Namaste Yajvan,
"I leave you with one inspiring thought from Swami Laksman joo..."
"This whole universe has come into existence just to carry you to God Consciousness. It is not meant to push you down. This universe is meant for your upliftment."
Indeed! And thank you for sharing all of the many excellent quotes!
I noticed that you used the term "sūnyatā". How common is it to use that term in relation to forms of Shaivism in Hinduism? I know the term is commonly used in Buddhism. -- But that it is also (imho) impossible to reconcile the core teachings of two religions even if they have several teachings that are similar...
For instance, a quote below copied from Swami Lakshmanjoo's web site concerning Buddhism:
"The tradition of Buddhist philosophers, who are known as the Vijnanavadins, accept, that you are liberated only when your mind is completely detached from all attachments to objectivity, pleasure, pain, and sorrow. They argue that the mind must remain only as mind, pure and perfect mind, because for them the mind is actually pure, filled with light, and detached from all worldly things. It is when the mind becomes attached to worldly things, such as thoughts, pleasures, and pains, that you are carried to samsara. And when these attachments are cancelled and the mind becomes pure, then you are liberated.
(shortened with a deletion at this point)"From the Shaivite point of view, these philosophical traditions remain either in apavedya-pralayakala or in savedya-pralayakala. They do not go beyond these states."
Apavedya-pralayakala is that state of pralayakala where there is no objectivity. Savedya-pralayakala is that state of pralayakala where there is some impression of objectivity. As an example, take the state of deep sleep. When you wake up from deep sleep and then think, “I was sleeping and I didn’t know anything,” that is the state of apavedya-pralayakala. And when you wake up from the state of deep sleep and think, “I was sleeping peacefully without dreaming,” that is the state of savedya-pralayakala, because you experienced that it was a sweet sleep and so “sweetness” is the object for you in this state. Shaiva philosophy does not recognize the theories of these philosophies concerning liberation (moksha) because, in fact, the yogins of these traditions do not move above the pralayakala state and are not, therefore, situated in real moksha.
Our Shaivism explains that jnana (knowledge) is knowing one’s own nature, which is all Being (sat), all consciousness (cit), and all bliss (ananda). Ajnana (ignorance) is ignoring this nature, and this is the cause of the samsara which carries one in the cycle of repeated births and deaths."
Om
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