Kena 2.4 Pratibodha-viditam(Brahman is known through every cognition)

pratibodhaviditaṁ matam amṛtatvaṁ hi vindate, ātmanā vindate vīryaṁ vidyayā vindate’mṛtam. (2.4) 

pratibodha-viditam – known through every cognition; matam – known; amṛtatvam – immortality; hi – indeed; vindate – gains; ātmanā – by oneself; vindate – gains; vīryam – capacity; vidyayā – by knowledge; vindate – gains; amṛtam – immortality

~Kena 2.4 (tr-Dayananda

Brahman is known through every cognition. One, indeed, gains immortality (from that cognition). One gains the capacity (to know) by oneself. (Thereafter) one gains immortality by knowledge.

~Kena 2.4 (tr-Dayananda)

Indeed, he convincingly attains immortality, who intuits It in and through every modification of the mind. Through the Ᾱtman he obtains real strength, and through knowledge, immortality.

~Kena 2.4 (tr-Chinmayananda)

Pratibodha-viditam, known with reference to each state of intelligence. By the word bodha are meant the cognitions acquired through the intellect. The Self, that encompasses all ideas as Its objects, is known in relation to all these ideas. Being the witness of all cognitions, and by nature nothing but the power of Consciousness, the Self is indicated by the cognitions themselves, in the midst of cognitions, as pervading (all of) them. There is no other door to Its awareness. Therefore when Brahman is known as the innermost Self (i.e. witness) of cognitions, then is It matam, known, that is to say, then there is Its complete realization. Only by accepting Brahman as the witness of all cognitions can it be established that It is by nature a witness that is not subject to growth and decay, and is eternal, pure in essence, the Self, unconditioned, and one in all beings...

~Shankara's commentary on Kena 2.4 (tr-Gambhirananda)

How, again, is immortality attained through the aforesaid knowledge of the Self? This is being answered. Atmanā, through one's own Self; vindate, (one) attains; vīryam, strength, capacity. The strength got from wealth, friend, incantation, medicine, asuterity, or Yoga cannot conquer death, for it is produced by impermanent things. But the strength, consequent on the knowledge of the Self, is acquired through the Self alone and not through anything else. Thus, since the strength resulting from the knowledge of the Self is independent of any means of acquisition, that strength alone is able to conquer death. Since the strength produced by the knowledge of the Self is thus attained through the Self, therefore, vidyayā, through knowledge about the Self; (one) vindate, attains; amṛtam, immortality.

~Shankara's commentary on Kena 2.4 continued (tr-Gambhirananda)

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In other words, the witness (pure consciousness) is intuited within ordinary cognition, and it is that witness (aka atman) which alone provides the strength for knowledge (brahmavidya) and thus self-realization (immortality).

The Capital of Consciousness

The reflection of consciousness in the subtle body

of functional compounds and organic chemicals

is nothing but pure consciousness—as white water is

nothing but water disturbed by a bed of beliefs

(a belief is like a glacial boulder of thought).

Atman's Prayer

I am brahman.

Aham brahmasmi.

Christ, Krishna, Consciousness.

Materialism is another name for duality. Duality is the ground for all religion. Some kind of god is always on the other side of the great divide.

Some pray to the god of everything.

Some pray to the god of nothing.

Sometimes I get a great notion to pray to myself.

The Powers of Maya

The power, the sakti, of maya is binary. One power projects, creates. This is called viksepa sakti.

And the zero counterpart is veiling. This is called avarana sakti. Dayananda calls this duality the maya code.

But in maya, there's a third power: jnanam sakti. Jnanam is opposed to the veiling power of avarana.

Believing one is a person (I am a samsari) is the veiling of knowledge and projection of ignorance.

The ‘I am’ may be there, but ‘I am brahman’ is the mahavakya of jnanam, the true power of knowledge.

Dream Duet

The mind dreams at night. And consciousness, as the reflection of awareness benighted by conceptual avidya, is dreaming during the day.

