Hinduism - Basics & FAQ - Part 8

Hinduism - Basics & FAQ

Preface:
Collection of FAQs to understand basics of Hinduism - a collection of facts as shared by my friend, Shri Sai, a vivid forum contributor in Tamil 'Thuglak' magazine. Entire collection here and the following pages in several parts, due to volume of information, are fully attributed to Shri Sai. His various sources are attributed 'then and there' where relevant. Have a pleasant reading-cum-learning, readers!!
- Singai Sivas
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61. What is Brahman ? 

'Brahman' is the One changeless Truth or Reality. 'Brahman' literally means "That which is bigger than the biggest" (and is subtler than the sublest). 'Brahman' cannot be defined, described, or conceived by the intellect. However, to convey atleast, some idea at the intellectual level, the Upanishads give pointers such as:

1. Satyam (Truth): that which does not change in the three periods of time (past, present, and future); despite the appearance of the world of names and forms, conditioned by time, space, and causation, 'Brahman' remains changeless; changeless Existence is 'Sat' or 'Satyam'

2. Jnanan (Knowledge): self-effulgent Conciousness or Awarness ('Chit'); the principle of knowing without a knower or known

3. Anantam (Infinite): that which does not have a beginning or an end

4. Ananda (Bliss): concious happiness; the state of unconditioned, objectless (independent) joy, where happiness is not dependent on anything or anyone in the world

The word 'Brahman' is the 'Tat' aspect when meditating on the 'mahavakya "Tat tvam asi," or "That thou art" (See Question 27 I sent earlier)

Source - Hindu Culture Series - Hinduism (FAQ - The Means and The Goal), Chinmaya Mission

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62. What additional terms, other than Atman and Brahman, are used to indicate a human being's true nature ? 

1. 'Sakshi': 'Sakshi' or Witness, refers to the pure Awareness that witnesses the world but does not get affected or involved.

Example: The sun illuminates the universe but remains unaffected by it and does not consider whether it is illuminating a palace, a hospital, a prison, or a temple.

'Sakshi' is beyond time, space, and the triad of experiencer, experiencing, and experienced. It witnesses all thoughts, words and deeds without interfering with them or being affected by them. This is because there is nothing in the universe other than it.

2. 'Kutastha': 'Kuta' means "anvil." All objects that come in contact with anvil change their form, but the anvil itself remains unchanged; so too, 'Atman' remains the changeless substratum upon which changes play. The realization that pure Conciousness alone is, is the state of 'Kutastha'.

3. 'Pratyagatman': When the Self shines free from all limiting adjustments as a brilliant, homogeneous mass of Conciousness, as Existence-Knowledge-Bliss ('Sat-Chit-Ananda), it is called 'Pratyagatman'. 'Pratyagatman' literally means "inner Self" and indicates the 'jiva's' true nature of conciousness.

The word 'Pratyagatman' is the 'tvam' aspect when meditating on the 'mahakavya' "Tat tvam asi," or "That thou art" (See Question 27 sent earlier).

Source - Hindu Culture Series - Hinduism (FAQ - The Means and The Goal), Chinmaya Mission

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63. What is spiritual liberation ? 

'Moksha', or liberation, is freedom from all bondage through knowledge of the Self. Bondage refers to the sense of, and identification with, the limitations of body, mind, intellect, and time, space, object. We are ever free, but are only deluded that we are bound in the cycle of birth and death. Self-realization, or 'moksha', can be attained while living in the world ('jivan-mukti'), upon departure from the gross body ('videha-mukti'), or in stages after leaving gross body ('krama-mukti'). For further study, see Adi Shankaracharya's Vivekachudamani.

Source - Hindu Culture Series - Hinduism (FAQ - The Means and The Goal), Chinmaya Mission

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64. What causes an individual to consider himself bound ? 

'Avidya' (ignorance) is the cause. Ignorance of one's true nature results in the false sense of seperateness, incompleteness, and limitation. 'Avidya' expresses itself as the three 'gunas' and results in identification with the body, mind, and intellect, which leads the individual to believe that he is limited and bound by time, space, and object.

Example: Due to ignorance, I identify myself with the misconception that I am limited in knowledge, that I am born and therefore will die, and that I need other things or beings to be happy. Such identification and sense of individuality is bondage. Nonrecognition is my true nature (nonapprehension) leads to the superimposition or imagination of who I am (misapprehension).

Source - Hindu Culture Series - Hinduism (FAQ - The Means and The Goal), Chinmaya Mission

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65. How can the knowledge of the Self be imparted if the Self is not an object ? 

