This is the sixth chapter of the book „Viveka – the Voice of Inner Guru. “
The whole book will be tokenized as NFTs on Mirror and, as such, published in 20 articles (20 chapters of the book: The Illusion; India, oh India!; The Accurate description of the Reality; The Crown Jewel; Dead Guru; Living student; Who you?; Leaving the room; The Weakness of the Mind; The Archimedean Point; Three Powers of Maya; Viveka - the Sword of Truth; The Cave of the Mind; Language Can Save Us; Searching for Lakshana; Nine Golden Rules of Viveka; Purification Exercises; What to do with all this?; Dealing with Fear; Ekam Evadvityam: Living without a Center).
Chapter Six: Living Student
vivekino viraktasya śamādiguṇaśālinaḥ |
mumukṣoreva hi brahmajijñāsāyogyatā matā ||
The person who possesses discrimination, detachment,
and virtues, such as calmness of the mind
together with an intense longing for liberation,
is considered to be qualified as a student of the Absolute.Vivekachudamani 17
Let's unmask the patriarchal, anti-feminine elements in Indian traditional culture. You are aware that the Indian caste system is one of the most rigid in the history of humankind. True, women are highly appreciated as long as they know their place as mothers and caretakers. They are not considered fit for the academic pursuit of Vedic knowledge. Liberation is not for them – they must wait for a stroke of luck in the next life when they are born in a male body.
Do you agree with that?
I hope not.
Adi Shankara did not agree. He was a revolutionary social reformer. Born in the high caste, he dreamed about a just society where men and women are equal. He wrote about it in one of the most beautiful and, at the same time, shortest expressions of advaita philosophy – Nirvana Shatkam; literary „Six verses about Formless.“
na ca prāṇasaṅjño na vai pañcavāyuḥ
na vā saptadhātur na vā pañcakośaḥ
na vākpāṇipādau na copasthapāyu
cidānandarūpaḥ śivo'ham śivo'ham
That's the second verse. There are different translations of it (of course), but no matter the translation, one thing is clear: Shankara claims that the soul (atman) is not identified with a body. He clearly states that the formless have no body, no bones, no blood or flesh, and sexual organs.
He says in that verse what is essential is not prana (vital energy), nor five senses (pancha vayuhu), nor five layers of the body (pancha koshah), nor hands, eyes, genitals, or anything tangible or visible.
Consciousness alone is essential.
To deny the benefit of consciousness to women is not only socially and traditionally biased; it is tragic nonsense. Many women were suffering, and they still are, due to such a misogynic attitude.
Interestingly enough, if we go deeper into the Vedic knowledge, we'll find numerous female seers, the knowers of reality. Maitreyi, Gargi, Romasa, Lopamudra, Apala, Kadru, Visvavara, Ghosa, Juhu, Vagambhrini, Paulomi, Jarita, Urvasi, Yami, Indrani, Savitri...
But, it's not only about women; it's also about any discrimination among people. Consciousness is essential – not how people look, talk, or behave. It's not about their customs, sexuality, habits, or beliefs.
It's only about consciousness.
You may wonder why I started this chapter with a defense of women's rights to spiritual knowledge and possibly the final liberation. Well, unfortunately, Vivekachudamany, the way history preserved it to us, is one of the traditional strongholds for social and sexual discrimination.
Here is the shameful verse number 4:
labdhvā kathacinnarāja nma durlabhyaṁ
tatrāpi puṁstvaṁ śrutipāradarśanam |
yastvātmamuktau na yatēta mūḍhadhīḥsa
hyātmahā svaṁ vinihantyaśadgrahātThat person, having somehow obtained a rare human birth, together with a male body, mental strength, and a correct understanding of the scriptures, who does not strive for liberation, is a fool. Verily, such a person commits suicide, clinging to things unreal.
Putting aside the claim that the purpose of human life is to find liberation, the „male body“ stings the eye, isn't it?
