The reflected consciousness of attention is ordinary awareness for most
and not that real awareness which witnesses even the state of deep sleep when the mind is turned off.
Thus this actual awareness is not ordinary so to speak but neither is it extraordinary. It's a natural lamp.
Although Atman is universally present in the material world of Maya without any distinction at all,
Its presence is felt in different degrees due to the varying subtleties of the medium through which It manifests.
Bedrock is least subtle. Gods are grown from the subtlest of all. And people are subtle and really somewhat not.
To the one whose self-luminous light of existence shines forth
pervading this illusory material world with the Vedic affirmation of tattvamasi
willing individuals to waken and realize and never return to an ocean of samsara.
Notes:
Chinmayananda 3
yasyaiva sphuraṇaṁ sadātmakam-asat-kalpārthakaṁ bhāsate sākṣāt-tat-tvam-asīti veda-vacasā yo bodhayatyāśritān, yat-sākṣāt-karaṇād-bhavenna punarāvṛttirbhavāmbho-nidhau tasmai śrī-guru-mūrtaye nama idaṁ śrī-dakṣiṇāmūrtaye. (3) यस्य – (he) whose; एव – alone; स्फुरणं – manifestation; सदात्मकम् – nothing but the Reality; असत्कल्पार्थकं – as delusory objects; भासते – appears; साक्षात् – direct (enlightenment); तत् – That; त्वम् – thou; असि – art; इति – thus; वेदवचसा – with the great statement of the Vedas; यः – he who; बोधयति – imparts enlightenment; आश्रितान् – to those who have surrendered to Him; यत्साक्षात्करणात् – after the direct experience of which; भवेत्न – never shall; पुनः – again; आवृत्तिः – return to; भवाम्भोनिधौ – the ocean of worldly existence; तस्मै – to Him; श्रीगुरुमूर्तये – the divine Teacher; नमः – prostration; इदं – this; श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये – to Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti 3. He whose manifestations, which are themselves nothing but the Reality, appear as the objects of the world; He who imparts to those who have surrendered to Him, direct enlightenment, through the commandment of the Vedas ‘That thou art’ and after the direct experience of which, there is no more any return to the ocean of worldly existence; to Him, the divine Teacher, Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, is this prostration.
Mahadevan 3
To Him whose luminosity alone, which is of the nature of Existence, shines forth entering the objective world which is like unto the non-existent: toHim who instructs those who resort to him through the Vedic text That thou art': to Him by realising whom there will be no more return to the ocean of transmigration to Him, of the form of the Preceptor, the blessed Daksinamurti, may this obeisance be!
Sarvapriyanada 3
“To him in the effulgent form facing the south, Shiva, whose light, which is existence itself, shines forth entering the objects which are almost non-existent. To him incarnate in the guru who instructs the disciples in the Vedic text ‘thou art that.’ To him who being realized there will be no more return to the ocean of saṃsāra. To him, Shiva, be this salutation.”
Sastri 3
To Him in the Effulgent Form Facing the South, whose light, which is Existence itself, shines forth entering the objects which are almost non-existent,—to Him incarnate in the Guru who instructs the disciples in the Vedic text "That thou art;"—to Him who being realized there will be no more return to the ocean of samsâra, to Him (Siva) be this bow!
Denton 3
To him by whose luminosity (this universe) shines forth as existing in the form of unreal objects before the eyes, who having recourse to the words of the Veda ‘thou art that’ causes people to awaken so that they may realize and never again fall into the ocean of life that is the cycle of transmigratory existence. To that blessed guru in the form of śrīdakṣiṇamūrti this profound venerarion.
there are three states of reflected consciousness
1. waking (body on, mind on)
2. dreaming (body off, mind on)
3. deep sleep (body off, mind off)
the fourth (consciousness always on)
a. maya is beginningless
b. brahman is timeless
c. maya ends but brahman doesn't
4. what id is in your wallet?
Unconsciousness is a misnomer.
Only the reflection of consciousness can be undone.
It's always eleven o'clock somewhere.
Consciousness is that eternal substrate of the universe and you.
This is the revelation handed down by seers from the highest peaks.
In the valley of the mind, the sun is always on time.
All shall be well, Julian.
We remember the dead by living it up on this first weekend of the summer.
We used to do Bar Harbor on a package deal. The surf and turf was free. We paid for the inn only.
One summer, after the fireworks were canceled, we watched our thoughts go by
in the clearing twilight sky like blue whales heading for the gray havens of one consciousness.