The guru, in keeping with the 'Shastras' (scriptures), adopts a peculiar methodlogy of teaching, wherein he uses the two-fold process of 'anvaya-vyatireka' (the principle of variable-invariable or inclusion-exclusion) and 'adhyaropa-apavada' (the principle of deliberate superimposition-negation) to indicate to the disciple his true nature, the Truth behind the Upanishadic declaration, 'Tat tvam asi', "That thou art."

1. Anvaya, or the variable factor, revealing the nature of 'tvam', "you": The identification of Conciousness with the body, mind, and intellect provides us with experiences strong enough for us to conclude that the "I" in us is the body, mind, and intellect. When we say, "I am thin," or "I am agitated," or "I am intelligent," the respective variable factors are the body, mind and intellect, by which we feel we have been conditioned.

2. Vyatireka, or the invariable factor, revealing the nature of 'Tat', "That": The invariable factor is the very core of our being, pure Conciousness, which is aware of all the variable factors, but is unaffected by them. When seen from the standpoint of creation, the variable factors of birth, sustenance, and death take place in the presence of the one invariable Source behind the cycle of creation.

Thus, the goal is to differentiate between the variable and invariable, and disidentify with the variable so that the invariable alone is revealed as one's true Self.

3. Adhyaropa, or deliberate superimposition: The guru and the scriptures initially give a seeming reality to the ignorant notions we entertain, without negating them, such as our notions of "I" and the relative world.

4. Apavada, or the subsequent negation: Once ignorance is recognized as the cause of the I-notion and the world, and these notions are negated, the Self reveals.

Example: As children, we are taught that the sky is blue (adhyaropa). Later, we are taught that the sky does not actually have any color (apavada). So too, we initially study in depth 'jiva-jagat-Ishvara', the law of Karma, etc. (adhyaropa). Later, we learn that all differentiation and sense of seperateness is to be negated (apavada) because 'Brahman' (Oneness) alone is.

Source - Hindu Culture Series - Hinduism (FAQ - The Means and The Goal), Chinmaya Mission

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66. What is the difference between self-hypnotism and Self-realization ? 

All hypnotic effects are temporary; realization of the eternal self is not. The process of meditation can be considered as dehypnotizing ourselves from our attachments and identifications. This process leads to the final rediscovery of the unconditoned Self.

Source - Hindu Culture Series - Hinduism (FAQ - The Means and The Goal), Chinmaya Mission

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67. What are the three direct means of knowledge for Self-realization ? 

According to Vedanta, the three direct means of knowledge that help the seeker attain Self-realization are:

1. 'Shravana': listening to spiritual teachings with faith and reverence 

2. 'Manana': based on our 'shravana', logical reflection on, and clarification of, all doubts

3. 'Niddhyasana': contemplation in order to arrive at a firm conviction and live according to it

All other spiritual practices - chanting, worship, pilgrimages, service, etc. - help purify mind and channel the mind, and are the indirect means of knowledge for Self-realization.

Source - Hindu Culture Series - Hinduism (FAQ - The Means and The Goal), Chinmaya Mission

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68. What is meditation ?

Meditation, in its sublest import in Advaita Vedanta, refers to the state of pure Conciousness, where the duality of subject and object, the triad of experiencer, experiencing and experienced, and the plurality of time, space, and object do not exist. Meditation is seen as the ultimate goal: Self-awarness.

Meditation is also commonly used today as a verb. It is often understoond as a mere relaxation exercise; however, it has deeper significance for sincere spiritual seekers who practice meditation as the contemplative means to attain Self-realization. In the case of the seeker, meditation refers to the conscious process of quieting the mind to ultimately know, and abide in, the Self.

Other Sanskrit terms used for this process are 'dharana', 'dhyana', 'samadhi' (See Question 71 I will send later). Swami Chinmayanda, in his text 'Meditation & Life', states: "When the mind's thoughts have been nourished by study, and rendered quiet and peaceful by 'japa', to test the hushed mind at the altar of the Self in a thrilled mood of choiceless contemplation, is meditation ('dhyana')." For further study, see 'Meditation & Life' and 'Art of Contemplation' by Swami Chinmayananda, and 'Meditation: A Vision' by Swami Tejomayananda.

Source - Hindu Culture Series - Hinduism (FAQ - The Means and The Goal), Chinmaya Mission

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69. How many kinds of votaries are there among those who seek God ? 

Lord Krishna names four types of votaries (people who turn to God) in 'Gita 7.16':

1. 'Arta': a person in distress

2. 'Artharthi': a person seeking wealth and worldly possessions

3. 'Jijnasu': a person seeking higher knowledge

4. 'Jnani': a person of wisdom (who turns to God in pure love, not seeking anything)

Source - Hindu Culture Series - Hinduism (FAQ - The Means and The Goal), Chinmaya Mission

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