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yajvan
08 December 2006, 07:04 PM
Hari Om
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Namaste visphulinga ( sparks ...but of what? the Divine).

I think it may be good to talk a bit on Bhagavat Chetana. Please provide your insights and comments. This is the knowledge from my teachers/the tradition, etc. If one on this forum finds vimoha (error) or blemishes in my understanding, please point it out. Also note, my knowledge is still one-legged as I do not live this level of being and await His grace.
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In God Consciousness or Bhagavat Chetana, there are certain levels of experience and consciousness the aspirant ( sadhu ) will experience, a specific quality of the doer ( us).
This is called naishkarmyam, a quality of non-attachment, where the doer enjoys freedom and the non-binding influence of actions. So what is binding? – cause-and-effect, leading to rebirth into ignorance ( that is, not knowing ones SELF). This subject alone is a multi-post conversation, but let’s assume what is said above is true for now and the Upanishads are correct.

Unfulfilled desires is the reason one comes back to earth they say. So , How is this adjusted? This naishkarmyam experience of Self-consciousness (but not yet God Consciousness or Bhagavat Chetana) is not overshadowed by any other state of consciousness e.g. waking dreaming or sleep. So why is this of any interest? Well, the evolution to God consciousness requires this level (naishkarmyam) to be established, as it forms the foundation for God Consciousness. The SELF finds itSELF separate from the field of activity. In other words, there is the Slience of Being on one side, and the activity of the manifenst life on the other.

This Sileince of the SELF and It's underlying nature, and a quality of GOD is all-pervasive. All this is nothing by the SELF proclaims the rishis of the Upanishads.

The SELF or Pure consciousness, is every where ( like akasha or space, everywhere). So, we begin to experience HIM within our SELF as separate from activity, a very personal experience. This is the experience of PURE CONSCIOUSNESS, or the Absolute, HIS transcendental form.
Once this level of consciousness is stable ( called Turiyatit Chetana or Cosmic Consciousness, some call SELF Consciousness ), the individual ( Sadhu) can now go to the next level... God Consciousness . What that means is this Pure consciousness begins to be experienced through the senses...
The eyes see HIM in HIS creation, the nose smells HIM,the senses experience Him, etc. His creation gets experienced by the individual from a whole different level of appreciation - as an extension of ones SELF, which is HIM!!! This is the Divine Union one reads about.
The person delights in his own SELF. Fullness of Life is reached 100% of the relative field of life ( cars, family, job, house, expansion) is United with 100% of Pure Consciousness called SELF.
[ What is missing today, is the Pure consciousness part, that is why life/society is so unbalanced , we're missing the 200% formula 100% SELF and 100% relative life made of the 3 gunas]
So , how does this non-attachment concept we always read about come into play herel? Well once you have established this consciousness, the individual (small) self becomes SELF. Your actions are in accord with Nature or the cosmic purpose ( dharma, expansion of happiness, Bliss, Sattva). You are doing HIS work. Every thing becomes and extension of HIM and as the Veda's say a person does the "Highest Good". You have basically "non-attached" from the 3 Gunas that cause re-birth again and again. This in my humble estimation, is God's compassion for us to try again to get it right - it is said that "no effort is lost" - so if you get to the 20 yard line and you don't realize this SELF or Cosmic Consciousness, it stays on your credit and is rolled over to pursue again – this is pointed out in the Gita.

Some key tenets on this ... some folks over the millennium read the instructions for this and thought this state of consciousness is a "Mood" or behavior to emulate... so the thought was to become "non-attached" or act without desires. This is not the instruction given by Krsna. Some thought that one had to become a recluse - not so , its a level of achievement both recluse and householder can enjoy.
The key here is to "withdraw, then withdraw from the withdrawal" or transcend, then come back into activity and perform actions - infusing more and more Turiyatit Chetana into ones daily life - kinda like bleaching a piece of cloth in the sun , over time, the cloth turns white.
One point to ponder: the SELF realizes itself to itSELF. This is called out in the Mundaka Upanishad (3.2.3). We can only provide the runway or conditions for this to occur - hence mediation, prayers, (japa -or repetitions like the rosary), reading scriptures, all conditions we do to set up the SELF to realize itSELF by itSELF. We think we chose the spiritual path, yet it chose us.
...just some thoughts on a beautiful Friday in California. More as you wish to discuss and go deeper and wider.

patu sarvaih svarupair nah sada sarvatra sama-gah
May the Lord, who is all-pervasive in His various forms, protect us everywhere