But the dreams of consciousness feel real because of the real substrate (satcitananda) upon which they are projected.

Maya feels real and always will feel real. Seeing through avidya is another thing. It’s like waking after a bad dream. You’re still in a dream but no longer of a dream.

Song of Mithya

Vivarta is apparent change, illusory change. Vivarta-vada is the theory of apparent change. See snake and rope. See desert mirage. See maya. See avidya. See seer. See seen. See Vidyaranya.

There are two orders of creation (srsti): parinama and vivarta. Parinama is modification, becoming. In vivarta, there is no becoming. Brahman is immutable, changeless. There may be a golden namarupa, but the gold remains gold.

Satyam is real. Mithya is neither real nor unreal, square circles being unreal. Mithya is satyam but satyam is not mithya. Wave is water but water is not wave. The causal power is maya. Its effect is srsti. Isvara is creator. All of this is mithya. 

Ode to Satcitananda

I is another name for pure existence (sat). Revelation is another name for pure awareness (cit). Beyond is another name for holistic bliss infinity (ananda). Satcitananda is another name for brahman which is another name for the big beyond the bang.

Life is the manifestation of being. Evolution is the manifestation of intelligence. Self-awareness is the manifestation of holistic bliss infinity. With being and existence, presence is sat. With awareness and intelligence, consciousness is cit. With holistic bliss, infinity is ananda.

Satcitananda is brahman, nirguna brahman, the absolute. The manifestation of satcitananda is isvara, saguna brahman, universal consciousness. Isvara minus maya is brahman. Ego minus avidya is atman. Atman is brahman, the end.

Moby Samsara

The reflection of awareness in the subtle body spontaneously activates the intellect, ego, mind, and vital breath. This is called the immaculate conception.

In the beginning, the mind receives and organizes incoming data, the intellect reviews it and makes a decision, the inner-breath / outer-body executes.

But the more Aham identifies with the body-mind the less Aham identifies with consciousness. As body-mind usurps intelligent awareness absolutely—

Aham's body-mind becomes the absolute reality. Believing the true you will die has got to be a real bummer.

The Four Formulas

1. attention minus thought equals awareness.

2. awareness plus thought equals consciousness.

3. nirguna brahman plus maya equals saguna brahman.

4. the witness equals you, minus avidya.

I Know I Am I

The reflection of awareness is consciousness. This consciousness lights your fire, I know!

But the reflection of light in a clear mirror remains light. There are not two lights. Consciousness is awareness.

It's like that formula: attention minus thought equals awareness. Or said another way, awareness plus thought equals consciousness.

They say nirguna brahman plus maya equals saguna brahman. Thus ask not who is the witness. The witness is you, minus avidya.

On Viveka and Nisarga Yoga

Ego (ahamkara) makes three identifications (tadatmyam): with the reflection of consciousness (cicchaya), with the body (deha), and with the witness (saksi). The first is natural, the second is karmic, and the third one is made out of ignorance.

1. Sahajam tadatmyam: the ciccaya (reflection of consciousness) in the suksma sarira (subtle body) gives rise to the ahamkara. It’s only natural this ego identifies with that consciousness and that consciousness identifies with ego. The resultant experience is “I know.”

2. Karmajam tadatmyam: identification with the body-mind is karmic. For countless reasons, there’s a reflection of consciousness in the subtle body contained within this body-mind. These first two identifications are the work of maya and maya is above our pay grade. In maya but not of maya.

3. Bhranti-janyam tadatmyam: ego is finite but the witness is infinite. The mutual superimposition of ego and witness is one of ignorance and the root of all samsaric suffering. The resultant experience of this misidentification is “I am.” Although avidya is beginningless, it’s not endless. That’s what viveka and nisarga yoga are for.

In the Valley of Nondoing

First there is a mountain, then I am the mountain, then the mountain is appearing in That I Am. Life is just an illusive interruption from awareness for the purposes of self-awareness.

