wholeness or pūrṇa
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté
I wrote in another folder and post:
On Self-realization
What occurs ?
pūrṇatva & pūrṇahantā – wholeness, being complete & established in Being ( or joy of Being)
pauruṣa jñāna – knowledge of one’s own SELF ( that without boundaries or fraction)
dharma-megha – cloud pouring virtue
I have mentioned this wholeness/fullness (pūrṇa) on several occasions. One may ask what does that have to do with anything, I don’t get it.
By understanding this notion of pūrṇatva one can have a better understanding of SELF; for many the SELF is a bit cumbersome to catch hold of in terms of its real meaning. Based upon that idea I thought to offer the reader a few dimensions that ( I hope) will frame it bit more for one’s comprehension. Why ? It is a cornerstone of real growth.
Let’s start with this – fragmentation
My support and frame of reference here is the spandakārikā-s, really the commentary on this book , called the spandaṇirnaya by kṣemarāja. Why mention this? Because the spandaṇirnaya is a commentary on the spandakārikā-s, and in turn the spandakārikā-s is considered a commentary on the śiva-sūtras. It suggests we are in good company.
parāmṛtarasāpāyastasya yaḥ pratyayodbhavaḥ|
tenāsvatantratāmeti sa ca tanmātragocaraḥ||3.14
This says in general,
within the limited being (paśu) the rise of (or all sorts of ) ideas take place and the disappearance of the supreme sap ( called para-rasa of supreme sap) occurs;
due to or from that (tena) this limited being loses his/her independence. The appearance of the ideas ( as mentioned) are within the field of the tanmātra-s or senses
( the term in the verse is tanmātragocaraḥ or the field of the tanmātra-s).
The limited being (paśu) here is the human experience i.e. you, reading this post and pretty much anyone looking over your shoulder at the moment.
The rise (udbhavaḥ) of all the ideas, thoughts, etc. is the fragmentation or differentiated thoughts, of awareness. What has occurred ? Saṁvid becomes saṁvidaḥ ; let me explain.
Saṁvid becomes saṁvidaḥ
This saṁvid is consciousness ; in fact it means ‘to know together , know thoroughly’ That means it is unfragmented it is undifferentiated – it is whole (pūrṇa).
When a mass of ideas, thoughts and the like bubble up we know have saṁvidaḥ or the plural form ( grammatically speaking) of saṁvid. The plural form tells
us of cognitions, of various perceptions, of experiences - the many. The wholeness of consciousness becomes fragmented into discrete ( it seems) experiences and perceptions and this is driven by the field of the senses (tanmātragocaraḥ or the field of the tanmātra-s which we will revisit at a future date). So, let’s look at this a bit more via an example.
Let’s say you are looking at a tree. You then move your perception to a car ( in fact a blue car); Your perception moved from object A to object B. Yet what occurred
in-between object A and B ? Awareness was there yet what registered within the ‘attention’ was object A then object B. Not many people pay attention to the continuity
that continues from A to B or even to another object (or objects) C, D, E and F. What remained is the under-current of consciousness that continued , but not many pay
much attention to it. As awareness alights on objects , discrete objects of a blue car, a tree, a pen, a desk, etc. there is saṁvidaḥ , the cognitions and perceptions of objects
that are outward facing in the environment surrounding us. Little attention is paid to saṁvid, the unfragmented consciousness that is the foundation of all awareness.
This continuity from one perception to another has a name, anusaṁdhāna (anu + saṁdhāna) :
- anu = each by each , one after another
- saṁdhāna = the act of placing or joining together or uniting , junction , union + each by each , orderly , methodically , one after another
When one's awareness is established in this saṁvid, this unfragmented awareness, then it is one’s referral point. It is one’s frame of reference all the time.
So the 3 other states of consciousness ( states or avasthā) that we are told of i.e. wake-dream-sleep appear or reside within this saṁvid, this unfragmented awareness.
The continuity (anusaṁdhāna) between the 3 is done via saṁvid. When we are not anchored in this saṁvid, we go from one perception to another not aware of the continuity (anusaṁdhāna).
When one lives in this saṁvid, this continuity (anusaṁdhāna) of consciousness all the time ( even in wake-dream-sleep), it is wholeness , it is non-fragmented. This is Self-awareness. It becomes one’s frame of reference ( more on this later).
Kṛṣṇaḥ says it this way in the bhāgavadgītā ( 7th verse of the 7th chapter): every thing rests upon me (Kṛṣṇaḥ being pure consciousness, SELF of all beings) like pearls on a string. The continuity (anusaṁdhāna) of the pearls ( different states or avasthā of consciousness) are strung together by the string ( pure awareness/SELF), not seen, but the common thread between all states.
My teacher would always talk of a tree and the sap. When one looks at a tree and sees all the branches, all the leaves, they are all an expression of the sap. The clear sap that permiates all parts of the tree , from the root to the tree’s branches and leaves. Like that, this SELF ( Being) permeates the different states or avasthā. In fact these ~ states~ are just different expressions of the sap. Some times the sap expresses itself as the bark of the tree and when we look to the leaves it is now taking on the green of the leaf or the bloom of the flower at the end of the leaf. Like that this SELF is behind the scenes .
So, the question arises, why can’t I just experience this Self why does it seem so elusive ? The answer is this, the unconditioned (SELF) cannot be known by the conditioned or puryaṣṭaka, the 8 parts/components. The 8 are the tanmātra-s¹, buddhi, ahaṁkāra ¹, and manas¹. If you look to the verse 3.14 above you will see tanmātragocaraḥ or the field of the tanmātra-s. It is this tanmātragocaraḥ or the field of the tanmātra-s ( made up of 5) + 3 more i.e. buddhi, ahaṁkāra , and manas which = 8 , or puryaṣṭaka, the 8 parts/components. This city of 8 is part of the human condition, that becomes conditioned.
More on this in the next post.
इतिशिवं
iti śivaṁ
words
· tanmātra-s – considered śabda ( sound), sparśa (touch), rūpa (form) , rasa ( taste) & gandha (smell); these senses influence and ‘condition’ the human
· buddhi – intellect ; the power of forming and retaining conceptions and general notions , intelligence , reasoning abilities
· ahaṁkāra – ego that is connected with objectivity
· manas – mind in its widest sense; many see this organ as ‘thought production’
Last edited by yajvan; 12 August 2016 at 06:38 PM.
यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
because you are identical with śiva
_
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