This lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda at Stanford University on June 30, 2019. The lecture was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
Verses: 66-76
-The first stage of spiritual life is discrimination between the real and unreal (nitya-anitya-vastu-viveka). Nitya means Atman or unchanging Absolute Reality. Anitya means “the changing” or non-eternal.
-Avidya is the absence of knowledge of the absolute truth. When we are in the spell of Avidya, we have desires and we direct our efforts towards the fulfillment of those desires.
-An elaborate analysis of the Non-Self (anatman). Descriptions of sthula-sharira (gross body) & sukshma-sharira (subtle body) are provided. Strive to go beyond the cycle of birth and death and put your own effort towards experiencing the absolute truth. We have to think of ourselves as beyond the body and mind. Atman is our true identity.
-Life of Tulsidas is briefly discussed.
-A spiritual seeker should develop dispassion to anitya and not assign permanence to what is impermanent. The Buddhist concept of Trishna – desire for impermanent things – is discussed.
-Raga-Dvesha is discussed. Raga is an obsessive desire for something that we know is harmful to us, but we are not able to get out of it. Dvesha is obsessive hatred towards someone or something, that one is not able to get out of. Both are types of enslavements.
-Conflicts are natural to the mind; the mind is full of momentary thoughts and one cannot determine what thought will emerge next. To make the mind steady, one should not fight the conflicting thoughts – rather one should direct the mind toward a higher goal.
-When sense objects guide our senses, which guide our mind, which guides our life – our life loses its direction. Our mind then is our tormenter, our worst enemy.
-Example of dangers of guided from sense objects is provided from the animal kingdom. Deer (sense of hearing), Elephant (sense of touch). Moth (sense of seeing), Fish (sense of taste), Bee (sense of smell). Each of these creatures reaches death as they are guided by one of their senses. What to speak of humans who have five senses active all the time.
-When one observes their thoughts, they become a witness and are no longer attached to the thought and not affected by it. To become mindful, one has to go beyond the mind.
-A spiritual seeker should practice the six disciplines discussed earlier in Vivekachudamani. These six disciplines take to “Prasada” – inner contentment. Good, noble, unselfish deeds also take one to “Prasada”. Example of helping a blind man crossing the street is provided. Inner contentment is a sign that mind is our friend.