End Of Knowledge

Tag: self

  • A Conversation with Ashtavakra Pt.36

    Read Part 35 / Ask a Question / Support End of Knowledge
    Ashtavakra said:
    18:47 – He who is free from doubts and has his mind identified with the self does not resort to practices of control as a means to liberation. Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and eating, he lives happily.

    The self-realized person knows there’s no practice of control that leads to liberation because no action can make them more or less the self they already are.  Therefore, they let the body-mind do what it’s going to do, all the while remaining identified—and satisfied—with the actionless self. 

    18:48 – Those of pure mind attain peace by hearing of the truth alone.  They do not see anything to do or avoid or a reason to feel indifferent towards either. 

    You’re ready for self-knowledge when your mind is “pure,” meaning when it’s is clear, focused and receptive.  At that point, you can gain self-knowledge simply by hearing the teaching.  When you understand you’re the self, you don’t see anything to do or not do because you know that you’re not the doer (the ego that claims the actions of the body-mind as its own).   

    18:49 – The wise one does freely whatever comes to be done, whether pleasant or unpleasant, for their actions are like those of a child.

    Really speaking, the wise one doesn’t do anything because the wise one is the actionless self.  Because of that, their body-mind can do whatever needs to be done, pleasant or unpleasant.  For that reason, I’m not sure why the actions of an enlightened person are described as child-like in this verse because children are acutely aware of what’s pleasant and what’s not.  And they almost always gravitate toward the pleasant while avoiding the unpleasant.  That’s part of being child, isn’t it?    

    Perhaps the author is trying to say that the actions of the self-realized person are childlike in the sense that they’re spontaneous.  But the actions of children (like many of their adult counterparts) aren’t spontaneous because they’re generally motivated by desire—the desire to get what they want while avoiding what they don’t want.    

    But is it possible that the actions of an enlightened person—unlike a child—are spontaneous?  No.  If you refer back to the commentary on 18:13, you’ll see that the actions of an enlightened person are supposedly the effects of their past karma (prarabdha).  If that’s the case, their actions can’t be spontaneous because they’re completely pre-determined. 

    At this point you may know what I’m going to say:  Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if the actions of an enlightened person are done freely or not because the enlightened person knows they’re not really a person—therefore the issue of action doesn’t apply to them.  It actually doesn’t apply to the unenlightened either, they just haven’t realized it yet.         

    18:50 – Through freedom one attains happiness. Through freedom one obtains the highest.  Through freedom one reaches tranquility.  Freedom is the ultimate standpoint.    

    In this verse, freedom means self-knowledge.  Why is self-knowledge freedom?  Because it shows you that you’re the ever-free self. 

    Does self-knowledge lead to permanent happiness?  No, because happiness is a state of mind and the mind—enlightened or not—is always subject to change.  But self-knowledge does give the mind a permanent source of happiness to rely on—the self.  Unlike objects in the world, the self is always present, so when an enlightened person’s circumstances are painful or frustrating, they can always find happiness in the knowledge, “I’m the self.  I’m not limited by the circumstances of my body-mind.  No matter what happens, I’m always just fine.”

    Does one obtain the highest through self-knowledge?  Technically, no, because the self is the “highest”—seeing as it’s the ultimate reality—and you can’t obtain the self because you already are the self.  So through self-knowledge one obtains the highest in a metaphorical sense by understanding, “I am the highest.”

    Self-knowledge doesn’t lead to permanent tranquility for the same reason it doesn’t grant permanent happiness: both tranquility and happiness are temporary states of mind.  But in the same way that self-knowledge gives the mind a permanent source of happiness to rely on, it also gives the mind a permanent source of tranquility (peace) to dwell in, inasmuch as the self is changeless and eternal.  When an enlightened person finds their mind agitated by a difficult situation, they can always fall back on the knowledge, “I am not my agitated mind.  I am peace itself.” 

    Self-knowledge may not be a permanent mental state of happiness and peace but it is the ultimate standpoint. How so? Because it cuts through false beliefs you have about yourself and shows you the truth: that you’re the self, consciousness-existence, the highest reality.         

    18:51 – All the modifications of the mind are destroyed when one realizes they are neither the doer nor the enjoyer. 

    When the modifications of the mind are seen to be an insubstantial illusion, they’re metaphorically destroyed insofar as their reality is negated.  All the same, it’s more accurate to say that identifying with the modifications of the mind ceases when you realize that you’re not the ego, the doer and enjoyer that claims the modifications of the mind as its own. 