Some scholars, like John Grimes, in his book „The Vivekacudamani of Sankaracarya Bhagavatpada: An Introduction and Translation“ (Motilal Banarsidass, 2004), went into great length of discussion about why the translation which includes a „male body“ is not following a spirit of Advaita. He writes: „Even rarer and more difficult to obtain than the physical body is a strong, inwardly inspired, or awakened (viprat) body and mind. The word "viprat" has, in common parlance, come to mean "the rank or condition of a priest (brahmana)" and, combined with the word "pustva" meaning "strength, masculinity," this verse is usually translated as, "more difficult to obtain than a human body is to be born as a male member of the priestly caste."
But, he changes the translation (omits the word „male“) and explains why he does that: „In my translation, I have attempted to keep an eye on internal textual problems (a single term can have more than one meaning depending upon its context) while balancing technical precision with philosophical clarity. However, my own particular bias is reflected most in an attempt at readability combined with religious sensibility. The final word (siddhanta) of Advaita, both implicitly and explicitly, is that every individual is the Absolute (ayam atman brahma; tat tvam asi; aham brahmasmi). Thus, to be faithful to this insight, I have used inclusive language in my translation and made it reader-friendly for both sexes. I am aware of those scholars who invoke Advaita's (so-called infamous) male-oriented bias.“
Well, here you have it. The spirit of Advaita, and almost everything we know about Adi Shankara, tell us that the prerequisites for viveka (and thus, liberation) is not the body, its shape, or gender. However, the text insists on the rareness of human birth, higher caste, and male body – in that order. You see, that's the problem of traditionalists' approach to the knowledge about consciousness. It is so easy to mix reality with the illusion; the way things are, with a story society, tradition, and institutions, want us to believe in.
And that is why, to understand any scripture, we need an open mind and not blind faith. I would always rather listen to the authentic experience of a living person than to a member of a tradition trying to explain what is written in their „holy books.“
However, those books, holy or not, are based on something. Usually, if you have at least a little experience (meaning, if you possess a spirit of knowledge, and not only a book about knowledge), you can see through the veils of mist and pinpoint the essential parts.
That is precisely what I am doing with Vivekachudamani. I am not bound to follow the scholarly path and try to explain every word with a couple of additional treatises I have studied. I don't care if the tradition will agree with or spit on me in despise. I care only about the spirit of knowledge, which is what I am trying to convey to you, an interested reader.
It is obvious: Vivekachudamani is very questionable and probably corrupted text in a form that is now available. Parts of it are written by traditionalists who defended their position in society. Or, worst, the whole document is written by them after Shankara's death, revealing only what they remembered from his teaching. In any case, we should proceed with caution, following the spirit of Shankara and not everything that is written. Usually, that means we have to look for gaps and inconsistencies. For example, the beginning verses insist on the traditional prerequisite for a student. Further in the text, we find a lot talking about the wrongness of identification with anything except the atman, the soul, or consciousness (we'll discuss the differences later).
So, what now? First, we'll select male members of the higher class willing to learn something about reality, and then we will tell them not to identify themselves with their position and body?
Nonsense. Forget about it.
The first prerequisite for learning viveka and attaining moksha or liberation is that you are a conscious being. And that you are, for sure. Otherwise, you would not read these words.
There are other prerequisites for being a living student of viveka. To the surprise of the myogenic and otherwise discriminative traditionalists, those prerequisites can be found in all human beings, no matter where and when they are born, how they look, and wheater they are male, female, transgender, or whatever else there is in this beautiful world.
***
Mumukshuta.
That is what you need.
A burning desire to liberate yourself from the bondage of illusion.
Vivekachudamani, verse 27:
ahaṃkārādidehāntān bandhānajñānakalpitān |
svasvarūpāvabodhena moktumicchā mumukṣutāMumukshuta or yearning for Freedom is the desire to free oneself by realizing one’s true nature, from all bondages from egoism to the body.
