/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.13760663]

From the moment in which the superimpositions are removed the truthknower enters
immediately into that which permeates everywhere, as water in water, air in air, fire in fire.

The fulfillment after which there is nothing to desire, the happiness beyond which there is no
greater happiness, the understanding above which there is no higher understanding, may one
know that is Brahman!

The object of vision, beyond which no further vision can be desired, the being in union with
which no further birth is possible, the knowledge beyond which one needs no further knowledge,
may one know that is Brahman!

That which fills all superior, intermediate, and inferior worlds, being, awareness, bliss, one
without a second, infinite, eternal, may one know that is Brahman!

That which is designated in the Vedantic texts as the timeless being which renders illusory
all which is not Him, that permanent bliss, may one know that is Brahman!

Admitted to a portion of the bliss of that being which is eternal happiness, Brahma and the
other gods attain a partial happiness.

All things rest in Brahman and He moves all things; He is universally diffused through
everything, like butter in the mass of milk.

That which is neither small nor large, neither short nor long, neither subject to birth nor
death, that which is without form, without qualities, without color, without name, may one know
that is Brahman!

That by the splendor of which the sun and the stars shine while not being illuminated by
them, that which illuminates all things, may one know that is Brahman!

Penetrating everywhere within and without, illuminating the whole universe, Brahman shines
from afar like a globe of iron rendered incandescent by a flame.

Brahman is not of this world; nothing in reality is, but Him. If anything appears to be other
than Him, it is but a vain show, like a mirage in the desert.

All that is seen, all that is heard, is Brahman. Through understanding this, Brahman is
contemplated as the real, aware, nondual being.

The eye of knowledge contemplates the being which is life, intelligence, and all-pervading
happiness; but the eye of ignorance cannot contemplate That, just as a person who is blind
cannot perceive the shining sun.

The mind, enlightened by sacred tradition and other means, warmed by the fire of
knowledge, and freed from all impurities, becomes brilliant as gold purified by fire.

When Atman, the sun of understanding, rises in the space of the heart, it disperses
darkness; permeating all and sustaining all, it shines, and all is light.

He who undertakes the pilgrimage towards his own self, the unique Atman, going
everywhere without regard to the state of the sky, the country, or the weather, indifferent to heat
and cold, and acquiring eternal happiness; free from impurity, such a one becomes all-knowing,
all-pervading and immortal.

[Anonymous No.13761202]

I just had 5 very short and sequential instances where I 'entered the light'. For the first time every I 'get' Tat Tvam Asi, not just 'knowing' it intellectually. The sudden realization that even that which thinks and I consider to be myself beyond the flesh, the mind, is just a painting on a canvas and not ultimately real. That the 'real me' is everything 'around' me and that everything around me is me. That it is all One thing and that 'my' real Self is witnessing it, including that which I would usually consider to be 'my self'.
The 'feeling' is gone now and I'm honestly too frightened to attept to get into the light again, it's more consoling to consider 'myself' to be myself.

[Anonymous No.13761206]

>>13761202
The oceanic feeling must be nice.

[Anonymous No.13761218]

>>13761206
During this 'realization' I do indeed not feel 'in time', nor 'in space'. However when coming back down it certainly felt like a second or five at most and it's difficult to grasp what I experienced, let alone to put it in words.

Can someone recommend me some books to read (or to avoid) to really understand nondualism, whether it's eastern or western.

[Anonymous No.13761277]

>>13761218
>Can someone recommend me some books to read (or to avoid) to really understand nondualism
The best writing on non-dualism is by far Adi Shankara's translated works, everything else is more or less derivative of him and he is regarded as the school of thought's most prominent thinker, nobody else explains it quite like he does. If you are new to him it's best to begin with his shorter Upanishad commentaries which can be read online here. They presuppose being familiar with basic Hindu philosophic/metaphysical terminology, if you dont have that already I'd recommend reading a short intro book to Hindu philosophy to prepare. Shankara's works are so good that they blow out of the water most other stuff that you read without any prior knowledge so its worth reading an intro book first if you don't already have that. One Indian scholar Sharma wrote about Shankara's writing "He is gifted with extra-ordinary intelligence, a deeply penetrating mind, critical insight, logical reasoning, philosophical analysis, religious purity, sublimity of renunciation and profound spirituality. His literary excellence makes him shine as a writer of exemplary Sanskrit prose and soul inspiring philosophico-religious verses"

https://estudantedavedanta.net/Eight-Upanisads-Vol-1.pdf
https://estudantedavedanta.net/Eight-Upanisads-vol2.pdf