It’s not that existence is nothing, my nihilistic friend, but that existence as a dream state is nothing when compared to the sat (being, existence, presence) of satcitananda, aka parabrahman.

So in the mountainous world of doing, ego decides, the intellect rationalizes this decision, and the mind veils the inconvenient facts while projecting all the others.

In the valley of nondoing, the mind supplies objective information clearly, the intellect intuitively decides the necessary action intelligently, and ego carries out the operation intently without an eye for its end.

Intelligent Awareness Is Enough

The subtle body (suksma sarira) is that strange mixture of functional compounds and organic chemicals

resulting in our central nervous system—this ethereal and astral embodiment in which consciousness is now reflecting.

After this kiss of consciousness, the subtle body subdivides into ego, intellect, mind, memory, and vital breath.

Intellect reflects intelligence, mind reflects awareness, and ego is Isvara embodied in avidya generating a world-class inferiority complex.

Killing ego is like killing Isvara. Or stalling maya. Don't hold your vital breath. Intelligent awareness is enough.

Instant Mukta

According to the Mandukya Upanishad, and I have confirmed its findings, there are three states of consciousness.

This doesn’t take lysergic acid diethylamide to see. The three states of consciousness are waking, dreaming, and deep sleeping.

As the power of three is infinitely divisible by the power of three, one could say the waking dream has three states too.

There is the original inheritance of avidya, its slow deconstruction by the satguru, and sudden jivanmukta.

That I Am

If one were an LED light bulb, the I Am would be the subtle filament of light-emitting diodes

Spreading the fire spirit of consciousness to the inner and outer bodies of the bulb.

Consequently one is not the bulb, but neither is one the filament—

One is the power of universal consciousness (saguna brahman)

Manifesting from the absolute source (nirguna brahman) That I Am.

That's Entertainment

Consciousness (cicchaya) is the manifestation of awareness (pure consciousness) as dreams are manifestations of the mind.

In a dream, nothing really happens to the dreamer. Similarly in maya, nothing happens to brahman.

Let me say this once again—it’s not the what I dream at night but the simple fact that I am dreaming.

The only true interpretation of a dream is I am dreaming. Don’t overthink things. Dreams aren’t Hamlet. That's entertainment.

Supernatural is the Word

As the natural is this world of illusion always changing,

the supernatural is that immutable beyond illusion.

In other words, supernatural doesn’t mean a higher form of natural.

The supernatural is the substrate upon which the natural is superimposed.

Maybe the word, supernatural, is a little misleading

but the word, subnatural, would certainly be worse.

Instead of supernatural, one could call it ultranatural or metanatural

or just change one’s own definition of supernatural instead.

Upanishadic Revelations

Obviously, whatever changes isn’t real—it’s here today and gone tomorrow.

Thus the first rule of reality is immutability.

Brahman is the immutable substrate of the outer objective world.

Atman is the immutable substrate of the inner subjective self.

The glorious revelation of the upanishads is—atman is brahman.

Or ayam atma brahma, aham brahma asmi, prajnanam brahma, tat tvam asi.

The Way of the Jivanmukta

Deliberately doing is rajas. Deliberately not doing is tamas. This is avidya.

Surrendering to nondoing is sattva. This is maya.

Saguna brahman is brahman with the qualities of sattva, rajas, and tamas.

Nirguna brahman is brahman without qualities.

Seeing through avidya is one thing. Living with maya is another.

This is the way of the jivanmukta. It's in the world but not of the world.

All the Ouroboros

1

Open head, insert universe.

Be all the ouroboros you can be.

2.

No consciousness, no mind nor body, no nothing.

I’ve seen the best minds of my generation destroyed by neuroscientific materialism.

3.

It’s not what you dream but that you dream—this is the meaning of all dreaming.

It’s true that god is dreaming you. That you are god is the little lower layer.

4.

Neuroscientific materialism is that pseudo-science attempting to prove consciousness is a product of the material world.

It's an impossible task of course but at least the money's good. It's one of the highest priorities of the material empire.