End Of Knowledge

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  • What is samsara in Hinduism?

    Q:  What does the term “samsara’ mean in Hinduism? 

    A:  Hinduism is very diverse, with numerous different religious sects and philosophical schools.  So you’re going to get different answers depending on who you ask.  To be clear, I am answering from the perspective of Advaita Vedanta, particularly Advaita Vedanta as taught by Shankara, Swami Dayananda and Dayananda’s students.

    Swami Dayananda defines samsara as “the life of becoming.” In other words, it is 1) Identifying with the body and mind, thinking it is who you are and 2) Subsequently believing that the mortality and suffering of the body and mind belong to you. Further, you believe that the qualities and character of the body and mind define who you are.

    Because of this you are always trying to become something other than what you are.  Perhaps you want to be happier, perhaps you want to become immortal to escape death. Or perhaps you want something more mundane like a slimmer waistline and a more respectable position at work. Either way, feeling like you need to be something other than what you are, that you’re not good enough as you are, or that you’re somehow lacking is a painful cycle: this is samsara.

    This painful cycle of thinking that you’re the body-mind continues (perhaps over lifetimes if the theory of reincarnation is true) until you see directly realize that instead of being the flawed, mortal, ever-changing and limited body-mind, that you’re the immortal, changeless, limitless brahman (the very essence of the entire universe) that is always perfect just as it is.

    But you asked “What is samsara?” not “how do I end it?” so I’m getting ahead of myself.  That’s an answer for another day. 

    All my best – Vishnudeva

  • Steady Wisdom: Day 53

    Steady Wisdom: 108 Verses On Changing My Thinking

    DAY 53

    I am devoid of thought, even when engaged in thought; I am devoid of the sense-organs, even though I have them; I am devoid of intellect, even though endowed with it; and I am devoid of the sense of ego, even though possessed of it. 
    -Ashtavakra Samhita 18:95
    Meditation

    I am not a thought.  I am not the sum of my sense perceptions.  I am not the reasoning faculty of my mind.  I am not even the sense of “I.”  All of these things are transient objects that are known to me and I am not what I know.  I am the self, untouched by them all. 

    And yet, thoughts, sense perceptions, etc. are all me because they have no existence apart me, existence itself.  They depend on me but I do not depend on them.  How inexplicable but liberating is that!  OM. 

         Read Series Introduction 

  • Steady Wisdom: Day 52

    Steady Wisdom: 108 Verses On Changing My Thinking

    DAY 52

    I am neither the doer nor the enjoyer.  There is no karma for me, past or present.  I have no body nor is the body mine.  There is only me so what could be mine or not-mine?
    -Avadhuta Gita 1:66
    Meditation

    The doer and enjoyer is the ego, a thought in my mind that claims, “I am doing this” and “Now I am enjoying the results of my actions.”  Because the ego is a thought known to me, it cannot be me.  Because the ego comes and goes, it cannot be me.  The same applies to the body.  Because I am not the body that performs action, nor the ego that claims the results of action as its own, there is no karma for me, past or present.  OM. 

    Read Series Introduction

  • Is Vedanta Only For Philosophers?

    Q:  Is Advaita Vedanta only for philosophers? How can the average person practice Advaita Vedanta in his or her daily life in a way that it is easy to follow and not be drawn other ideologies?

    Vishnu:  No. I don’t consider myself a philosopher and I’ve studied and “practiced” Advaita Vedanta for over a decade. Don’t take my word for it though. Just go to an Advaita Vedanta satsang and see for yourself. Spoiler alert: It is going to be filled will average, everyday people. Why? Because everyone is looking for truth, not just philosophers.

    You practice Advaita Vedanta in your daily life by:

    1) Living a life committed to dharma (in this case, dharma means right living).

    2) Consistently applying the teachings of Advaita Vedanta to your mind until they help you directly realize your total non-difference from brahman, the non-dual absolute reality. After that, there’s nothing to practice. Sure, you continue to live a life committed to dharma.  But once you’ve seen the truth of your own nature, it’s not something you can practice. It’s just what you are.

    Advaita Vedanta is not there to convince you to follow it’s teachings. Rather, it says you’re just fine as you are (but you just don’t know it!). If what Advaita Vedanta has to say appeals to you, you won’t need to be convinced to commit to it.  Nor will you look for answers in other ideologies (not that Advaita Vedanta is an ideology).

    So if what Advaita Vedanta has to say speaks to you on a deep, inner level, then you’ve found the right teaching. If not, start looking for the one that does!

    All my best – Vishnu

  • Steady Wisdom: Day 51

    Steady Wisdom: 108 Verses On Changing My Thinking

    DAY 51

    I am infinite and pure, free from attachment and desire.  I am at peace.  Objects are illusory and they do not limit me in any way. 
    -Ashtavakra Samhita 7:4
    Meditation

    Do the objects I experience limit me, pure consciousness, in any way?  No.  I am consciousness in the presence or absence of objects.  They come and go but I remain as the very light which reveals their coming and going. 

    Do the objects I experience limit me, pure existence, in any way?  No.  I exist (and I am existence itself) before, during and after the appearance of an object.  Otherwise, how could I even say that an object appeared and subsequently disappeared?  Further, as existence itself, I am the intrinsic nature of all objects, just as gold is the intrinsic nature of all gold rings.  Just as the appearance of a ring does not limit the nature of gold, so the appearance of objects does not limit me. OM.  

    Read Series Introduction