The Practice of Atma Vichara (Self-Inquiry) – Advaita Vedanta "Deep Dive" скачать в хорошем качестве

The Practice of Atma Vichara (Self-Inquiry) – Advaita Vedanta "Deep Dive"

Many followers of Advaita Vedanta seem to lose sight of its main practice, the practice of self-inquiry, atma vichara. Instead of turning their attention within to seek the true Self, their attention is mostly focused on Vedantic scriptures, texts and commentaries. All Deep Dive videos are available here:    • The Practice of Atma Vichara (Self-Inquiry...   Recommended video: Beyond Words: Reaching Supreme Truth    • Beyond Words: Reaching Supreme TRUTH -- No...   0:00 Self-Inquiry (atma vichara) 6:10 Method of Self-Inquiry 12:08 Consequences of short-cut methods Self-inquiry means to turn your attention away from worldly activities and direct it within yourself to engage in a deep inner exploration, an exploration in which goal is to discover your essential nature, pure consciousness, the true self, atma. So, to focus mainly on spiritual teachings and principles instead of self-inquiry is like studying detailed maps without going anywhere. The method used by the rishis, the sages of ancient India, is a powerful step by step process of negation known as adhyaropa apavada. Adhyaropa means to make a hypothesis or supposition like, "consciousness is a tiny flame shining within." A scientist who makes a hypothesis will test it rigorously by means of various experiments. In a similar way, after making a supposition like, "consciousness is a tiny fame," you also have to test it. How? First, by turning your attention within and directly examining your own experience. Then, having failed to find that tiny flame in your experience, you can negate your supposition and conclude, "consciousness is not a tiny flame." This negation is called apavada; it's the second step of the method. You might have heard this method referred to with the Sanskrit expression, "neti, neti, not this, not this." The repetition used here suggests that many steps of negation are involved, not just one. For example, "My true nature is not male or female because gender belongs to the body. My true nature is not healthy or sick because illness belongs to the lifeforce of prana that enlivens the body. My true nature is not calm or agitated, because all mental states belong to the mind." A metaphor compares the method of negation to crossing a wide stream by walking on a series of stepping stones. You have to leave each stone behind as you step onto the next one, bringing you a bit closer to the other side. This shows how you have to leave each supposition behind as you formulate a better one, a supposition that more accurately represents the inner truth you seek. Finally, all suppositions are left behind when you discover your true nature. Most traditional teachers of Advaita Vedanta consider this special method of negation to be absolutely indispensable for the practice of atma vichara. They often quote this line: adhyaropa apavadabhyam nishprapancham prapanchyate, through the method of adhyaropa and apavada, the indescribable is described, the inconceivable is grasped, the transcendent, absolute reality, brahman, is brought within the reach of us mere mortals. Without this method, self-inquiry can be unending, hopeless, like trying to find the end of a rainbow, or like seeking the ever-receding horizon. Swami Tadatmananda is a traditionally-trained teacher of Advaita Vedanta, meditation, and Sanskrit. For more information, please see: https://www.arshabodha.org/