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At this point in the text the “Not Self,” 36 the three bodies and theirrespective fields, has been explained. When the energy invested in the falsebelief that one is the limited self is released, deep insight occurs and the Selfis realized. Because the Self is not an object of perception it cannot bedirectly taught, hence the Socratic or negative approach. "Not this. Notthis." says the inscrutable Upanishad."Through discriminative analysis 37separate the Pure Self withinfrom the sheaths covering itlike wheat from chaff."(15)The “sheaths” referred to are the three bodies, which seem 38 to coverthe Self. The separation of the bodies from the Self is not astral travel or “outof body” experience. The Self can’t be out of the bodies because it was never“in” them in the first place, although the experience of the realization of theSelf, a shift from the body’s to the Self’s point of view, often initially feels asif we’ve left the body simply because we are so deeply conditioned to takethe physical body as a point of reference in all perceptions. In fact, thebodies are “in” the Self, in the sense that they are within the scope of theSelf’s panoramic vision. The body, a tiny physical cup indeed, could nevercontain the formless ocean of Awareness.The text has done a credible job separating the Self and the Not Self. 39Putting the knowledge into practice, mindfulness, means keeping up with the36 The Vedantic method in this text is called, drk-drksha viveka, the discrimination between the seer (the Self)and the seen (the three bodies).37 Self analysis in Vedanta does not mean analyzing one’s ego, it’s memories, thoughts, and feelings with theidea of making it happy. Since the ego is considered “not-self” it is not considered worth fixing. Often,however, it needs to be “fixed” through therapy or other methods to the point where it’s qualified to practicediscrimination. Obviously someone with psychological problems is not capable of practicing discrimination.Healthy individuals can easily discriminate away problems.38 In fact there is no covering, only the semblance of covering, projected by Ignorance.39 In traditional Vedantic gurukulas the discrimination between the Self and the bodies, like all Vedanticprakriyas (teachings) is brought about in “real time” by a student listening to a realized teacher unfold theteaching. The study of written text is thought to be secondary means of knowledge. Though Self realizationoften happens in the teaching setting, if the mind is partially purified the realization can easily be lost. On theother hand a highly purified mind might permanently realize the Self with the aid of rudimentary writteninstructions. Reading texts with the expectation of experiencing the Self is probably futile since the wordsneed to be taken as they are. Without the help of a teacher who knows the original meanings and isestablished in the Self the mind is prone to interpreting the meaning of the words according to it’s personalexperience, prejudices, and opinions.30
ego/mind, following it through its daily ups and downs, dispassionatelyobserving the quality, texture, and volume of thought and feeling, not withthe idea of making it “better” or solving its problems, but to understand itsnature. Purification slowly evolves out of awareness, grasping the “whys.”When the meditator understands the ignorance motivating his or her approachto life unspiritual motivations can be easily discarded. Attempting to changeone’s ego through religious or psychological practice without understandingborn of discriminative awareness only results in superficial and temporarychanges.The point of watching the mind is not to watch the mind but tobecome aware of the watcher, an event that takes place almostimperceptibly day by day as one watches. Awareness of the watcher meansthat practice is becoming subtle and raises a new question - who is thewatcher?Is it the ego? The mind? The intellect? The Self? All or none of theabove? Is the ego to be discriminated out of the picture? If so who will doit? If the Self is the discriminator, what will It discriminate, since from It'sposition nothing other than it exists? These and other equally weightydeterminations present themselves to the mind of the discriminator. Needlessto say working through this thicket is a tricky business, yet with perseverancethe truth is revealed.The discriminator should calmly and consciously observe whatever themind has to offer, using the Self/not-self paradigm to clear the thoughtsproducing extroverting and agitating energies. 40 Once it becomes secondnature a positive change in awareness occurs because discrimination causesnon-attachment - not allowing the mind’s problems, which often take years topurify, to sap energy and inspiration.To construct the foundation of one’s life on the not-self’s 41 shiftingsands is to court disillusionment. Taking the emotions as reality causes oneto suffer continual ups and downs. Who hasn't failed miserably trying to liveout a scheme or fantasy concocted by an undiscriminating intellect or takenthe body as one’s primary source of pleasure and inspiration long past theThe inability to grasp the truth in the written word and the paucity of competent teachers has causedmany to condemn the “intellectual” approach to Self realization as useless. However, there are still Vedanticgurukulas in India that employ the old method and regularly produce realized souls.40 While emotions, with the exception of pure love, are “not self,” renunciation of negtative emotion withoutremoving the thought producing it will not purify the mind. Negative emotions are the result of incorrectideas about oneself or the world. When the ideas producing stress and conflict are removed the emotionalcenter becomes loving and peaceful.41 The three bodies.31
Page 1 and 2: SELF-KNOWLEDGE"I am composing this
Page 3: REMOVING THE WALLIf happiness or un
Page 8 and 9: "Action cannot remove ignorancefor
Page 10 and 11: lowing blissful cosmic experiences,
Page 12 and 13: Something tells me this knowledge s
Page 14 and 15: ody.We aren’t our feelings and em
Page 16 and 17: The belief that I am a waker comes
Page 18 and 19: If I’m the sleeper ego, the bliss
Page 20 and 21: itself out and disappears back into
Page 22 and 23: imaginations; ego, filled with self
Page 24 and 25: The next few days saw many experien
Page 26 and 27: here, however, the subtle part, the
Page 28 and 29: state manifests as awareness and ac
Page 32 and 33: time when it was appropriate? Greed
Page 34 and 35: Simply knowing that everything is a
Page 36 and 37: in the light of the Self.”(19)Tho
Page 38 and 39: ationalized or self-validating cred
Page 40 and 41: through which the Enlightened Being
Page 42 and 43: Of course the idea of a deluded Sel
Page 44 and 45: Since ultimately all transactions,
Page 46 and 47: Nearly everyone has, at moments of
Page 48 and 49: The complex process of experience i
Page 50 and 51: can't. The creative process is, acc
Page 52 and 53: eautifully mixed by the Mind (see "
Page 54 and 55: (Intellect's preoccupation with the
Page 56 and 57: attentioninwardsubtle bodystilledag
Page 58 and 59: attitudes, especially those which e
Page 60 and 61: specific results. For example, we t
Page 62 and 63: DESIRE IS STRESSOne major source of
Page 64 and 65: Meditation and Self knowledge go ha
Page 66 and 67: Put together, the sattvic elements
Page 68 and 69: Sleep is a symbol for ignorance, an
Page 70 and 71: THE BODYNo particular physical posi
Page 72 and 73: THE BREATHThe breath, as you’ve u
Page 74 and 75: If the ego insists on intruding, ma
Page 76 and 77: of objects in the Self alone and ex
Page 78 and 79: (40)One symptom of enlightenment si
Page 80 and 81:
“As dawn dispels darkness before
Page 82 and 83:
Listen carefully to the next conver
Page 84 and 85:
This, the last, and the next five v
Page 86 and 87:
Imagine Consciousness arranged in l
Page 88 and 89:
nothing more is to be seen, and whi
Page 90 and 91:
The word, it is said, "killeth." Ho
Page 92 and 93:
agitationattentionfactor“Third Ey
Page 94:
OM TAT SAT94
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