#uu v.22

[shinymoonbird]

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By means of the sequence of the ideas presented in verses 16 to 22, Sri Bhagavan reveals to us the true and practical import of the scriptural teaching known as neti-neti (not this, not this). 

This teaching is generally misunderstood to mean that an aspirant should try to negate the five sheaths by meditating, ‘I am not this, I am not this’. However, in the previous seven verses Sri Bhagavan reveals that neti-neti is not intended to denote a method of practice, but only indicates the final state of experience.

That is, in verses 16 to 19 Sri Bhagavan teaches us the method of practicing Self-enquiry; in verse 20 He teaches us that as a result of such practice the reality will shine forth spontaneously as ‘I-I’ or ‘I am I; in verse 21 He declares that the reality which thus shines forth as ‘I-I’ is always the true import of the word ‘I’; and finally in verse 22 He concludes by saying that since the five sheaths are insentient and unreal, they cannot be ‘I’, the reality whose nature is existence-consciousness. 

In other words, the true knowledge that the five sheaths are not ‘I’ is an experience which can be attained only by knowing the real nature of ‘I’ through the practice of Self-enquiry.

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The reason why the scriptures begin by teaching that the five sheaths are not ‘I’, is that in order to practise Self-enquiry it is useful for an aspirant to understand intellectually that the ‘I’ which is to be attended to is not the body or any of the other adjuncts which are now felt by him to be mixed with the feeling ‘I’. 

But since Sri Bhagavan does not want us to fall a prey to the misunderstanding that pondering intellectually over the truth that the five sheaths are not ‘I’ is itself the method of negating the five sheaths, in this work He has carefully taught us the method of practising Self-enquiry before revealing to us the conclusion that the five sheaths are not ‘I’.

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(verses 1-to-30)

[shinymoonbird]

You declared: ‘Since those who have [truly] seen see nothing other than their own Self, thinking [of something other than the Self] is inconsistent [with that state].’ Praise be to you!  ~  Sri Muruganar  - ‘Upadesa Tiruvahaval’, 87-88

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UPADESA UNDIYAR (Tamil) or UPADESA SARAM (Sanskrit)

THE ESSENCE OF TEACHINGS - PART 15           (edited set)

NUL - TEXT  

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22.   Since the body, mind, intellect, breath and the darkness [of ignorance which remains in sleep] are all insentient [jada] and unreal [asat], they are not ‘I’, which is the reality [sat].

Note:

The word pori used in the Tamil version of this verse and the word indriya used in the Sanskrit version, both of which literally mean ‘senses’, are used here to denote the mind, because that which functions through the senses is only the mind.

All the five sheaths or panchakosas – namely the physical body (annamaya-kosa), the breath or the life-force (pranamaya-kosa), the mind (manomaya-kosa), the intellect (vijnanamaya-kosa) and the darkness of ignorance (anandamaya-kosa) which is experienced in sleep due to the disappearance of the other four sheaths – are insentient and unreal, because they do not possess any inherent consciousness or existence of their own. Hence they cannot be ‘I’ the reality which is both self-existing and self-shining.

By means of the sequence of the ideas presented in verses 16 to 22, Sri Bhagavan reveals to us the true and practical import of the scriptural teaching known as neti-neti (not this, not this). This teaching is generally misunderstood to mean that an aspirant should try to negate the five sheaths by meditating, ‘I am not this, I am not this’. However, in the above seven verses Sri Bhagavan reveals that neti-neti is not intended to denote a method of practice, but only indicates the final state of experience. That is, in verses 16 to 19 Sri Bhagavan teaches us the method of practicing Self-enquiry; in verse 20 He teaches us that as a result of such practice the reality will shine forth spontaneously as ‘I-I’ or ‘I am I; in verse 21 He declares that the reality which thus shines forth as ‘I-I’ is always the true import of the word ‘I’; and finally in verse 22 He concludes by saying that since the five sheaths are insentient and unreal, they cannot be ‘I’, the reality whose nature is existence-consciousness. In other words, the true knowledge that the five sheaths are not ‘I’ is an experience which can be attained only by knowing the real nature of ‘I’ through the practice of Self-enquiry.

The reason why the scriptures begin by teaching that the five sheaths are not ‘I’, is that in order to practise Self-enquiry it is useful for an aspirant to understand intellectually that the ‘I’ which is to be attended to is not the body or any of the other adjuncts which are now felt by him to be mixed with the feeling ‘I’. But since Sri Bhagavan does not want us to fall a prey to the misunderstanding that pondering intellectually over the truth that the five sheaths are not ‘I’ is itself the method of negating the five sheaths, in this work He has carefully taught us the method of practising Self-enquiry before revealing to us the conclusion that the five sheaths are not ‘I’.

In the remaining eight verses of this work, Sri Bhagavan reveals more conclusions which will be useful in helping us to put Self-enquiry into practice, but which can be realized through direct experience only when we actually attend to ‘I’ and thereby realize its true nature.

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https://www.davidgodman.org/rteach/Upadesa_Undiyar.pdf

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Photo by Bernd Kalidas Flory - The Shrine of Sri Ramana’s Samadhi

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[shinymoonbird]

Este verdadeiro 'Eu', a única Realidade, não é o corpo, ou os sentidos, ou mente, ou respiração, ou ignorância. Estes são todos inertes e insencientes.

~ Upadesa Saram - A Essência dos Ensinamentos, V. 22

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Por meio da sequência das ideias apresentadas nos versículos 16 a 22, Sri Bhagavan revela-nos o significado verdadeiro e prático do ensinamento das escrituras conhecido como neti-neti (não isto, não isto). 

Este ensinamento é geralmente mal interpretado como significando que um aspirante deveria tentar negar os cinco invólucros meditando, ‘Eu não sou isto, eu não sou isto’. No entanto, nos sete versículos anteriores, Sri Bhagavan revela que neti-neti não tem a intenção de denotar um método de prática, mas apenas indica o estado final de experiência. 

Ou seja, nos versículos 16 a 19, Sri Bhagavan ensina-nos o método de praticar a Auto-inquirição; no versículo 20, ele ensina-nos que, como resultado de tal prática, a realidade brilhará espontaneamente como 'Eu-Eu' ou 'Eu sou Eu; no versículo 21 Ele declara que a realidade que assim brilha como ‘Eu-Eu’ é sempre o verdadeiro significado da palavra ‘Eu’; e, finalmente, no versículo 22, ele conclui dizendo que, uma vez que os cinco invólucros são insensíveis e irreais, eles não podem ser "Eu", a realidade cuja natureza é existência-consciência. 

Por outras palavras, o verdadeiro conhecimento de que os cinco invólucros não são 'Eu' é uma experiência que pode ser alcançada apenas por conhecer a natureza real do 'Eu' por meio da prática da Auto-inquirição.

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A razão pela qual as escrituras começam ensinando que os cinco invólucros não são 'Eu', é que, para praticar a Auto-inquirição, é útil para um aspirante compreender intelectualmente que o 'Eu' em que se deve fixar a atenção não é o corpo ou qualquer um dos outros adjuntos que agora ele sente como estando misturados com o sentimento "Eu". 

Mas, uma vez que Sri Bhagavan não quer que caiamos no mal-entendido de que ponderar intelectualmente sobre a verdade de que os cinco invólucros não são 'Eu' é em si o método de negar os cinco invólucros, neste trabalho Ele ensinou-nos cuidadosamente o método de praticar a Auto-inquirição antes de nos revelar a conclusão de que os cinco invólucros não são 'Eu'.

Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Arunachalaramanaya