Ekanta
30 April 2010, 06:04 PM
Oki doki here we go...
Basically I have a hard time getting a grip on "Anandamaya Kosha". Its said that the defects of the Jiva are three: Mala (impurity), Vikshepa (distraction), Avarana (veil of ignorance).
According to Sivananda Maya/Ishvara/mula-prakriti/pradhāna/avyakta are all synonymous terms.
Ishvaras causal body is universal maya and the individual causal body is avidya.
The thing is this: Of what I've read so far the defects of illusion are located in the mind (antahkarana), but I've also read that these defects or vasanas lay latent in anandamaya, during deep sleep for example. So it appears that the rabbit hole goes all the way to anandamaya (of course it does since its part of prakriti), but I find very little scriptural support for this, very little scriptural description of anandamaya. The focus seems to be on the other koshas and very much on manas, buddhi, ahamkara, senses etc.
As I understand it: Mala (impurity) is caused by tamas ["dirty mind"], Vikshepa (distraction) is caused by rajas [moving mind]. But what about Avarana (veil of ignorance)? It appears its identical with avidya and either Suddha-Sattva (pure) or Malina-Sattva (sattva mixed with rajas/tamas)? Or am I making too much of a generalization?
The quotes below are from Sivanandas "Vedanta for beginners"
http://www.dlshq.org/download/vedbegin.htm
Gunas
Disciple: What Guna is found in the physical body?
Guru: Tamoguna.
Disciple: What Guna is found in the Pranamaya Kosha?
Guru: Rajoguna.
Disciple: What is the Guna found in the Manomaya Kosha?
Guru: Sattva mixed with Tamas.
Disciple: What is the Guna found in the Vijnanamaya Kosha?
Guru: Sattva mixed with Rajas.
Disciple: What is the Guna found in the Anandamaya Kosha?
Guru: Sattva, technically called the Malina-Sattva (mixed with Rajas and Tamas) in contrast with Suddha-Sattva of which Maya is the embodiment.
The A Priori Method
Prakriti, the cause of ignorance, is made up of three Gunas, and carries with her the reflection of that transcendent Reality, Satchidananda. This Prakriti is divided into two aspects, called Maya and Avidya.
Maya is Suddha-Sattva-Pradhana or that state of Prakriti in which the principle of Purity or Sattva, predominates over the other two,—Rajas and Tamas.
Avidya is Malina-Sattva or that state of Prakriti in which Sattva is predominated and sullied by the other two.
When that pure Intelligence, Chit, is reflected through Maya or Suddha-Sattva, the reflected Consciousness is called Isvara. It is one only, and controls Maya.
When that Chit is reflected in Malina-Sattva or Avidya, the reflected Consciousness is called Jiva. Due to the multifarious nature of Avidya, Jivas are too many, and being individualised and separated from one another, they are swayed by Avidya or ignorance. And this ignorance leads them to identification with the five sheaths and the three bodies. Thus, there is activity, pain and suffering for the Jiva.
In the sentence, Tat Tvam Asi, Tat refers to the reflected Consciousness in Maya and Tvam refers to the reflected Consciousness in Avidya. The word Asi proclaims their unity. It asserts that one Chit alone, reflected in a twofold way, goes under the names of Isvara and Jiva, when it is respectively qualified by the Upadhis of Maya and Avidya in its reflected State.
This, in short, is the a priori method of understanding the meaning of the Maha-Vakya, Tat Tvam Asi, the method arrived at from cause to effect.
Basically I have a hard time getting a grip on "Anandamaya Kosha". Its said that the defects of the Jiva are three: Mala (impurity), Vikshepa (distraction), Avarana (veil of ignorance).
According to Sivananda Maya/Ishvara/mula-prakriti/pradhāna/avyakta are all synonymous terms.
Ishvaras causal body is universal maya and the individual causal body is avidya.
The thing is this: Of what I've read so far the defects of illusion are located in the mind (antahkarana), but I've also read that these defects or vasanas lay latent in anandamaya, during deep sleep for example. So it appears that the rabbit hole goes all the way to anandamaya (of course it does since its part of prakriti), but I find very little scriptural support for this, very little scriptural description of anandamaya. The focus seems to be on the other koshas and very much on manas, buddhi, ahamkara, senses etc.
As I understand it: Mala (impurity) is caused by tamas ["dirty mind"], Vikshepa (distraction) is caused by rajas [moving mind]. But what about Avarana (veil of ignorance)? It appears its identical with avidya and either Suddha-Sattva (pure) or Malina-Sattva (sattva mixed with rajas/tamas)? Or am I making too much of a generalization?
The quotes below are from Sivanandas "Vedanta for beginners"
http://www.dlshq.org/download/vedbegin.htm
Gunas
Disciple: What Guna is found in the physical body?
Guru: Tamoguna.
Disciple: What Guna is found in the Pranamaya Kosha?
Guru: Rajoguna.
Disciple: What is the Guna found in the Manomaya Kosha?
Guru: Sattva mixed with Tamas.
Disciple: What is the Guna found in the Vijnanamaya Kosha?
Guru: Sattva mixed with Rajas.
Disciple: What is the Guna found in the Anandamaya Kosha?
Guru: Sattva, technically called the Malina-Sattva (mixed with Rajas and Tamas) in contrast with Suddha-Sattva of which Maya is the embodiment.
The A Priori Method
Prakriti, the cause of ignorance, is made up of three Gunas, and carries with her the reflection of that transcendent Reality, Satchidananda. This Prakriti is divided into two aspects, called Maya and Avidya.
Maya is Suddha-Sattva-Pradhana or that state of Prakriti in which the principle of Purity or Sattva, predominates over the other two,—Rajas and Tamas.
Avidya is Malina-Sattva or that state of Prakriti in which Sattva is predominated and sullied by the other two.
When that pure Intelligence, Chit, is reflected through Maya or Suddha-Sattva, the reflected Consciousness is called Isvara. It is one only, and controls Maya.
When that Chit is reflected in Malina-Sattva or Avidya, the reflected Consciousness is called Jiva. Due to the multifarious nature of Avidya, Jivas are too many, and being individualised and separated from one another, they are swayed by Avidya or ignorance. And this ignorance leads them to identification with the five sheaths and the three bodies. Thus, there is activity, pain and suffering for the Jiva.
In the sentence, Tat Tvam Asi, Tat refers to the reflected Consciousness in Maya and Tvam refers to the reflected Consciousness in Avidya. The word Asi proclaims their unity. It asserts that one Chit alone, reflected in a twofold way, goes under the names of Isvara and Jiva, when it is respectively qualified by the Upadhis of Maya and Avidya in its reflected State.
This, in short, is the a priori method of understanding the meaning of the Maha-Vakya, Tat Tvam Asi, the method arrived at from cause to effect.