R :
I found this remarkably helpful, though I confess that I've only read it six times...;)
I've crossed paths with Advaitha before and always found it to be right in alignment with what makes sense to me, and you're very much helping me to see why we are so popular in India! I liked especially your picture of how the life of the student changes after the "I am Him," or what I might call the "I Am." I'm interested in writing about this state, and so I am doing my best to experience it as much as possible. I see though, that the increased activity of the last few days (happy disruptions at work mostly) have taken me back into the temporal world and I've been so happy I don't know if my being is in the temporal or the eternal or somehow both!
You say that it would be that once the I Am Him happens, the temporal world dissolves, but then you go on to describe something more like what I've been suspecting which is that the temporal world, seen through Divine eyes, is essentially just a Divine version of the temporal world. (Did I say "just"??? Instead I'll say, "Sign me up!!")
There is a writer in the West called Robert Sheinfeld who writes about non-dualism in a somewhat strict way. I'd say he's a metaphysical fundamentalist to tell the truth. He uses the image of being in a movie to describe it too, but in his writing, there is no God. There is love, but in an attempt either to be secular or because it's not really authentic for him to claim that God is the key to all of this, God is absent, and the whole thing left me numb. It's funny too, that he is such a loving, joyful man. I met him and he's quite something.
Sheinfeld espouses that there's "nothing real about any of it," which was very freeing initially (especially when in discomfort), but eventually sucked all of the meaning out of anything. I could do it, but it was lonely! So, two specifics:
1) What does Vedanta or Advaitha say about this "final" state? Are we both 100% human and 100% God or are we either/or or something else entirely?
2) Does Vedanta or Advaitha say anything about You being the only one there is in the world and that everyone else is literally a projection of yours. (I believe a metaphorical version of this, but not a literal one.)
Thank you for your enthusiastic endulgence!
Infinite joy at your being alive,
ALV
I am flattered no end with your elevating me to a status, where you are probing me for answers to questions which are in the realm of "most complex" subject of advaitha. The whole exercise of exchange of communication was/ is more in the nature of my self-quest to "know myself" . My education is limited, my access to teachers, who can possibly educate is still more limited. Thus I am no teacher, and find myself far from being adequate to give clear answers.
I will however try and see if I can make an attempt, at some answers as they come to me, more for my own sake. If they make some sense, I can only attribute it to your innate power of being able to grasp the essence of "I Am" paradigm. Hence if they appear to go in a different direction or if you feel, I am digressing, you may to bear with me. Here I go :-
1. To my knowledge, as per our Vedic tradition ( our holy scripture) there are 4 stages of evolution before one reaches the final stage as you choose to call it, before one realises that GOD or Brahman is the only reality. These are
(a) Temporal stage, everything is physical, desires, the physical body , the physical world etc.
(b) Graduation to identifying with ideals - the identifying stage of a Hindu, Christian etc and following the rituals etc
(c) Getting into the realm of the eternal World, beginning to feel one has to transcend the temporal/ and the mandatory rituals stage.
(d) The final stage of liberation "I am Him" or "I Am" . The realisation that, God/Him/That/ I are all but "One Reality" / No duality
The final stage realisation is wonderfully exemplified by 4 "mahavakhyas" of the vedic scripture - roughly / literally translated to mean "4 great sentences" .
The teacher ( the realised one) explains the nature of the ultimate truth to the seeker in following 4 mahavakyas :-
1st. "aham brahmasmi" or "I am Brahman" . The inevitable next question of the seeker is "who am I" then?
2nd. To which the teacher says " Thath Twam Asi" or "That Thou Art" meaning "You are that Brahman" .
3rd. Then comes the question who is Brahman? The answer comes in the next mahavakhya --- "Ayam Atman Brahma" meaning "Self or Atma is Brahman"
4th. Thence to the final mahavakya " Pragyanam Brahma" meaning "This Consciousness is Brahman". The answers to your query has to come from these 4 mahavakyas, and the 4 stages of evolution. And You are the only to know where you are.....
I know I am neither being very articulate, nor am I able to do full justice to your queries, as I am still a learner. May be over some more exchanges, and with Gods Grace, I may be able to do a better job. I am also equally open to hearing your own answers for these queries, as mine is a perpetual quest for attaining "moksha".
All that I can hope is that you make some sense out of these.
Love
ALV
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