in the belief of god and atheists
believe in belief of no god.
Pursuit of truth is all about
accepting uncertainty and open questions and seeking for the things that are
certainty. Believers and nonbelievers
will not accept anything other than their inherited belief system or
accepted truth. Atheists feel there is
no proof for god’s existence. So atheist chooses to just believe there is no
such thing called God. And religionists just believe in the existence of their
conceptual god. A Gnani is one who is
fully aware of the fact that, the existence or non-existence of God cannot be
proven on the base of physical self.
Therefore deeper understanding is necessary to understand and assimilate
the truth about Gods existence to know what is supposed to be the God.