Do you have that? Honestly, can you say that you have it?
There is a high probability that you would say yes. You took this book in your hand, so of course, you have at least some desire for spiritual experiences. The first few chapters gently announced what we are looking for: an end to the illusion, liberation from bondage, and enlightenment. You are still here, so it must be that something in you wants that. That is the reason you think you have mumukshuta.
However, there is a high probability that you don't understand what liberation means; and what enlightenment looks like in daily life. So, in principle, you have a desire, but maybe it is a misguided one. Perhaps you are only looking for relief from your problems. Or, you could be just an intellectually curious or philosophically inclined person. That's fine, but don't mix that with a real, burning, monomaniacal focus on finding the reality as it is.
Vivekachudamani refers to mumukshuta in several verses (19, 28, 29, 30, 31, 44, 84, 120, 178, and 576). It is allowed that mumukshuta can be slight or moderate, although the results will not be so striking as in the case of an intense desire. If indeed, you have a burning aspiration to end the power of illusion in your life, you will undoubtedly succeed.
How would you know if you have it?
How would you feel mumukshuta in your life?
Well, don't expect positive motivation. Vivekachudamani is quite clear about it. You will hear the words: abandonment, non-attachment, giving up sensory desires, yearnings of the mind and the heart, and such things. Usually, people interpret that as a need for discipline. However, the presence of mumukshuta means that all other desires are weak or nonexistent! There is a certain amount of aversion and repulsion towards human drama. In that case – and that is the case when mumukshuta is present – where is the need for discipline?
To be clear, mumukshuta is not felt a desire for something. It is more kind of a repulsive rejection of the illusion. While still profoundly immersed in the sea of ignorance, you can not know what the actual reality looks like. How can you wish for something you don't know or understand? On the other hand, you can perceive the illusory nature of the reality you are living in. The natural response is to reject what you perceive as an illusion and start looking for what is behind that - the truth. You don't know what it is yet, but nevertheless, you will do anything and everything to find it.
That is mumukshuta.
Let's say you have it, at least to a slight degree. What else is needed to be a living student of viveka and advaita?
You'll need characteristics and attitudes described as vairagya, sama, dama, titiksha, shraddha, and samadhana. (VCh 21-26). Don't be afraid of exotic words; the ideas behind them are quite simple. Or are they?
Vairagya – It's preparedness to give up or to lose anything during the process of liberation. We’ll pay for seeing the truth with an illusion. Written like that, it looks like no brainer. Ok, I’ll sacrifice the illusion, sure. Who cares?
However, don't forget that your whole life is built upon the illusion, so the question is, are you willing to pay for the truth with everything you have?
To make things supremely interesting, VCh 21 says that the „payment for the truth“ consists of „all things seen, heard, and so on“ (meaning, all sensory perception), all impermanent objects (nothing is permanent, so that means everything) and „objects of enjoyment ranging from the physical body up to the Creator’s highest form.“
Wow. Wow!
The usual mistake of a spiritually inclined westerner is to identify the matter with an illusion and mental, astral, and especially divine planes with the truth.
Read carefully: you will have to pay for the truth with the highest form of a Creator!
The implications are vast. I won't even try to go into all of them right now. But maybe you should question your mumukshuta again.
Sama – A permanent focus on the goal. Constancy; keeping your mind unwaveringly on what you want to achieve.
If you think that you don't have time to devote to a deconstruction of an illusion, you should reconsider your mumukshuta. Time is not an issue. If you have a couple of hours of life left, you should devote it to discovering the truth. The same is valid if you have a hundred years ahead of you.
Additionally, once you start walking the path towards the exit, there is no vacation until the job is done.
Dama – It's the understanding that the truth is not to be discovered through sensory perception. That includes any outside influence, from other people to teachings and scriptures (obviously, if you turn your senses away from the outside world, you can not perceive anything). No valid instruction could come from the outside; the truth is inside you. All you need is your consciousness.