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  • A Conversation with Ashtavakra Pt. 29

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    Ashtavakra said:
    18:11 – It makes no difference to the yogi whose nature is unconditioned whether they gain or lose, live in society or retire to the forest, rule in heaven or beg for alms.  

    “Unconditioned yogi” can be taken two ways.  Literally, it refers to someone that’s assimilated self-knowledge to such a degree that it neutralizes their negative emotions.  In other words, they’re so used to thinking of themselves as the ever-free, unchanging self that they no longer get upset when faced with unpleasant circumstances.  For the record, becoming a person without negative emotions isn’t the objective of Vedanta—it’s a side effect.  The real objective is to see that you’re the self, which isn’t a person in the first place. 

    And that brings me to my next point: Metaphorically, “unconditioned yogi” refers to the self.  Since the self isn’t a person, it’s ever unconditioned (unaffected) by the circumstances body-mind finds itself in.     

    18:12 – Where is dharma (performance of ritualistic or meritorious works), where is artha (worldly prosperity), where is kama (sense-enjoyment), and where is discrimination for the yogi who has transcended such dualistic notions as “this is to be done” and “this is not to be done”?

    Another way to phrase the question is this:  What is to be gained from action when you’ve transcended dualistic notions and realized that you’re the limitless self?  Nothing, because merit, prosperity, pleasure and discrimination (self-inquiry) only apply to the illusory body-mind. Alternately, what action can you perform or avoid when you’re the action-less self, ever-free of the doer (ego)?            

    18:13 – The yogi who is liberated while living, has neither attachment nor a sense of duty.  Their actions pertain to the present life only, being merely the effects of his past karma.

    In relation to enlightenment, the theory of karma goes something like this:  You have a storehouse of karma accumulated in innumerable past lives.  At birth, a portion of your stored karma manifests to create a body-mind along with the appropriate conditions the body-mind needs to experience the effects of its past karma.  As you go through life identifying with the body-mind, thinking its actions belong to you, new karma is created that will come to fruition in either your present life or a future life. 

    But when you realize that you’re actually the self and not the body-mind—the doer of karma—the storehouse of your karma is cleared.  Regardless, the stored karma that’s already been released to create your current life still has to play out, similar to the way that an arrow, once loosed from a bow, has to travel on its predetermined trajectory.  However, since this process is merely the exhaustion of previous karma, it doesn’t create new karma.  And without new karma, there’s no necessity for the future birth of another body-mind to reap the effects.  This is how the actions of a yogi who’s liberated while living only pertain to the present life—their actions are merely the effects of past karma that don’t create the seeds for future rebirth.     

    I’m glossing over this topic because frankly, it’s silly.  And my opinion is in accordance with Vedanta texts such as Aparokshanubhuti which say that explaining how karma relates to enlightened beings is only for the benefit of those who don’t understand the nature of enlightenment.  Why?  Because the entire theory of karma hinges on the notion that you’re a body-mind that performs action and experiences it’s effects.  But enlightenment unequivocally negates that notion, showing that you never have been, and never will be, the body-mind.  That means in light of self-knowledge, the theory of karma loses its relevance.   

    So you don’t have to destroy your storehouse of karma—you just have to see that it doesn’t belong to you in the first place.  Once you’ve realized that, there’s no reason to explain how and why the body-mind–which never has and never will belong to you– continues to act. 

    18:14 – Where is delusion, where is the universe, where is renunciation, moreover where is liberation for the great-souled one who rests beyond the world of desires?

    That which “rests beyond the world of desires” is your true nature, the self.  The self, being the sole non-dual reality, is “beyond” (meaning it’s unaffected by) the dualistic illusion of the universe and everything it contains, such as delusion etc. 

    18:15 – One who sees the universe may try to deny it. What has the desireless to do? They see not, even though they see.

    When you believe the world is real, you may deny it by trying to manipulate it, change it, negate it or outright avoid it.  But when you know the world isn’t real, what is there to deny?  Even though you still experience the world, you know it’s not really there—you see not, even though you see.  With that, the logic behind wanting to manipulate, change, negate or avoid the world is nullified.   And this is immensely freeing because you can approach the world from the standpoint of self-knowledge, knowing that it isn’t some objective problem that needs to be solved.  It just is what it is—a strange illusion—and you’re always okay regardless.     

