WHAT IS ASHTA-PRAKRITIS?( THE PARTS OF BUDDHI)-? PART -1..THE FOUR PATHS OF YOGA
- Chida nanda
- Mar 8, 2017
- 7 min read
"Brahman means boundless or the ultimate reality. Ananda means the blissfulness or ecstasy of the Creator, and Swaroopa is the form or image of the ecstasy of the Creator. Isha is that which rules and Jagadisha is the ruler of the existence. Akhila means everything, all inclusiveness is Akhila. And that which is everything, the image of that, is Mahesha. So the Creator is referred to in so many ways. When we chant Brahmananda Swaroopa, we are saying everything is an image of the ecstasy of the Creator. The eight principles or elements of the material & mental universe in SANKHYA PHILOSOPHY ARE CONSIDERED ASHTA-PRAKRITIS .They are;-
1-Solidity (EARTH),
2-Liquidity(WATER),
3-Heat (FIRE),
4-Gaseousness (AIR),
5-Space---------MANAS (lower mind),
6-BUDDHI (rational & intuitive intelligence ),
7-CHITTA (memory )
8-AHANAKARA (ego). WHAT IS MIND ?
Mind is one of the Ashta-Prakritis. "Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, reason and egoism-these constitute the eightfold division of My Nature" (Gita, VII-4).
Mind is nothing but Atma-Sakti. It is brain that wants rest (sleep), but not the mind. A Yogi who has controlled the mind never sleeps. He gets pure rest from meditation.
How The Mind Originated----
Mind is Atma-Sakti. It is through mind that Brahman manifests Himself as the differentiated universe with heterogeneous objects. Brahma thought, "There, indeed, are the worlds; I shall create the protectors of the worlds." He gathered the Purusha (Hiranyagarbha) from out of the waters only and fashioned him. He heated him by the heat of meditation. When he was thus heated, his heart burst out. From the heart, the mind came; from the mind the moon, the presiding deity of the mind. (Heart is the seat of the mind; so, the mind came out when the heart burst out. In Samadhi, the mind goes to its original seat, i.e., heart. In sleep also, it rests in the heart with a veil of ignorance between it and Brahman) (Aitareya Upanishad, The mind, being very subtle, is in close apposition or contact with other minds, though the human skull intervenes between them. NAME THE PARTS OF BUDDHI--- -buddhi (Sanskrit: "intellect; the faculty of discrimination") from the root budh (to be awake; to understand; to know) — the determinative faculty of the mind that makes decisions; sometimes translated as "intellect." Another translation is the higher mind, or wisdom. At a more gross level buddhi is the aspect of mind that knows, decides, judges, and discriminates. It can determine the wiser of two courses of action, if it functions clearly and if manas will accept its guidance. buddhi is one of the four parts of the antahkarana ("inner conscience" or "the manifest mind") and the other three parts are manas (the mind), chitta (the memory) and ahankara (the ego)..
Mind directs, influences, and goes outward. It is imperative that one become aware of the facts that: ----
1-Mind controls: It is the mind that is in direct control of the senses, breath, and body.
2-Mind goes outward: It is the mind that influences the senses and causes them to go out into the external world.
3-Mind desires: It is the mind that desires to perceive the world through the senses and then to conceptualize and categorize those sense perceptions.
4-It's all about training the mind:---- All sadhanas (spiritual practices), techniques, and disciplines are actually means to train the mind (all of the Four Functions of Mind).
5-Train mind to go beyond itself:---- The most important part of the training is to make the mind aware that Reality lies beyond itself, and that this Reality is the eternal aspect of the Self or Soul.
6-Mind is the finest instrument: ----- The mind is the finest instrument that we possess. If it is understood well, the mind can be helpful in our spiritual practices (sadhana). However, the mind must be well-ordered and disciplined. Otherwise, the mind can distract and dissipate all of our potentials.
Levels of consciousness:------ The Four Functions of Mind operate at the various levels of consciousness. In the waking state of consciousness, the four operate. In the dreaming state, the four operate. In the deep sleep state, the four functions become less active, as if they are partially receding back into the latent part of mind, the Chitta from which all of the activity arises in the dreaming and waking states.
Experience the truth beyond the four functions: -------- ---It is necessary that one learn to observe, understand, and train the functions of mind at the various levels of consciousness. Then, eventually, one can experience that Truth which is beyond all of the functions of mind and beyond the levels of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep .Understanding the 6 Dimensions of Human Mind---- All human minds operate under 6 dimensions – Love, Fear, Joy, Hatred, Boredom and Sexuality. These 6 dimensions are present in all human minds, and its natural make-up also determines the “intensity” of some of these dimensions.