Somewhere in the desert air sits a clay pot. The space inside the pot (Kutastha) is the same as the space outside the pot (Brahman).
For practical purposes, it's said that people are superimposed on Kutastha and the universe is superimposed on Brahman. It's Tattvamasi in reality.
Kutastha is reflecting in the subtle body of the Buddhi and called Chidabhasa-chaitanya.
It's this reflected consciousness that lends reality to an individual (jiva) and its universe (Isvara).
Krishnananda says, just as matter cannot know matter, the intellect cannot know an object; what is known is material and what knows is consciousness. I cannot say it better.
The mind limits consciousness into attention. So focus: attention minus our mind games is the self-luminous self of satcitananda. Such is the play of self-awareness.
This universe was once a sprout inside a seed without any differentiation—until Maya
using concepts of space, time, and causation, imagines it to be a multiplicity of color and form
like a magician projecting its witchcraft, like a yogi directing its will.
NOTES:
Chinmayananda 2
bījasyāntarivāṅkuro jagadidaṁ prāṅ-nirvikalpaṁ punaḥ māyā-kalpita-deśakāla-kalanā vaicitrya-citrīkṛtam, māyāvīva vijṛmbhayatyapi mahāyogīva yaḥ svecchayā tasmai śrī-guru-mūrtaye nama idaṁ śrī-dakṣiṇāmūrtaye. (2) बीजस्य – of the seed; अन्तः – within; इव – like; अङ्कुरः – the future tree (the embryos); जगत् – universe; इदं – this; प्राक् – before; निर्विकल्पं – unmanifest; पुनः – again, later on; मायाकल्पित – created by māyā (delusory); देशकालकलना – due to the play of time and space; वैचित्र्यचित्रीकृतम् – projected himself out to be the world of endless; मायावी – juggler/magician; इव – like; विजृम्भयति – unrolls; अपि – also; महायोगी – a great yogī; इव – like; यः – He who; स्वेच्छया – by His own free will; तस्मै – to Him; श्रीगुरुमूर्तये – the divine Teacher; नमः – prostration; इदं – this; श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये – to Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti 2. He who, like a juggler or a great yogī, unrolls this universe just out of His own free will – the universe, which, before creation, remained unmanifest like the future tree in a seed and later on, He has projected Himself out to be the world of endless variety, due to the delusory play of time and space, both the products of māyā – to Him, the divine Teacher, Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, is this prostration.
Mahadevan 2
To Him who, like a magician or even like a great Yogin, displays, by His own will, this universe which at the beginning is undifferentiated like the sprout in the seed, but which is made again differentiated under the varied conditions of space and time posit-ed by maya: to Him, of the form of the Preceptor the blessed Dakshinamurti may this obeisance be!
Sarvapriyananda 2
“To him who like a magician or like a mighty yogi displays by his own will this universe—undifferentiated in the beginning, like the plant within the seed, but made afterwards picturesque in all its variety through combination with space and time created by māyā; to him who is incarnate in the teacher, to him in the effulgent form of Shiva facing the south: to him be this salutation.
Sastri 2
To Him who, like unto a magician, or even like unto a mighty Yogin, displays by His own will this universe, undifferentiated in the beginning like the plant within the seed, but made afterwards picturesque in all its variety in combination with space and time created by Mâyâ, to Him who is incarnate in the Teacher, to Him in the Effulgent Form Facing the South, to Him (Siva) be this bow!
An object is known by the mind with the assistance of Chidabhasa-chaitanya (consciousness reflected through the intellect, or the psyche)...
Just as matter cannot know matter, the intellect cannot know an object. What is known is material and what knows is Consciousness...
It is not the General Consciousness of Brahman but the reflected consciousness, Chidabhasa, that particularises knowledge...
It is the Chidabhasa that rises and falls, but Brahma-Chaitanya is always there, and has no beginning or end...
In luminosity the Chidabhasa resembles the Atman, and it is for this reason that the Jivas mistake themselves for reality and mistake the objects of the world also for similar realities...
The Jiva, thus has a twofold nature, that which limits, namely, the Antahkarana, and that which shines, namely, the Atman...
If we define Jiva as a limited individual with a reflected consciousness, etc., then naturally, in that state, it cannot be identified with Brahman, and to effect identification there should be the abandoning of its limiting characters...
