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yajvan
22 April 2009, 06:52 AM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

Namasté

There is a notion that realizing the Self ( Brahman, ātman) one is then unconditioned. When the afflictions (kleśa-s¹) of avidya (ignornace) are gone, what is left is the purity of the moment; not the collection of memories that make one react and respond today from the collections of the past.
This has been given name, vāsanā-s, or the impressions of the past ( some like to call latent tendencies) , residual impressions which cling to the individual life-after-life.

What is this conditioning? This is how I view it: Take a grasshopper and put him in a jar and screw the top back on. The grasshopper jumps and hits his head on the lid over and over again. He soon finds his actions are fruitless , so he jumps only so far up as to not bang his green head again and again. Take off the lid and he still only jumps as high as the top of the jar. He is conditioned.

Take a human - put him in a jar ( his/her environment of people, places, and things). The human lives within the space and its containments of values, judgements, abilities, etc. The person does his/her best to progress and be successful within the jar's confinements.

Introduce the experience of the SELF. This Self's space (cid ākāśa) or boundry is boundless, Infinite. Establish this SELF on the level of experience and the jar is broken , yet the space is still the space, whether inside or outside the jar - but the jar is no more. The person now feels and experiences boundlessness.

For the wise, established in sattā ( of Being) every experience is anew, freshly seen with no baggage (vāsanā-s) of the past. No new vāsanā-s are created. This is why this level of life is called mokṣa (liberated), an unconditioned level of being - one is free from all impressions and no additional impressions are taken on. More about this in a future post.

praṇām

words


kleśa क्लेश - affliction; 5 are considered - avidyā or ignorance, asmitā or egotism, rāga or desire , dveṣa or aversion , and abhiniveśa or tenacity of mundane existence
avidyā + asmitā + rāga + dveṣa + abhiniveśa = moha मोह - bewilderment , perplexity , distraction , infatuation , delusion, error =delusion of mind thus preventing the discernment of truth and leading individuals to believe in the reality of worldly objects.
sattā सत्ता - Being, existence, fullness of the Self; bhūman भूमन् - abundance, the aggregate of all existing things

yajvan
22 April 2009, 11:19 AM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

Namasté


For the wise, established in sattā (of Being) every experience is anew, freshly seen with no baggage (vāsanā-s) of the past. No new vāsanā-s are created. This is why this level of life is called mokṣa (liberated), an unconditioned level of being - one is free from all impressions and no additional impressions are taken on.
Yet there is a POV that says if this individual is univeral and Brahman, why then is there a body, why not just pure consciousness? The experience of keeping the body is that of leśāvidya. That is leśa लेश + avidya अविद्य.

leśa लेश is a slight trace, a small part or portion , particle , atom
avidya अविद्य - is 'unwise', 'unlearned' - without knowledge i.e. ignornace.So this leśāvidya is a trace of ignornace that remains. My teacher explained it thus.
Take a butter-ball ( a ball of ghee ) that is firm, just came out of the refrigerator. As you hold it in your hands even for a moment
then put it down, you have the 'remains' on your hands or fingers. The light film from holding the butter in your hands remain. Like that, one that is living, and also lives and breathes the state of Brahman, has this 'leśāvidya' that reamins. Once the body is dropped, this leśāvidya' is no more.

praṇām