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  • A Conversation with Ashtavakra Pt. 28

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    I was recently asked why I don’t give more extensive explanations for the verses in this text.  One reason is that the Ashtavakra Samhita is an advanced text that assumes prior knowledge of the subject matter it teaches.  The other is that the most common teaching method of Vedanta is dialogue.  If an inquirer has a question, they discuss it with a teacher so the teacher can help them get the proper perspective on their query.  So if you need further clarification on any of these verses, feel free to ask.      

    Ashtavakra said:
    18:6 – Illusion ceases and sorrow is dispelled when one sees clearly that their true nature is the self. 

    As far as Vedanta is concerned, illusion comes in two basic forms.  The first is the belief that the body-mind and the world it inhabits are real.  The second is the belief that the body-mind, or at least some part of it, is the self. 

    By realizing the true self, consciousness-existence, the illusion ceases.  But does that mean the body-mind and the world literally disappear?  Not at all.  They continue just as before.  But despite their continued appearance, you know they’re not real, similar to the way you can realize a dream is unreal while you’re still having it.    

    Does knowing that the body-mind and world are like a dream make all sorrow disappear?  No.  Sorrow is part and parcel of the dream.  When you still think the dream is real, you identify with the suffering of the body-mind and think it belongs to you. But when you know the dream is unreal—and that you’re actually the self—you understand that you always have and always will be untouched by sorrow.       

    18:7 – Knowing all as mere imagination and the self as free and eternal, does the wise one need to resort to study or practice like a child? 

    At the beginning of self-inquiry, the attention of the mind is usually fragmented and projected outward in an attempt to find satisfaction in external situations.  Like a child, it needs training.  In Vedanta, that training usually takes the form of scriptural study and spiritual practice.  Through repeated hearing of the texts and dedication to practices such as meditation and yoga, the mind of the inquirer becomes calm and focused, which allows it to turn ‘inward’ in order to consistently investigate—and hopefully see firsthand—the nature of the self. 

    In light of the knowledge, “I am the self,” all scriptures and spiritual practices are seen to be just another aspect of the illusory world—they are known to be “mere imagination.”  At that point they can be given up.  But not before that.  The scriptures and practices are like a boat that helps you get from one bank of the river to the other.  Once you know who you are, you don’t need to keep studying and practicing, the same way that once you get to the other side of the river you don’t need to carry the boat on your head.  But similar to the way you’ll be left treading water if you discard the boat before you reach the opposite bank, you’ll make little to no progress in self-inquiry if you discard study and practice before gaining self-knowledge.   

    Does that mean enlightenment isn’t possible for people who don’t do Hindu spiritual practices or study traditional Vedanta texts?  Since I’d have to know the backstory of every enlightened person that’s ever walked the planet in order to answer that, I have to admit that I’m not certain. 

    But what I do know is that Vedanta is an excellent tool for discovering your true nature, one that’s helped me and many people I know.  It’s the accumulated wisdom of countless people over thousands of years, so a lot of thought has gone into how it operates.  Because of that I teach the Vedantic method and encourage others to give it fair consideration. If you find another method that works better, great.  Because the point is to get enlightened, not how you get enlightened.     

    18:8 – Knowing for certain that oneself is brahman and that existence and non-existence are imaginary, what does one who is free from desire, know, say or do?

    The answer is simple:  They know, say and do whatever they feel is necessary with the understanding that as the self, they’re never knowing, saying or doing anything. 

    18:9 – For a yogi that knows all is the self, false notions such as, “I am this” or “I am not that” are destroyed.  Such a yogi becomes silent. 

    Discrimination, the fundamental practice of self-inquiry, is continuously affirming that you’re the self (“I am this”) while negating your identity with the body-mind (“I am not that”).  Once you’ve negated your identity with the body-mind, inquiry points you towards the vision of non-duality where your viewpoint shifts from, “I am not the body-mind.  I am the self” to “There is only me, the self.  The body-mind is me, but it’s only an illusory appearance of myself that never affects me.”  When this is realized, you “become silent,” meaning you no longer need to practice discrimination, seeing as it employs false dualistic notions like “this” and “that.”         

    18:10 – The yogi who has attained tranquility has no distraction, no concentration, no increase in knowledge, no ignorance, and neither pleasure nor pain.