It's easier to say that than to put it into practice. The strict application of dama would mean you don't accept anything like a given thing. If you accept something, that should be your discovery, not anyone else's teaching, experience, or instruction.
If you try to implement dama right now, there would be no further communication between you and this book or anyone else for that matter. Maybe some seers from the past attained knowledge of the reality that way, but for most of us, dama is reserved for later stages of the investigation.
Strangely, I feel that dama is partially the reason for the secretive nature of viveka practice. Adi Shankara didn't explain it in detail anywhere. By applying the principle of dama, the discovery is left to the students in their advanced stages.
Titiksha – Forbearance. Don't complain. The path will be rough. What you'll discover you'll probably dislike. Doesn't matter. Don't try to redress the difficulties, make them more comfortable, or avoid them. Whatever comes your way, accept it with grace.
Got it? Don't be a crybaby. Keep on walking.
Shraddha – Acceptance of sound judgment of the mind as the sole criteria of the truthfulness of the words of masters and scriptures.
At this point, my explanation would probably be highly contrasting with the traditional interpretation of sraddha. Traditionalists identify shraddha with faith in the tradition (what a surprise!). They don't care that such an understanding is outside the context of most of the teaching of Vivekachudamani. It contrasts not only with dama but with many verses to come where the discriminative power (viveka) will have a decisive role.
Don't ask me how faith and blind trust can be integrated into the idea of discerning the illusion from the truth. Obviously, faith can swallow anything. It is a convenient feature if you want to keep the tradition going. However, if you follow the spirit of advaita, the only faith you must have is in your own judgments, in yourself.
The principle of shraddha actually urges you to judge all and everything you hear from so-called masters and scriptures according to your own understanding. Later, we will discuss the power of the mind. With time, the shraddha principle will become increasingly apparent. Since the path towards the exit is only ours to walk, there is no one else around to rely on. All gurus are dead, remember? There is no one out there you should or could believe. You can trust only your power of discrimination, your own viveka.
Samadhana – It's the practice of settling the mind into the immovable state of consciousness.
It is not often that Vivekachudamani speaks of some particular practice. But, here, when enumerating the prerequisites for studying viveka, we find an exciting connection with the authentic practice of yoga, specifically with Patanjali Joga Sutras.
Samadhi (the title of the first book of Patanjali Joga Sutras) is one of the more famous yogic terms. Samadhana means that the student regularly immerses their mind into an immovable state of consciousness – yogaścittavṛttinirodhaḥ - the state of yoga, or samadhi.
That practice is not as difficult as people often think. It is not mysterious, either. Actually, it is as easy as it can be since it is a natural process, very pleasing to the mind.
It is my experience that samadhana is very helpful on the path of deconstruction of the illusion. It settles down emotional reactions when vairagya takes his toll (falling apart of your illusionary world), strengthens the titiksha (gives you endurance when the path starts to be rough), and sharpens your mind which provides you with more confidence, thus increasing the principle of shradda.
That is why I still teach an easy and applicable technique of Integral meditation. Based on the authentic principles of Joga Sutras, completely individualized and applicable to any situation, the practice of Integral meditation is not a necessity for viveka, but it is a welcome help. Anyway, according to Vivekachudamani, you have to have samadhana in your life.
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Can you be a student of viveka?
We established that gender does not have a role in that. There is no mention of intellect, either. You don't have to be super-smart to understand viveka. I am mentioning that because, in later chapters, we'll talk about similarities between viveka and western logic, grammatic, and even mathematics. Sometimes, people shiver at that thought. What? Logic? Mathematics? Brrr...
Don't, please. Viveka is just common sense, and you should have that, no problem. I am more concerned with your mumukshuta. You should be, too.
Do you really want liberation? Really? More than anything in the world?
***
Next Chapter: Who you?