Vakyavritti: Shankara on the Mahavakyas
Recently, I read the Vakyavritti of Adi Shankara. Vakya means spoken saying. Vritti means thoughts or movements of the mind. In other words, his thoughts on the Vaykas. The Vakyas in question are the 4 …
Category: Waking
Gaining Enlightenment
This title is misleading. We don’t “gain” enlightenment. Rather, the cosmic Self or presence wakes up to itself and we shed the personal me. Losing our sense of who we are may seem a major …
On Time and Gravity
I’ve spoken before about time. Physics models time as a fourth dimension of spacetime. I agree time has some properties similar to space but also some that are quite distinct. For example, time flows whereas …
The Possessed Self
The distinctions between aspects of self have been a regular topic here. The I-sense ego (Ahamkara) is that sense of being distinct, separate from others and objects of the world. This is my hand (self) …
Experiencing the Cosmic Body
The Cosmic Body is the body of all bodies. It is a deep idea-form in cosmic mind (on the level I call creation) that is the model for our form and contains all bodies in …
Local and Cosmic
For most, there is a big difference between what we’re experiencing and what consciousness is experiencing through us. When we’re identified with the mind and person, our vantage point is through that lens. Even though …
The Source
Recently, I was rereading All Love Flows to the Self, a book of stories from the Upanishads. I’ve mentioned this quote from the Taittiriya Upanishad (3.6.1) before: Out of bliss these beings are born, In …
Where’s the Bliss?
Seems this is the topic of the month as I’ve come back to it again. Terms like sat chit ananda and nirvana refer to an established awakening. Both reference bliss, so bliss is clearly an …
Come Together
The process of enlightenment is all about uniting. In Self Realization, the jiva recognizes itself as Atman, the point value recognizes its universality. The Self wakes up to itself through this form. In the Unity …
Mother is at Home
As consciousness becomes more self-aware within, we gain a sense of unchanging reality, an inner rock or point of stability. If we’re prone to be fearful or insecure, this is a great balm. “Weapons cannot …
Where’s the Happiness?
Recently watching an interview show, I noted how disconnected the host was from his feelings. By this, I don’t mean an unattached witness but they were so repressed they’d made emotions “other”, not part of …
On Truth
As enlightenment unfolds, we gain access to knowledge previously hidden and experience qualities of perfection and truth. The layers between pure consciousness and our surface experience come to light. In time, what has unfolded in …