So, one time I said to Siddhi Maa… I said, Maa, Maharajji said he has the keys to the mind. So, to me that means that I am where he has placed me – where he wants me to be. So, is it all his doing? Is it all Grace or is my effort required?
I mean everybody asks this question: Grace or Effort?
She gave the best answer in the world. She looked at me and said, “Krishna Das, it’s all Grace but you have to act like it isn’t . We don’t know that it’s all Grace. We hope it is, we’d like to believe it is, but we don’t experience that directly. So, because you think you’re you and I think I’m me, we have effort to make until such time as those thoughts don’t arise.”
Beautiful answer!
– Krishna Das, Interview on Neem Karoli Baba
Tag: Ego
Your competition isn’t other people.
Your competition is your procrastination. Your ego. The unhealthy food you’re consuming, the knowledge you neglect. The negative behavior you’re nurturing and your lack of creativity. Compete against that.
Free your mind and think, Facebook Group
Miracle of the divine
Life of each life form is like complex string puppetry with numerous strings. While control through some strings seems to be apparent, there are other strings of which it is not clear who controls them, when, why or how.
The miracle of the divine is such that it would be perfectly valid to state that life of each life form is controlled by its own efforts but yet it would also be perfectly valid to state that life of each life form is controlled by circumstances beyond its control.
Life, as we experience it, seems to be a synergy of divine grace and the efforts of the life form. It is entirely possible that the lifeform stops its own efforts and lets the divine guiding force run its life. But it is impossible for a life form to sustain itself by its own efforts alone, given all the wonderous things needed to sustain life.
The divine plays a larger role in the experience each life form has of its own life. With the surrender of the life form to the divine, the need to have a life experience can cease. Without the individual ego and the need to experience life, there would be no need for life to manifest around the individual life form.
Life, then, is an illusory opportunity created by the divine to provide experiences to the individual life forms based on their own ego and desires.
Krishnan
Isolation by ego
Notes on ahamkara
Sources:
1. Drig Drishya Viveka
2. Shaiva Siddhantha
3. Swami Sarvapriyananda
4. Samkhya
Alternate terms: Ahankara, ahankar
English translation: Ego, Identity, Awareness, I-ness,
Meaning: (Ahamkara= I am the cause, I am the doer)
Ahamkara is a Sanskrit word that describes the ego, the image a person has of him/herself or the conscious mind as he/she perceives it. The term comes from the root, aham, which translates as “I am”; and kara, which means “doing” or “making.”
Purpose: The purpose of ahamkara is to create self-awareness. It is only by this self-awareness, a life form develops the ability to differentiate itself from the world around it and take ownership of objects as mine and not mine.
Position: Ahamkara is one of the four aspects of antahkarana, or the “inner organ”. In addition to ahankara, antahkarana includes buddhi , chitta and manas. The anthakarana are a part of the subtle body and exist in impure maya.
Working: The atman/soul is a source of pure consciousness. Ahamkara reflects the consciousness of the soul in its most true form to create a true reflection of the soul and thus create an identity. This reflection is not like the moon reflecting the sunlight but more like a dewdrop reflecting the sun. Moon’s reflection of sunlight does not reflect the sun truly and creates the illusion as if moon is also a source of light. But the dewdrop’s reflection of the sun is a miniature version of the sun itself. Like a red hot iron ball has both the attributes of iron as well as heat, this image of the atman created on anthakarana has attributes of both consciousness of the atman and the inertness of impure maya.
Role: The pure consciousness of the soul, is reflected and transmitted to ahamkara, is further transmitted to the other anthakaranas, sense organs and body so that the whole body till the tip of fingernails is illumined with consciousness.
This process of consciousness transmitting from the soul to ahankara to anthakarana to body organs is similar to heat flowing from fire to vessel to water to vegetable.
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Inference only – not from text:
This consciousness that is imparted to anthakarana and the body is called “reflected consciousness” because:
1. It is an unclear indication of the source consciousness (like moon reflects the sun)
2. It is different from pure consciousness due to its association with impure maya of the anthakarana and the body.
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Connections:
1. Connection of ahankara with other anthakaranas is natural (sahaja) and cannot be broken
2. Connection of ahankara with the body has its roots in the karma (karmajam) carried by the subtle body and will be broken only by resolving the karma
3. Connection of ahankara with the atman is false (bhranthijam). By breaking this connection, the soul is liberated by staying rooted in pure consciousness.