    The “yogi who has attained tranquility” is the one who knows that they’re the self.  As the self they’re free from the body-mind and all its states such as distraction and concentration, even though those states continue for the body-mind itself.  So while there’s no happy ending for the body-mind, the one with self-knowledge can rest easy regardless of what condition the body-mind happens to be in.  

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  • A Conversation with Ashtavakra Pt. 16

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    CHAPTER NINE
    Ashtavakra said:
    9:1 – What is done and what is not done, as well as the pairs of opposites—when do they cease and for whom? Knowing thus, be indifferent to everything, even renunciation.

    Action is defined according to the opposites of good and bad.  And resolving to avoid bad actions is renunciation.  Renouncing bad actions is essential for purifying the mind in order to prepare it for self-knowledge but upon gaining self-knowledge, renunciation loses its meaning.  Why?  Because you see that duality—such as good and evil—is not real.  And furthermore, you understand that as consciousness-existence you’re not the doer.  So you can’t perform any action, good or bad, let alone renounce any action. 

    When you know you’re consciousness-existence, does that mean the body-mind you formerly identified with can abandon all notions of decent behavior and start robbing, killing or just being a self-centered jerk?  No.  Because as the verse astutely points out, doership and the pairs of opposites never cease.  They still totally apply to the body-mind, assuming it wants to avoid being an inmate or an outcast from society. 

    If you contend that doership and duality cease for you, consciousness-existence, you’d be wrong.  Why?  Because they never applied to you in the first place.            

    9:2 – One is fortunate whose desire for life, enjoyment, and learning have been extinguished by observing the ways of the world.

    When you observe the world and truly see that everything in it is impermanent, it’s to your benefit to become dispassionate, meaning objective.  Because if everything is impermanent attachment is illogical and unnecessary, assuming you enjoy peace of mind.  But dispassion isn’t cold-hearted stoicism, it’s simply appreciating things while they last and for what they’re worth, never expecting them to give something they can never give e.g. permanent happiness.        

    9:3 – Everything is indeed impermanent, spoiled by the threefold affliction of being worthless, contemptible and fit for rejection.  Understand this clearly and you come to peace. 

    This verse reinforces the last and it employs a bit of hyperbole.  Are friends and family really “worthless, contemptible and for rejection”?  Well, maybe some people’s family and friends are but really, the meaning here is the same as before: Be clear that nothing in the world lasts; accept that fact and be at peace.  

    9:4 – At what time or at what age do the pairs of opposites not exist?  Disregard them and you will attain perfection.

    Duality is a problem for people of every age.  But the good news is that anyone at any time can disregard it by seeing that it’s an illusion.  Then you ‘attain’ perfection by seeing that you’re the ever-perfect, undivided self.  Technically, you can’t attain this status because you are, and always have been, the self.   

    9:5 – After observing the diverse beliefs of the great seers, saints and yogis, attain equanimity by becoming completely indifferent to them. 

    Every religion and philosophy has different views about your true nature.  And since those views often conflict with one another, they can’t all be right.  So at some point you have to investigate the ones that appeal to you and with luck, you’ll find out who you really are.  Once you’ve seen that for yourself, the so-called spiritual quest is over and you can rest easy.  And then the innumerable beliefs of various teachings which formerly seemed bewildering become completely immaterial.  Because what does someone’s opinion matter in the face of firsthand experience and understanding?          

    9:6 – A teacher is one who has gained clear knowledge that they are consciousness.  Through indifference, equanimity and reasoning, they help others escape self-ignorance (samsara).

    Knowing that you’re consciousness-existence is the most important prerequisite for being a teacher (because how can you teach what you don’t know?).  Your personal behavior, even though it can be an inspiring example to students, is secondary.  So don’t be concerned if your mind isn’t perfectly indifferent and equanimous—after all, self-knowledge is knowing you aren’t the mind in any way.  But if your mind lacks the ability to reason, meaning the ability to employ reason based on the logic of Vedanta, you’re dead in the water (at least as a teacher).  In that case, shut down your website, disband your satsang and quietly enjoy your enlightenment—otherwise you’ll just confuse people.          

    9:7 – Look upon all objects as modifications of the elements and abide in your true nature (consciousness-existence) and you will at once be free from bondage.