If it is regarded as Consciousness in its innermost being, then there is this direct identity of substratum...
Kutastha and Brahman mean one and the same thing. That is called Kutastha which is Consciousness acting as the substratum of the appearance of the Jiva with the appendages as body, mind, senses etc. Brahman is the same Consciousness existing as the substratum of the whole cosmos...
We make a distinction between Isvara (God) and Jiva (individual) by introducing a difference between the whole and the part, namely, the universe and the body...
The one Brahman in relation to the universe is called Isvara, and it alone in relation to the body is called Jiva. The substance is one, Consciousness is one, appearances are two...
What is this intellect and what is this Jiva? What is the Self, and what is the world? The inability to arrive at a clear definition regarding this issue, and the consequent activity to which one is driven, is called Samsara (worldly entanglement). He who knows the answer to these questions is a knower of Truth; he is the liberated one...
(Krisnananda's excerpted commentary on Pancadasi 8)
Matsushima, Yamadera, Hiraizumi: Basho was here.
Ten thousand pine islands, ten thousand mountain temples, ten thousand gold leaves on the ancient ground.
Basho at Hiraizumi: Summer grasses / all that remains of great soldiers’ / imperial dreams
Basho at Yamadera: Lonely stillness / a single cicada’s cry / sinking into stone
Basho at Matsushima: Pine Islands, ah! / Oh, Pine Islands, ah! / Pine Islands, ah!
~Haiku by Basho (tr-Hamill)
You are not what you think you are. What you are is unthinkable.
Where you really are is unreachable. You're already there.
You're imperceptible & indescribable but you already know that.
The absolute godhead Brahman is infinite, unchanging and nondual.
If it's finite, transformative, and multiple, it's not Brahman.
If it's not Brahman, it's not real. That which is not real is called Maya.
One's soul, inner self, Atman is infinite, unchanging, and nondual.
If it's not, it's just a thought. Believing thoughts is original ignorance.
Such avidya is Maya on a micro scale. Atman is Brahman is a mahavakya.
The universe is wholly contained in one's own Self like a city seen in a standing sidewalk mirror.
Due to Maya, this inner universe appears to be externally manifested, like an inner world appearing to be an outer one while dreaming.
To the One who knows this at the time of awakening as one's nondual self, O to that divine teacher, the one who is facing south.
Reference
Chinmayananda 1
viśvaṁ darpaṇa-dṛśyamāna-nagarī-tulyaṁ nijāntargataṁ paśyannātmani māyayā bahirivodbhūtaṁ yathā nidrayā, yaḥ sākṣāt-kurute prabodha-samaye svātmānamevādvayaṁ tasmai śrī-guru-mūrtaye nama idaṁ śrī-dakṣiṇāmūrtaye. (1) विश्वं – the universe of names and forms; दर्पणदृश्यमाननगरीतुल्यं – like a city seen in a mirror; निजान्तर्गतं – within one’s own Self; पश्यन् – recognising; आत्मनि – in the Self; मायया – due to the power of māyā; बहिः – outside; इव – as though; उद्भूतं – produced; यथा – as; निद्रया – in dream; यः – he who; साक्षात् कुरुते – experiences directly; प्रबोधसमये – at the time of Realisation; स्वात्मानम् – his own Self; एव – alone; अद्वयं – non dual (immutable); तस्मै – to Him; श्रीगुरुमूर्तये – the divine Teacher; नमः – prostration; इदं – this; श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये – to Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti 1. He who experiences, at the time of Realisation, his own immutable Self, in which the Self alone plays as the universe of names and forms, like a city seen in a mirror, due to the māyā power, as though produced outside, as in a dream, to Him, the divine Teacher, Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, is this prostration.
Mahadevan 1
To Him who by mayā as by dream, sees within Himself the universe which is inside Him, like unto a city that is seen in a mirror, (but) which is manifes-ted as if without: to Him who apprehends, at the time of awakening. His own non-dual Self: to Him, of the form of the Preceptor, the blessed Dakshinamurti may this obeisance be!
1.
The universe is like a reflection within a mirror, appearing to be a city in oneself, like a dream within one's sleep, but through the illusory power of Maya seems to be manifested externally instead.
The one who witnesses reality at the moment of awakening is one’s own nondual Self. Salutations to the blessed teacher in the form of that all-knowing Shiva who faces the south, holy Dakshinamurti.
2.
