Wednesday, Apr 07, 2004
Wednesday, Apr 07, 2004 |
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Religion
CHENNAI, APRIL 7 . According to the scriptures the sorrows faced by human beings are due to ignorance of their spiritual nature. When a person wants to enjoy only joy, which is the natural urge of every individual, then he must strive to realise his true nature (the Self, Atman). Knowledge of the Self is the state of liberation as it removes bondage and there is no more suffering. For gaining Self-knowledge he should study the scriptures under a competent teacher. A class of texts written by the preceptors to expound the essential concepts is the independent texts meant for beginners and the laity. In her discourse, Swamini Satyavratananda said the Tattva Bodha, which was a primary manual on Advaita, was in the form of question and answer between disciple and teacher pointing to the fact that scriptures were not meant for self-study. Then it becomes essential to know who is qualified to undertake scriptural study. Just as a student has to fulfil certain requirements for getting admission into a course of his choice, so also there are four prerequisites for one who wants to study the scriptures. They are the capacity to discriminate between the eternal and the transient; detachment towards enjoyments of this world or heaven; possession of six virtues, which require self-discipline; and intense desire for liberation. Discrimination between the permanent and temporary is necessary to get the conviction that it is not possible to derive eternal joy from something, which is ephemeral by nature. As everything in the world is fleeting all joys that we experience contain the seed of unhappiness. So the scriptures caution the spiritual seeker to develop this discernment so that life does not become a string of disappointments. Next is to cultivate detachment towards the body considering it is as an instrument bequeathed by God to man as the result of his good deeds for the purpose of attaining liberation and not just for the purpose of enjoying sensory pleasures. This does not mean that one should not enjoy worldly life but one should always remember that these joys are impermanent and never lose sight of the ultimate goal. The six virtues that have to be cultivated are concerned with control of the mind and the sense organs and conviction in the teachings of the scriptures. Above all there should be constant yearning for realising the goal of liberation in this life with the awareness that this opportunity of human birth should not be frittered away.
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