Talks on spiritual and philosophical topics, mostly related to the path of knowledge and Advaita Vedanta or Non-dualism. Subjects such as the consciousness, mind, reality, metaphysics and various ways to study these are discussed.
There are three ways to manage desires. Satiation or fulfillment is the first and most popular way. We discuss here the consequences of desire fulfillment. We discover something very important.
Desires are the cause of actions. Quality of our life depends on how we act, which depends on what we desire. So their study is of a great significance. What are desires and how many kinds are there? Lets see them in the first part of this series on desire management.
After realizing that there is no doer, a question is often asked - what should I do now? How to live this life? What is an ideal action? etc. It is paradoxical, how can you act when you are not the actor? The answer is surprisingly simple. That is what we discuss here.
Knowledge is just refined ignorance. A seeker gains knowledge, only to destroy it. Those who are bound to knowledge, do not progress much. Not knowing is of essence on the path of knowledge. This can be confusing and shocking, can seem paradoxical. Let us explore the truth, bliss and freedom that is not-knowing.
Logic is about true and false. A powerful and well developed ability of logic is a must for any truth seeker. A spiritual seeker is seeking the truth, and therefore, it is a logical necessity that he must sharpen this tool of the mind. How to do that? Is this only an intellectual exercise? What is the utility of logic?
If the consciousness is only one, if it is universal, why is my experience limited to this mind and body? Why can't everything become an objective experience at once? Why the experience is necessarily limited, although the experiencer is not? Let's introspect and find out.
The essence of I cannot be seen as an object. This puts the mind in a difficult position, which can know only objects. We see limitations of the mind or intellect immediately. We take the next step, and see the experience and the experiencer as two sides of the same coin, inseparable and an appearance in that which is not-two.
Who am I or what is my essence is the most important question one can ask. This is the Self Enquiry. This talk is an introduction to the enquiry and is meant for beginners. We define the essence as that which remains unchanged, and progressively eliminate all that is non-essential, changing and unnecessary. In this way we arrive at the real I.
The Self is the essence of that which I am. But is it really there?
The trick is to see without the filters of concepts and ideas. It is seen as just another concept, just another division, a creation of the mind. Let's explore and destroy the Self.
What are we seeking? What does a seeker want to achieve? Where will the spiritual path take you? Is there a destination? Is it an endless journey? What happens when you reach your destination?
Lets explore these questions and more.
The Maya is seen as not really there when the awakening dawns. Its play is seen as meaningless or purposeless. Since it is not there, the meaning and purpose is also not there. The ignorance is eternal, it just is. When the oneness is realized, the ignorance is also seen as illusory. The knowledge is a product of Maya, and hence it is illusory also. All knowledge is just refined ignorance. The One is beyond knowledge, beyond mind. Even though the knowledge arises out of Maya, it is effective in burning down the veil of Maya. In the end both Maya and knowledge disappear.
In this part of the series, we read, about the collective illusion of the universal mind, the Ishvara. We learn that some teachings are sugar coated and diluted to suit the level of evolution of a student. The teachings of a creator and a creation are some among many such skillful means to purify a mind and bring it to nondual wisdom. Finally we see that there is only one ignorance of one Self, and liberation of one mind brings an end to all ignorance there is.
In this part of the series, we read about the true nature of the existence, and how it is being veiled by the ignorance or Maya and instead an illusory existence is being projected. A false self is placed in this illusion which assumes a perishable form, is seen as the doer and enjoyer, and this ignorance becomes the cause of misery.
Is the real nature of existence nothingness? Or is it eternally something? Why is there an experience of something instead of nothing? How is something being created out of nothing? If the experiencer and the experience are one, and if the experience is nothing but change, and if the experiencer is unchanging, how can it also be a change? These are very strange and puzzling questions. The answer is stranger and even more mysterious.
In this meeting, the concept of Entropy and self organization in metaphysics will be introduced. Metaphysical structures self organize via various processes and form ordered evolving structures called minds and worlds.
Links shared in this meeting:
Simulation example of self organization
Universal Mind is the manifested existence. Continuing from our previous meetings on the topic, we will take a baby step towards establishing the universal mind, via direct experiences. This will be more of an unlearning experience rather than a learning one. All one needs to do is thoroughly question one's everyday waking experience, and arrive at a place of not knowing. As soon as the dirt of beliefs is cleared, the knowledge then shines by itself.
Although the Self has no qualities, good or bad, it is pure emptiness, we can still assign or project some qualities on it, just to communicate about it. A human mind cannot conceive of anything without assigning a quality to it. It is also a limitation of the language, we need some description to talk about it, even if it cannot be described.
In this meeting we will discuss some of those so called qualities and their meaning.
The world is names and forms. This is the famous teaching. Hows that even possible? How to gain a direct experience of it? How to verify it and get solid evidence for it? We will dig into this teaching in this discussion and try to get a direct experience of the essential nature of the world. This is also a demonstration of gaining knowledge via enquiry, as is customary in the path of knowledge.
Law of relativity overrides our subjective and biased notions of absolute. It arises out of necessity, as there are no absolutes in this existence, everything stands in relation and comparison to something. This law also renders our ideas of getting, being or achieving something, meaningless. This law is the key to understanding of the true meaning of the word liberation. Knowledge of the law of relativity shows us that which is absolute. Although it appears simple and obvious, it is very profound and one can leverage this law to reach absolute freedom.
The multi-layered structure of the mind is ever changing. The change is in the direction of more adaptation, more harmony with its surroundings. The mind changes as per the constrains on it, and as per the necessity. This is the law of evolution of the mind. Evolution is an exploration of variety. When seen from a human perspective, we find that it is both constructive and destructive. Naturally, we would like to bias it in our favour, and fortunately, we can leverage the law of evolution to quickly reach better minds, and to free us from a matter dependent existence faster.