    Anything that changes is unreal.  If all objects—both mental and physical—are simply modifications of the elements (matter), they’re unreal and can’t be you.  Furthermore, as matter they’re non-conscious—another reason they can’t be you.  Once you see that you’re not an unreal, non-conscious object (specifically the body-mind) you’re free from bondage because you know that as consciousness-existence, you were never bound.   

    9:8 – Your vasanas alone are samsara. Knowing this, renounce them all. The renunciation of your vasanas is the renunciation of samsara.  Be established [in your true nature] regardless of external circumstances. 

    Your vasanas are your personal collection of desires and mental inclinations.  Samsara, in a general sense, is the world.  But more specifically it means the everyday cycle of identifying with objects (specifically the body-mind) and the suffering caused by trying to gain or keep desired objects while avoiding or getting rid of undesired objects.  If you think about it, what’s your personal world comprised of other than what you want, what you don’t want and how you’re inclined to go about getting what you want or avoiding what you don’t want?  In that way, your vasanas are samsara. 

    Knowing this, it seems reasonable to try and escape samsara by renouncing or destroying the vasanas.   But this method won’t work.  Because even though you can achieve a significant reduction in desire and a drastic change in your personal inclinations, unless the body-mind is dead, there’s no end to your wants and mental conditioning.  So there’s no end to your samsara.  A different approach is needed. 

    Enter Vedanta, which says that to escape the samsara of your vasanas, you simply need to realize that they aren’t your vasanas in the first place.  The mind, the container of all desires and inclinations, is an unreal, transient object.  And it’s not you, consciousness-existence, which is ever-free of the mind and all its vasanas.  So to end samsara, stop identifying with the mind. 

    To be clear, working on the mind to rid it of excessive desire and negative inclinations is a very constructive endeavor, one that is an essential preparatory step on the spiritual path.  But it doesn’t equate to self-knowledge which is dis-identification with the mind in general.    

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  • A Conversation with Ashtavakra Pt. 13

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    CHAPTER 5

    Vedic cosmology posits that creation is cyclical—the universe arises from consciousness-existence and eventually ‘dissolves’ back into consciousness-existence, lying dormant until the time comes for it to arise again.  This dissolution of the universe into consciousness-existence is called laya.  Another meaning of laya is “absorption,” which in relation to enlightenment pertains to the belief that a person attains freedom by merging their ‘relative self’ (the individual soul) into the ‘absolute self’ of consciousness-existence. 

    But here in the four verses of Chapter Five, Ashtavakra offers a very different perspective on these traditional notions of laya.  He declares the universe doesn’t need to be physically dissolved into consciousness-existence because it naturally ‘dissolves’ into the consciousness-existence through the understanding that the universe is nothing other than consciousness-existence.  In the same way, the relative self does not have to be literally merged into the absolute self because the relative self—in its true nature as consciousness-existence—already is the absolute self.  And understanding that fact is freedom (enlightenment) because freedom is the nature of the absolute self.                     

    Ashtavakra said:
    5:1 – You are ever pure and untouched—what is there to renounce? [Knowing this] destroy the collection of matter known as the body-mind and attain dissolution.

    The universe is an illusion that never affects you so only the belief that it’s real can be or need be renounced.  And by extension, nothing can be or need be destroyed or dissolved.  But figuratively speaking, by renouncing the belief that the universe is real, the body-mind is ‘destroyed’ through understanding and you attain ‘dissolution’ (freedom from the body-mind).               

    5:2 – The universe arises from you like bubbles arising from the ocean. Having known yourself to be one alone, attain dissolution.

    All of the objects that comprise the universe are nothing but you, consciousness-existence, in the same way that bubbles arising from the ocean are nothing but water.  Unlike bubbles that literally dissolve back into the water from which they came, the universe is ‘dissolved’ into you by understanding that is none other than yourself.      

    5:3 – The universe that appears in you is like a snake being seen where there is only a rope—it is unreal. It does not exist in you who are ever-pure. [Knowing this] attain dissolution.

    Just as an illusory snake is ‘dissolved’ upon realizing it is a rope, so the universe is ‘dissolved’ when it is known to be none other than you, the ever-pure self.   

    5:4 – You are perfect and changeless in pleasure and pain, hope and despair, and life and death. [Knowing this] attain dissolution.

    To escape the uncomfortable duality of pleasure and pain etc., some people may seek a literal dissolution of the universe.  But this isn’t necessary when you understand that duality is merely an appearance that never affects you.