श्री गुरुभ्यो नम: | हरि: ॐ॥
सदाशिवसमारम्भाम् शङ्कराचार्य मध्यमाम् |
अस्मदाचार्य पर्यन्ताम् वन्दे गुरु परम्पराम् ||
Fundamentals of Advaita - Part 8: The difference between svarUpa Ananda and samvedya Ananda
In the last post, we had stated that the svarUpa Ananda of Brahman can never be experienced, because that Ananda is the experiencer himself, not the object of experience. In this chapter we will briefly look at the salient differences between svarUpa Ananda (Orignal Bliss, one's intrinsic nature) and samvedya Ananda (Experiential Bliss)
1) Experiential Bliss is a reflection, whereas the Original Bliss is the source of the reflection. To explain, every happiness that is experienced occurs due to the mind getting temporarily tranquil, and in that tranquil mind, the Original Bliss of Brahman is reflected. That reflection is the Experiential Bliss. The original source is Original Bliss.
2) Because Experiential Bliss is a reflection, it is impermanent, it has a beginning and an end. It arises when the mind is tranquil and disappears when the mind is disturbed. Original Bliss on the other hand is permanent and changeless.
3) Experiential Bliss has gradations, whereas Original Bliss has no gradation.
As the taittirIya upaniShad says of the Anandamaya kosha - तस्य प्रियमेव शिरः । मोदो दक्षिणः पक्षः । प्रमोद उत्तरः पक्षः । The joy that one experiences upon perceiving a pleasurable object is priya. The greater joy that one experiences upon its attainment is moda, and the even greater joy that one attains upon experiencing the object is pramoda. All of these are instances of Experiential Bliss within an individual and the degree of bliss varies in each state.
Each species also has a level of bliss that is proportional to the quality of the experiencing faculties (the upAdhi-s / karaNa-s) possessed by it. Starting from the sum total of all human happiness as one unit, the taittirIya upaniShad says that each higher species (gandharva-s, pitR-s, deva-s, brihaspati, prajApati, hiraNyagarbha) have a hundred-fold higher level of happiness, with the greatest experiential happiness being that of the original jIva, hiraNyagarbha (which incidentally is 10^20, or 100 quintillion times the human happiness). However, even the highest happiness experienceable by hiraNyagarbha is only Experiential Bliss, not Original Bliss.
4) Experiential Bliss can be attained by two methods, whereas Original Bliss cannot be attained, but can notionally said to be attained by one method.
Experiential Bliss is attained when the mind is pure and tranquil and reflects the Original Bliss that is Brahman. This tranquil mind can be attained by two methods. To understand this, we have to understand why the mind gets disturbed in the first place. A disturbance in the mind occurs due to a misalignment between the external environment and internal expectations. This misalignment can be changed either by changing the external environment, which is by action (कर्म), or alternatively by managing one's expectations through dispassion (वैराग्य). That is why in the taittirIya upaniShad, after discussing the happiness of each species, the upaniShad says the same happiness is attainable by the one with viveka and vairAgya (श्रोत्रियस्य चाकामहतस्य).
Original Bliss, or Brahman, on the other hand, is not something that is attained - if it was attained, it can be lost as well. That is why, in advaita siddhAnta, it is held that the attainment of Brahman is only notional. It was never lost because it is one's own intrinsic nature. However, due to ignorance, we think of Brahman as something different from us, and strive to attain it. When through the rise of brahma jnAna, that ignorance is destroyed, we realise that Brahman is not an object that we have been searching for it, it is the one that is searching, the subject. This owning up of Brahman as I - is the only method of attaining that Original Bliss.
श्री गुरुभ्यो नम: । हरि: ॐ ॥
सदाशिवसमारम्भाम् शङ्कराचार्य मध्यमाम् |
अस्मदाचार्य पर्यन्ताम् वन्दे गुरु परम्पराम् ||
Fundamentals of Advaita - Part 8: The difference between svarUpa Ananda and samvedya Ananda
In the last post, we had stated that the svarUpa Ananda of Brahman can never be experienced, because that Ananda is the experiencer himself, not the object of experience. In this chapter we will briefly look at the salient differences between svarUpa Ananda (Orignal Bliss, one's intrinsic nature) and samvedya Ananda (Experiential Bliss)
1) Experiential Bliss is a reflection, whereas the Original Bliss is the source of the reflection. To explain, every happiness that is experienced occurs due to the mind getting temporarily tranquil, and in that tranquil mind, the Original Bliss of Brahman is reflected. That reflection is the Experiential Bliss. The original source is Original Bliss.
2) Because Experiential Bliss is a reflection, it is impermanent, it has a beginning and an end. It arises when the mind is tranquil and disappears when the mind is disturbed. Original Bliss on the other hand is permanent and changeless.
3) Experiential Bliss has gradations, whereas Original Bliss has no gradation.
As the taittirIya upaniShad says of the Anandamaya kosha - तस्य प्रियमेव शिरः । मोदो दक्षिणः पक्षः । प्रमोद उत्तरः पक्षः । The joy that one experiences upon perceiving a pleasurable object is priya. The greater joy that one experiences upon its attainment is moda, and the even greater joy that one attains upon experiencing the object is pramoda. All of these are instances of Experiential Bliss within an individual and the degree of bliss varies in each state.
Each species also has a level of bliss that is proportional to the quality of the experiencing faculties (the upAdhi-s / karaNa-s) possessed by it. Starting from the sum total of all human happiness as one unit, the taittirIya upaniShad says that each higher species (gandharva-s, pitR-s, deva-s, brihaspati, prajApati, hiraNyagarbha) have a hundred-fold higher level of happiness, with the greatest experiential happiness being that of the original jIva, hiraNyagarbha (which incidentally is 10^20, or 100 quintillion times the human happiness). However, even the highest happiness experienceable by hiraNyagarbha is only Experiential Bliss, not Original Bliss.
4) Experiential Bliss can be attained by two methods, whereas Original Bliss cannot be attained, but can notionally said to be attained by one method.
Experiential Bliss is attained when the mind is pure and tranquil and reflects the Original Bliss that is Brahman. This tranquil mind can be attained by two methods. To understand this, we have to understand why the mind gets disturbed in the first place. A disturbance in the mind occurs due to a misalignment between the external environment and internal expectations. This misalignment can be changed either by changing the external environment, which is by action (कर्म), or alternatively by managing one's expectations through dispassion (वैराग्य). That is why in the taittirIya upaniShad, after discussing the happiness of each species, the upaniShad says the same happiness is attainable by the one with viveka and vairAgya (श्रोत्रियस्य चाकामहतस्य).
Original Bliss, or Brahman, on the other hand, is not something that is attained - if it was attained, it can be lost as well. That is why, in advaita siddhAnta, it is held that the attainment of Brahman is only notional. It was never lost because it is one's own intrinsic nature. However, due to ignorance, we think of Brahman as something different from us, and strive to attain it. When through the rise of brahma jnAna, that ignorance is destroyed, we realise that Brahman is not an object that we have been searching for it, it is the one that is searching, the subject. This owning up of Brahman as I - is the only method of attaining that Original Bliss.
श्री गुरुभ्यो नम: । हरि: ॐ ॥
No comments:
Post a Comment