Re: Who Attains Moksha?
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté
Let me if I may offer this point of view...
We are humans and most live in the objective world. Within this world of things we acquire, store , gather, collect and inventory things. Yet when it comes to the notion of mokṣa the term ~acquire~ (prāpta) may feel right, but it is a bit off-the-mark.
Now, why do I mention this? Well begun is half done. One key quality in advancing the notion of mokṣa is the comprehension of what it is and what it is not. Perhaps we can talk a bit of this, if this string supports the idea and there is an eagerness to 'get it'.
So, that said the notion of acquisition (prāpta) is just a bit off-the-mark. How so? If something is acquired then it is objectively possessed and is transactional. That is, it has a beginning and an end. Mokṣa is that of ātma-vidya , the re-recognition of one's true Self, of Being.
It has never left , it is here, and permeates every fiber of every thing. It has no beginning and no end. So there is no-thing to acquire.
Even the notion of 'being on the path' is often used by the seeker (anveṣaka¹). But how can there be a path if the beginning and the end are in the same place ? This is the pickle. We are none other then that, the Self. You cannot go even for one second not being the Self.
If this Self (ātman) was outside of you, at some destination, then perhaps a map could be made that would guide one to its acquisition - then it could be obtained, gathered, collected. But this is not the case.
It is like this... there once was a beautiful lady that wore a string of pears about her neck. She is so busy with daily life she forgets these pearls and thinks they have been lost. She scurries here and there looking for the necklace. She asks her friend have you seen my precious necklace ?
Her friend points to the woman's neck and says look here, feel here. To the woman's surprise she says ' oh, I have found my necklace, what joy '. Now, did she ~find~ her necklace ? was it really ever missing ? It is this feeling that something has been found that suggests we have obtained a lost item, but we know this is not the case.
This is the pickle of mokṣa. We are never really missing our own Self ... tell me one time ( even in the deepest sleep) you have not been the Self - pure Being, existence itself. We are told in our āgama-s:
turyātīte bheda ekaḥ
satatodita ityam || tantrāloka 10.283
'without break or pause' is satatoditam (satata + udita). This Being, this Fullness and Wholeness does cease, it has no edge or crack. So, this must include every one on this good earth.
So what needs to be done ? There is a word used - pratyabhijñā = recognition or re-recognition. It is just the notion of recognizing one's Self again. So all the techniques available are not ones for 'attainment' but the removal of the those things that hinder the natural state of Being from being one's full and uncomplicated experience.
iti śivaṁ
1. anveṣaka - searching
यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
because you are identical with śiva
_
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