It’s not possible to ever “erase” one of these dimensions totally from the mind, and people who are trying to do so are usually just suppressing their mind and this form of suppression only leads to inner resistance, which manifests as suffering of some form or the othe. For example, a lot of people who misunderstand some spiritual teachings (or get conditioned by misguided teachings) start trying to suppress certain dimensions in the mind, usually the dimensions of hatred, fear and sexuality, which causes them to wage a constant battle with their mind, sometimes for a lifetime. NAME THE FOUR LIMBS OF BUDDHI--- 1-VIVEK 2-MEDHA 3-RITAMBHARA 4-PRAGYA
What is the difference between Buddhi and vivek? Buddhi is both the positive and Negative but Vivek is always a positive term. Example- You might have listened two terms-Durbuddhi or Kumati and Sadbuddhi.or Sumati. Durbudhi= Duh + Buddhi = buri Buddhi. Sadbudhi=Sat + Buddhi = Achchhi buddhi. People say-Bhagwan apki durbuddhi ko nasht kar apko Sadbuddhi de. But have you ever listend Durvivek or KuVIVEK.never because Vivek is only positive. People say-Vivek se kaam lo or Vivek sammat baate karo. Thus we can say-Positive and good part of Buddhi is Vivek. WHAT IS MEDHA? Medhā (मेधा, “intelligence mental vigour, intelligence”)”):—She is the wife of Agni, one of the most important Vedic gods representing divine illumination.
WHAT IS RITAMBHARA ? The word for “routine” in Sanskrit, the language of the Vedas, is “ritam.” Another translation of “ritam” is “rhythm.” Most people think of “routine” as dull and boring. But “rhythm”, means music! Rhythm has a tempo, a beat, a pulse and is alive. Ritam (rhythm), Bhara (full of), Pragya (mind), in other words means a “mind full of rhythm”. It represents a state of mind where the thought waves are synchronous with the order of the universe. It is also the state of the mind where the microcosm and macrocosm are in coherence with each other. It has been said that people who meditate acquire many powers like telepathy, reverse telepathy, spontaneous fulfillment of desires, meaningful coincidences, synchrodestiny etc. From where do these powers come? Our consciousness or the soul is the silent state of mind with infinite powers. These powers are hidden under the smoke of mind, intellect and ego, which in turn are controlled by the software of action, memory and desires. The interface between these two layers, the disturbed and the undisturbed state of consciousness, is what the “ritam bhara pragya” is. Once you are in this state, the intention becomes powerful, and one starts experiencing spontaneous fulfillment of desires. In the Vedas, this term is loosely translated as “a state where only truth is known”. It is said that if one can be conscious in this state, a desire can be manifested, as it is right at the level of manifestation into the physical plane. This is also the level where one experiences Siddhis, or the super normal powers described by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. This consciousness level is the “interface” between the most refined condition of the relative one and the absolute one. It is perceptible only if the intellect is perfectly pure and is overshadowed by nothing. When during meditation one becomes non local, one experiences it. Sometimes one has the rare luck to dive into this level. Any question, which is asked at this level is immediately, is completely and truly answered. It works like a gigantic, cosmic and all-knowing computer. Meditation can raise the consciousness level from the limited (‘seemit’) individualized I-ism to the unlimited universal ‘aham’ and helps to develop this ritam bhara .
WHAT IS PRAJNA?
The term Prajna originates from Sanskrit —and is mainly composed of two terms. “Pra” refers to “before” and the “jna” means “knowledge”. The compound of these two terms signifies profound knowledge, before knowledge or root knowledge. The meaning of Prajna is translated as intuitive wisdom, perfect knowledge, intelligence, or deep understanding. Prajna is considered a kind of knowing that is beyond the intellect and comprehension of the human mind. In modern terms, Prajna can be described as letting things be as they are and accepting change in life without attachment. The three levels of the Prajna of mindfulness include; Prajna of listening or studying, Prajna of contemplating and Prajna of meditation or development of realization. 1. The Prajna of listening This is commonly known as the Prajna of studying the Dharma – the basic principles of cosmic or individual existence. This process is totally dependent on the conceptual mind, language and communication. This stage mainly involves studying, hearing and listening in order to develop and internalize the prajna of deep understanding. 2. The Prajna of contemplating This is basically what we go through in the process of internalizing and understanding the knowledge we receive. In this stage of contemplating, we completely absorb and understand . 3. Prajna of meditation The Prajna of meditation is commonly known as resting meditation primarily because one develops realization by going beyond conceptual meditation and eventually rests in the state pure awareness and non-dual experience. By realizing the genuine Prajna of realization, we eventually develop mindfulness and pure awareness. Wisdom in linked to the doctrine of sunyata, "emptiness." Sunyata, or Emptiness: The Perfection of Wisdom Emptiness is a difficult doctrine often mistaken .. This teaching does not say that nothing exists; it says that nothing has independent or self-existence. We perceive the world as a collection of fixed, separate things, but this is illusion. What we see as distinctive things are temporary compounds or assemblies of conditions that we identify from their relationship to other temporary assemblies of conditions. However, looking deeper, you see that all of these assemblies are inter-connected to all other assemblies. In Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, he writes that prajna is a state of perfection that a master yogi can reach after moving into samadhi (a state of meditative consciousness), which is the eighth and final limb of yoga.One of the four mahasutra is ---- 'PRAJNAM BRAHMAN'----------SHIVOHAM (contd.)
