Summary:

Session 19 provides examples how subtle mistakes of non-dual vision creates false pride. Possible corrections are provided. Also we remove common false notions about Mokṣa (Permanent Self-Realization), such as “You need to clear all vasanas/samskaras”.

TOPICS COVERED:

1) Clarity about Satya-Mithyā Relationship (Non-changing/Changing)

1. What is a vikāraḥ? 
   • Vikara refers to a modification, change, or transformation. In Vedanta, it signifies anything that undergoes change or is subject to transformation.
2. Satya (Truth or Reality) inheres in all vikāraḥ. 
   • Satya, the unchanging reality, underlies all modifications and changes (vikāraḥ) in the world. While the forms and names (nāma-rūpa) of the world are subject to change, they are all ultimately grounded in Satya, the non-dual reality that remains constant and unchanging.
3. Īśvara is All-knowing (Sarvajña) and all-powerful (Sarvaśakti). 
   • Īśvara, as the manifestation of Brahman with attributes (saguṇa Brahman), possesses infinite knowledge and infinite power, governing all aspects of creation, sustenance, and dissolution in the universe.

2) About Moksha (Enlightenment regarding your true nature)

1. Mokṣa is not about attaining something new or becoming something different. But rather shifting “I” to non-changing Consciousness.
   • Mokṣa is the realization that your true nature is the non-changing, eternal Consciousness (Ātman), and not the transient body-mind complex.
2. What does mokṣa mean?
   • Mokṣa means liberation or freedom from the cycle of birth and death (saṃsāra). It is the realization of one's true nature as non-dual, infinite Consciousness (Brahman), free from all limitations and identifications with the body-mind complex.
3. Justify why mokṣa is NOT about exhausting vāsanās / saṃskāras?
   • Mokṣa is not about exhausting vāsanās/saṃskāras because vāsanās (latent tendencies) and saṃskāras (mental impressions) belong to the realm of the mind, which is part of the changing, relative reality (mithyā). Mokṣa is about realizing the non-dual Self (Ātman), which is beyond the mind and its modifications. The Self is ever-pure and unaffected by vāsanās and saṃskāras.
4. What are the names of the 3 puruṣārthas when most of vāsanās/saṃskāras exhaustion should have taken place?
   • The three puruṣārthas are Dharma (righteousness), Artha (wealth), and Kāma (desire). These are the pursuits where most of the vāsanās/saṃskāras are typically exhausted through righteous living, fulfilling desires, and managing material wealth.
5. Explain why mokṣa IS also about exhausting vāsanās/saṃskāras?
   • Mokṣa is also about exhausting vāsanās/saṃskāras because the realization of the Self (Ātman) as non-dual Consciousness is often hindered by the presence of strong vāsanās and saṃskāras. While mokṣa itself is not dependent on their exhaustion, the process of Self-realization is facilitated by the weakening of these mental impressions, which reduces the mind's tendency to identify with the body and ego.
6. What will happen if you spend your entire life trying to become “pure”?
   • If you spend your entire life trying to become “pure,” you may remain trapped in the cycle of saṃsāra, constantly striving for an unattainable state of perfection. True purity is not about eliminating every vāsanā or saṃskāra but about realizing that your true nature, the Ātman, is already pure, free, and unaffected by the impurities of the mind.

3) How NOT to see the world

1. Give 2 reasons why (1) seeing the world as insentient and (2) Consciousness as sentient is an incorrect nondualistic vision.
   • Reason 1: In Advaita Vedanta, the world (jagat) is not entirely insentient because it is a manifestation of Brahman, which is pure Consciousness. To see the world as purely insentient is to deny the underlying reality of Brahman that pervades all existence. The world is mithyā (relatively real) and is imbued with the presence of Consciousness, making it neither purely sentient nor purely insentient.
   • Reason 2: To label Consciousness as merely sentient is to limit it, whereas it is actually the unchanging, infinite substance that inheres through and through both the sentient and insentient.
2. The CAUSE of vikāraḥ (modifications) is avidyā (ignorance).
3. And the Truth of vikāraḥ (modifications) is Brahman (the unchanging reality).
4. Key to Vedānta success is:
   1. Know what is Variable (vikāraḥ).
   2. Understand that Invariable (Brahman) NEVER changes to Variable.
   3. Discriminate between Invariable (Brahman) and Variable (vikāraḥ) until you're so established in this understanding that you don't need to discriminate consciously any longer.
5. The Attitude of Vedanta in Life: In the light of “All is Īśvara,” give 3 examples of how this knowledge will cause you to act/behave differently in day-to-day situations:
   1. Respect for All Beings: Recognizing that all is Īśvara (God) leads to a deep respect for all living beings, as they are manifestations of the divine. This understanding fosters compassion, kindness, and non-violence (ahiṃsā) in interactions with others, whether human, animal, or nature.
   2. Acceptance of Life's Circumstances: Understanding that everything is Īśvara helps cultivate an attitude of acceptance and surrender (prapatti) to life's circumstances. Whether facing challenges or successes, one sees them as part of Īśvara‘s grand design, reducing anxiety and promoting inner peace.
   3. Selfless Service (Sevā): Knowing that all actions are ultimately offerings to Ishvara encourages service beyond just your own needs, which in turn quickly matures your mind. One performs duties (karma) without attachment to any specific results (as you may get more then expected, less then, opposite or equal to), seeing work as worship and contributing to the welfare of the world with a spirit of dedication to the divine.

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11 Sept 2018