Shankara on the Absolute as Lord

We have already seen that the texts teach the existence of the Absolute as ‘that from which all this comes forth’. But did they imply that this Being is actively involved in the creation and control of the world, or is it merely conceived as an actionless divine ground on which the world manifests through nescience?

Śaṅkara’s answer is that from the standpoint of the highest truth there is no plurality and no world and no Creator, and only the divine ground exists, if even the notions of existence or ground can be applied to it.

But from the standpoint of nescience the world of duality is a fact. And from that standpoint it is a grievous error to believe that the world-process goes on through the operation of any blind force and without the conscious support and control of an omniscient and omnipotent Lord.

To correct this error, the upanishadic texts speak occasionally of the Lord (īśa, etc.) and imply that He is the efficient and material cause of the universe, the Inner Ruler and Divine Magician who spreads forth the whole world-appearance under His own conscious control as a mere illusion.

~A J Alston from 'Shankara on the Creation', p.8

Shankara on Avidya (nescience)

If, says Śaṅkara, you demand to know to whom this ‘not-being-awake-to-the-Self’ (aprabodha) belongs, we reply, ‘To you who ask this question’.

If you were awake (prabuddha) to this, you would see that in truth no nescience exists anywhere for anyone. 

Śaṅkara argues in a rather similar way in his Gītā Commentary. First he asserts that nescience does not afflict the true Self. 

Then he brings forward a pupil who wants to know what it does afflict if it does not afflict the Self. It afflicts, he is told, whatever it is perceived to afflict.

To ask further ‘What is that?’ is a useless question, since one cannot perceive nescience at all without perceiving the one afflicted by it. 

Śaṅkara so conducts the remainder of the argument that the pupil has to admit that, because he cannot help perceiving the one afflicted with nescience, he cannot himself be the one afflicted with nescience.

Thus bondage is an illusion and enlightenment does not imply any real change of state. Enlightenment does not so much destroy nescience as reveal that it never existed.

~A J Alston fom 'Sankara on the Absolute' p.88

Mechanics of Maya

The world of maya is an illusion which doesn’t look like one because the person looking is illusionary too.

Understanding the metaphysics of maya doesn’t mean ignoring the newtonian ones. Even quantum mechanics doesn’t go there. Everybody needs a bed to sleep on.

Understanding all is illusion is one thing. Knowing it's one is another. The former is mindful and the latter is atman.

2. east and west

All coding appears in the mind. Waves don’t make a sea. DNA may make the mind but the mind is an appearance in consciousness. Like AI.

Spacetime appears in consciousness and not the other way around. They say understanding this is the big difference between east and west. Sunrise appears in consciousness. Sunset appears in the mind.

3. tending to satcitananda

Happiness does not reside in the mind. War resides in the mind.

Desires aren't happiness but it's the only thing the mind has got.

People think they are tending to satcitananda by making a living, bless our little hearts.

4. me, s/he, & I

me is a reflection of I

s/he is a reflection of god

I am Self-luminous

5. talking kena 2.4

Consciousness is timeless.

Existence is spaceless.

Talking right here and right now.

I am the witness consciousness.

In absolute consciousness, there is nothing to witness.

In reflected consciousness, the dreaming is non-stop.

Attention minus thought equals awareness.

Pratibodha viditam.

footnotes

pratibodhaviditaṁ matamamṛtatvaṁ hi vindate, ātmanā vindate vīryaṁ vidyayā vindate'mṛtam.

Engineering Nonduality (MAYA)

In Maya, pure awareness is the witness consciousness. But absolutely, what is there to witness?

In Maya, Vishnu is that aspect of Isvara which pervades the universe. And not Nirguna Brahman.

Theoretical nonduality does the math but intuitive nondoing is all about the engineering.

2. the double-edged sword of Maya

An individual is a facet of the universal. Any dude will tell you. The universal always knows It's the absolute. The omnipresent is absolutely omniscient.

‘I am me’ minus ‘me’ equals ‘I am’. I Am equals universal consciousness, God, Isvara spontaneously wielding Its double-edged sword of Maya.

3. my Maya

Maya veils and Maya reveals.

Maya is beginningless like which came first the chicken or the egg.

Seeing through Maya is my meaning of life.

4. M A Y A

Make advaita yes again.

Do not go neti neti into nihilism.

Pledging my time to the principle of existence after all these years.

On an Ancient Concept

Nonduality is an alien concept to those in the world and of the world. Forgive them for avidya is beginningless. 

In the beginning, their metaparadigm is at odds with yours. Your wonderland is different than their own samsara.

It's like this: thinking consciousness is a product of this world or knowing this world is an appearance in consciousness.

2. even people

Nonduality does not deny duality. A dream is a dream is a dream.

Look, as long as you’re dreaming, someone is dreaming you.

Even people who don’t believe in god have a god. They just don't know who.

3. on I am

The God in me says I am.

I do not think I am; I know I am.

That is the bliss of consciousness-existence.

aum

I am as in I is the ground of consciousness and Am is the power of the principle of existence, om. my god, i am

nonduality comics #250426

1. An Epistle to Big Materialism

The meaning of life is, Elon, self-awareness.

The reflexive universe can show you the inner engineering.

The Katha and its ilk can coach you in the metaphysics.

2.

consciousness-existence is i am.

satcitananda is knowing i am well.

thinking otherwise sucks.

Big Bang Advaita

They say the creator and its creation are not two. There’s no space between the one.

They say the maker is masculine and the material is feminine. Nirguna brahman is without attributes.

The maker is saguna brahman. The material is hydrogen shakti. The cause is maya.

clarification

pure awareness is nirguna brahman—nirguna brahman is brahman without qualties—masculinity and femininity are qualities—saguna brahman is brahman with qualities—shiva is masculine—shakti is feminine—maya is the signal—samsara is the noise—satcitananda is the silence in which all this is appearing

furthermore

Maya is beginningless like which came first the chicken or the egg

Space is our main ingredient and time is our head distiller.

Consciousness is that open field in which my secret is appearing.

nonduality comics 250423wd

if you quack like a duck

you believe in a god

whether named or not.

people are not gods.

personalities are just parts of god.

all gods appear in atman/brahman.

consciousness/existence is the self.

the self translates as atman.

atman/brahman is the greatest.

believing I'm the body-mind is the original disease.

understanding i am that in which such ignorance appears is priceless.

intuition is the way of faith one step at a time.

there are three states of mind,

two states of dreaming,

and one consciousness.

A Godlike Homecoming

Our mind is a worldly mind, conditioned by the world in every which way but Sunday.

For Sunday is Self Day in these parts.

Separation from the world is detachment by worldly standards.

Detachment from the mind is a godlike homecoming.

Being Mindful of the Truth

Mindfulness is lucid dreaming in the waking state.

Dream interpretation isn’t lucid dreaming but mind on mind. Lucid dreaming is self-aware. 

Every graduate knows the facts. The material world is made of atomic/quantum particles.

That the world is an appearance in and of atman/brahman is being mindful of the truth.