Bibliography
Dakshinamurti and Manasollasa by John M. Denton
Reflections on Dakshinamurti Stotram by Swami Sarvapriyananda
Hymn to Dakshinamoorthy by Swami Chinmayananda
Hymn to Dakshinamurti (from The Hymns of Sankara) by TMP Mahadevan
other trans of 1a
in which the Self alone plays as the universe of names and forms, like a city seen in a mirror, due to the māyā power, as though produced outside, as in a dream ~Chinmayananda
The universe is like a reflection seen in a mirror, appearing like a city within one’s own Self, but seeming to be outside, through the illusory power of Māyā, as if dreaming in a sleep. ~Denton
who by mayā as by dream, sees within Himself the universe which is inside Him, like unto a city that is seen in a mirror, (but) which is manifes-ted as if without ~Mahadevan
through the illusion of the Ātman as through sleep, sees the universe existing within himself like a city reflected in a mirror, as though it were manifested externally. ~Sarvapriyananda
Chinmayananda 1
viśvaṁ darpaṇa-dṛśyamāna-nagarī-tulyaṁ nijāntargataṁ paśyannātmani māyayā bahirivodbhūtaṁ yathā nidrayā, yaḥ sākṣāt-kurute prabodha-samaye svātmānamevādvayaṁ tasmai śrī-guru-mūrtaye nama idaṁ śrī-dakṣiṇāmūrtaye. (1) विश्वं – the universe of names and forms; दर्पणदृश्यमाननगरीतुल्यं – like a city seen in a mirror; निजान्तर्गतं – within one’s own Self; पश्यन् – recognising; आत्मनि – in the Self; मायया – due to the power of māyā; बहिः – outside; इव – as though; उद्भूतं – produced; यथा – as; निद्रया – in dream; यः – he who; साक्षात् कुरुते – experiences directly; प्रबोधसमये – at the time of Realisation; स्वात्मानम् – his own Self; एव – alone; अद्वयं – non dual (immutable); तस्मै – to Him; श्रीगुरुमूर्तये – the divine Teacher; नमः – prostration; इदं – this; श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये – to Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti 1. He who experiences, at the time of Realisation, his own immutable Self, in which the Self alone plays as the universe of names and forms, like a city seen in a mirror, due to the māyā power, as though produced outside, as in a dream, to Him, the divine Teacher, Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, is this prostration.
Chinmayananda 2
bījasyāntarivāṅkuro jagadidaṁ prāṅ-nirvikalpaṁ punaḥ māyā-kalpita-deśakāla-kalanā vaicitrya-citrīkṛtam, māyāvīva vijṛmbhayatyapi mahāyogīva yaḥ svecchayā tasmai śrī-guru-mūrtaye nama idaṁ śrī-dakṣiṇāmūrtaye. (2) बीजस्य – of the seed; अन्तः – within; इव – like; अङ्कुरः – the future tree (the embryos); जगत् – universe; इदं – this; प्राक् – before; निर्विकल्पं – unmanifest; पुनः – again, later on; मायाकल्पित – created by māyā (delusory); देशकालकलना – due to the play of time and space; वैचित्र्यचित्रीकृतम् – projected himself out to be the world of endless; मायावी – juggler/magician; इव – like; विजृम्भयति – unrolls; अपि – also; महायोगी – a great yogī; इव – like; यः – He who; स्वेच्छया – by His own free will; तस्मै – to Him; श्रीगुरुमूर्तये – the divine Teacher; नमः – prostration; इदं – this; श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये – to Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti 2. He who, like a juggler or a great yogī, unrolls this universe just out of His own free will – the universe, which, before creation, remained unmanifest like the future tree in a seed and later on, He has projected Himself out to be the world of endless variety, due to the delusory play of time and space, both the products of māyā – to Him, the divine Teacher, Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, is this prostration.
