Who is the witness of the mind?

[Faith]

7:35 min. 

A short self-inquiry by Swami Sarvapriyananda 

 

[Faith]

12:08min

 

Another good self-inquiry by Swami sarvapriyananda 

[Aware Wolf]

I was just listening to Sarvapriyanananda today. His audios on the Drg Drsha Viveka. 

 

I think traditional Advaita Vedanta can help seekers even after they've had an awakening if nothing else it helps put the experience in words well. Also after an experience usually comes putting it into a some conceptual framework. 

[Faith]

Just now, Aware Wolf said:

I was just listening to Sarvapriyanananda today. His audios on the Drg Drsha Viveka. 

 

I think traditional Advaita Vedanta can help seekers even after they've had an awakening if nothing else it helps put the experience in words well. Also after an experience usually comes putting it into a some conceptual framework. 

That's what I did. I started with E. Tolle, Adya and Mooji, then learned A. Vedanta from James Swartz stuff, it really fills in the gaps in the teachings. 

[Mandy]

7 hours ago, Aware Wolf said:

I was just listening to Sarvapriyanananda today. His audios on the Drg Drsha Viveka. 

 

I think traditional Advaita Vedanta can help seekers even after they've had an awakening if nothing else it helps put the experience in words well. Also after an experience usually comes putting it into a some conceptual framework. 

Just have to be dumb enough to actually practice it now and only now. 

[Aware Wolf]

1 hour ago, Mandy said:

Just have to be dumb enough to actually practice it now and only now. 

There's no practice. Just listening. Then maybe pondering. 

 

Also since its a podcast one can listen to it whenever. Tomorrow like. 

 

 

[Faith]

2 hours ago, Mandy said:

Just have to be dumb enough to actually practice it now and only now. 

What do you mean by this? Dumb enough to practice it. Do you even know what it is? 

[Mandy]

4 minutes ago, Faith said:

What do you mean by this? Dumb enough to practice it. Do you even know what it is? 

 

10 hours ago, Aware Wolf said:

Also after an experience usually comes putting it into a some conceptual framework. 

I meant rather than putting it into conceptual framework being dumb enough to actually practice it, be it now. 

[Mandy]

Just now, Faith said:

Yeah, I don't think you really know what it is... 

😂 I DON'T. That's the whole point, the revelation, isn't THAT what it IS??? 😂

 

To be clear, I was replying to @Aware Wolf's comment about people having experiences and putting them into frameworks. I'm not sure if you inferred that it was a criticism about the particular teachings or videos, because it isn't. 

[Faith]

@Mandy No worries. Half the time I don't know what you're talking about and this is just another example. 

 

[Aware Wolf]

There's the experience. 

 

Imagine it. It's ineffable. But often it may involve: Oneness. Unity.  Connection. Nature. Love. Consciousness. An underlying Reality. 

 

There's different types of spiritual awakenings. 

 

Now after the experience, which is not permanent, comes stabilization and integration. That's the hard part. 

 

How do you integrate "Love" or "Cosmic Consciousness" into your life? Did it all just disappear when the experience did? 

 

Although the experience is (largely) ineffable, now your own framework for where you go from there after the experience -- that's conceptual. 

 

Did you speak to God or was it all the Void? 

 

To take a common example, many nondualists say, "There is no You." 

 

That's their framework. But like I think Phil pointed out recently on some thread i read here, paraphrasing, this No Self concept is the same as God in another's concept. 

 

Here are some names for ultimate reality: Emptiness, Fullness, Buddha Nature, Rigpa, Brahman, God. 

 

Caveat: 

The experience is the experience and we have to be wary or aware of putting our own spin on it. For example, Leo taking drugs, thinking he's God and can cure all diseases. Sometimes experiences can mislead us. People get messages from God about the End of the World. 

 

I contend if Leo had gone to any great teacher of any tradition -- let's say a Rabbi -- the Rabbi might have been able to help guide Leo and prevented the train wreck of delusion which happened. 

 

        ***

 

The nice thing about Advaita Vedanta and Swami Sarvapriyanananda is that the tradition is very strong on knowledge and answering questions, all questions, until the student is completely convinced that they are Brahman. Sat chit ananda. 

 

Although I like Rupert Spira too and he answers questions too. Of course from his own framework, but it's a good framework, or good enough. Imo. 

 

Example Advaita Vedanta Type Questions: 

If I'm Brahman -- What about others? -- are they Brahman too -- how does that even work? 

 

If this world is maya (illusion) why care about anyone else? What does anything matter? 

 

How does this Maya come about? (A tough one...)

 

What about love, good deeds, meditation, and prayer -- do they lead to enlightenment? 

 

It sure doesn't feel like I'm Brahman. Why am I suffering? 

 

How can I become Brahman then?? 

 

 

[Faith]

@Aware Wolf Nice post! 

[Joseph Maynor]

Mind may not exist.  The witness may not exist.  When we say the mind, that might just be a word.  When we say the witness that may just be a word too.  We're assuming there's a "word to reality 1 to 1 relation" when there may not be.  Consciousness may be a word in the same sense.  How do we prove that consciousness is a thing that exists? 

Edited March 13, 2023 by Joseph Maynor

[Faith]

45 minutes ago, Joseph Maynor said:

How do we prove that consciousness is a thing that exists

You exist and you're conscious, boom 💥 proven. 😉

[Aware Wolf]

56 minutes ago, Faith said:

You exist and you're conscious, boom 💥 proven. 😉

Straight from Advaita Vedanta ! 

[Faith]

1 minute ago, Aware Wolf said:

Straight from Advaita Vedanta ! 

You got it! 

[Faith]

I really love this video!