Chinmayananda 3
yasyaiva sphuraṇaṁ sadātmakam-asat-kalpārthakaṁ bhāsate sākṣāt-tat-tvam-asīti veda-vacasā yo bodhayatyāśritān, yat-sākṣāt-karaṇād-bhavenna punarāvṛttirbhavāmbho-nidhau tasmai śrī-guru-mūrtaye nama idaṁ śrī-dakṣiṇāmūrtaye. (3) यस्य – (he) whose; एव – alone; स्फुरणं – manifestation; सदात्मकम् – nothing but the Reality; असत्कल्पार्थकं – as delusory objects; भासते – appears; साक्षात् – direct (enlightenment); तत् – That; त्वम् – thou; असि – art; इति – thus; वेदवचसा – with the great statement of the Vedas; यः – he who; बोधयति – imparts enlightenment; आश्रितान् – to those who have surrendered to Him; यत्साक्षात्करणात् – after the direct experience of which; भवेत्न – never shall; पुनः – again; आवृत्तिः – return to; भवाम्भोनिधौ – the ocean of worldly existence; तस्मै – to Him; श्रीगुरुमूर्तये – the divine Teacher; नमः – prostration; इदं – this; श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये – to Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti 3. He whose manifestations, which are themselves nothing but the Reality, appear as the objects of the world; He who imparts to those who have surrendered to Him, direct enlightenment, through the commandment of the Vedas ‘That thou art’ and after the direct experience of which, there is no more any return to the ocean of worldly existence; to Him, the divine Teacher, Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, is this prostration.
Mahadevan 1
To Him who by mayā as by dream, sees within Himself the universe which is inside Him, like unto a city that is seen in a mirror, (but) which is manifes-ted as if without: to Him who apprehends, at the time of awakening. His own non-dual Self: to Him, of the form of the Preceptor, the blessed Dakshinamurti may this obeisance be!
Mahadevan 2
To Him who, like a magician or even like a great Yogin, displays, by His own will, this universe which at the beginning is undifferentiated like the sprout in the seed, but which is made again differentiated under the varied conditions of space and time posit-ed by maya: to Him, of the form of the Preceptor the blessed Dakshinamurti may this obeisance be!
Mahadevan 3
To Him whose luminosity alone, which is of the nature of Existence, shines forth entering the objective world which is like unto the non-existent: toHim who instructs those who resort to him through the Vedic text That thou art': to Him by realising whom there will be no more return to the ocean of transmigration to Him, of the form of the Preceptor, the blessed Daksinamurti, may this obeisance be!
Beyond the information interstate, the lilacs are blooming right here, right now, Walt Whitman.
I thought I saw a catbird in a dogwood at Dunkin Donuts this sunny springtime afternoon, Ralphie boy.
Pure consciousness is nondual Brahman. Reflected consciousness is the primordial binary system called Samsara, Grasshopper.
Hiking Monadnock four times in sixteen years like our spiritual olympics.
A little more than halfway on our country tour across America the interstate goes
completely silent, as if the desert sucks the life out of anything that crosses it.
Maya is beginningless but Brahman is endless.
The material world appears in consciousness and not vice versa.
Consciousness is Brahman.
Awareness is and suddenly there is an appearance in awareness. The mind quickly draws a picture until a match is made in memory and stops. Awareness never ends.
Even the body-mind is an appearance in awareness so subtle in its evolution, it's reflecting consciousness as some inner instrument superimposed on Brahman.
There's the revelation of divine imagination in this manifestation of self-awareness. Maya is the why and how. Chrysanthemum! Roman Candle! Weeping Willow!
There's a tendency to mistake attention for awareness. In Maya, attention is reflected consciousness and awareness is pure consciousness.
Reflected consciousness resembles pure consciousness like a lowland swamp resembles an alpine lake. Attention minus thought equals awareness.
Is awareness Nirguna Brahman and attention Saguna Brahman? That's one way to put it. It's that awareness behind attention which lends reality to people, gods, and universe.
Attention comes and goes but awareness neither begins nor ends. As matter can't know matter, the mind doesn't know a thing. Only consciousness knows.
~reference Pacadasi 8:1-25ish
Your very consciousness is
the ground called brahman
or that basic awareness
in which every thought
between heaven and
earth appears.
Not too far from the Bay of Fundy is the Gulf of Maine and why there's ten foot tides here
as the hydrologic apocalypse called the mouth of the Merrimack River returns to Brahman.
North is Salisbury Beach where Frank Sinatra once played The Frolics in 1950.
South is Plum Island where Masconomet knows the truth of Atman and calls it real Agawam.
Who's the doer? Is it the witness consciousness or reflected consciousness or both together? As the witness is pure consciousness or nondual Brahman and beyond all relationship, it's not that.
And reflected consciousness in Maya is just an illusion existing upon the substrate of Brahman, like proverbial snake to rope, and can't be a doer all by itself.
There's no doer. Via avidya, reflected consciousness identifies with the reflector of consciousness and suffers sympathetic pain from a mind thinking it's the doer rather than effortless nondoing.