>short intro books (any one of these 3 would do)
https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.506393/page/n3
https://archive.org/details/VedantaHeartOfHinduismHansTorwesten/page/n7
https://archive.org/stream/reneguenon/1925%20-%20Man%20and%20His%20Becoming%20according%20to%20the%20Ved%C3%A2nta#mode/2up

[Anonymous No.13761291]

>>13761202
Anything you did in particular that you think lead to that?

[Anonymous No.13761308]

>>13760663
Tfw shit everywhere smells

[Anonymous No.13761324]

>>13761202
Just an experience. Even neurotics have it. Keep practicing.

[Anonymous No.13761365]

>>13761308
Isn't it only natural then that someone from Ancient Pooland of all places would attain transcendence?

[Anonymous No.13761372]

>>13761277
Thanks!

>>13761291
>>13761324
I didn't do anything particular to trigger it. Just went out for smoking a cigarette and something about my environment (street is covered by trees on all sides, like a tunnel of leaves) suddenly became 'unreal' and then somehow I realized what I described in my first posts. Not sure what to make of it, I might be going crazy as well

I've had 3 out of body experiences before as well, also accidentally triggered. (First time I saw myself with my groceries bag next to my bike that I was locking. Second time I saw myself shaking my pan in the kitchen. In both these cases I continued doing whatever I was doing but I myself (my consciousness I guess?) was not thinking/acting within my body, but observing it from a corner of the kitchen being without body or anything. The third experience was rather frightening and seems to be close to what people describe as astral projection. I basically saw myself hovering over my sleeping body from an angle and then my head turned towards the position from which I saw myself and my sleeping body opened its eyes looking directly 'into mine', at which point I woke up. In none of these cases I actively tried to induce some kind of psychosis or astral projection, so I'm afraid I actually might be going crazy, but then again these incidents were all spread out over almost two years so it's rather rare)

[Anonymous No.13761527]

>>13761365
Transcend out of the shit smell, my brothers

[Anonymous No.13761603]

>>13761372
>I didn't do anything particular to trigger it. Just went out for smoking a cigarette and something about my environment (street is covered by trees on all sides, like a tunnel of leaves) suddenly became 'unreal' and then somehow I realized what I described in my first posts. Not sure what to make of it, I might be going crazy as well

It was just a brief episode of derealization. I had it too in the past when I was going through a particular depressive/schizoid phase in my life and ironically it started my interested in Buddhism. Was a really weird set of weeks and I nearly went crazy, but it all went away in the end. Don't put any importance on it, these things just happen and they have no significance. Think of it as drug induced states, just that your body produced the drugs on its own.

[Anonymous No.13761783]

Is Swami_Vivekananda’s practical Vedanta a good start?

Are there any good books on mediation and the like that your would recommend

[Anonymous No.13761840]

>>13761783
No, Vivekananda promoted his own form of Vedanta which is is influenced by the 16th century thinker Vijnanabhiksu and modern thought and which in some ways is closer to Bhedabheda Vedanta than anything else. Not that I'm saying this is bad but it's better to first read some of Shankara and maybe some of Ramanuja as well, as they were some of the two most influential and important teachers of Vedanta. Reading Vedanta texts and expanding one's knowledge of it is considered to be more important in Vedanta than meditation, although many of meditational practices are also found in Advaita texts. If you want a text that talks about a lot of practices and meditations one can do the Yoga Vasistha is very good.

[Anonymous No.13761888]

>>13761324
what exactly is practice here

[Anonymous No.13762034]

>>13761840
Thank you, what are your thoughts on the Hare Krishnas ? Do you have a guru ?

[Anonymous No.13762062]

This is a Theravada Forest Tradition board

[Anonymous No.13762108]

>>13762062
based
read Nanavira

[Anonymous No.13762117]

>>13762034
>Hare Krishnas
ew

[Anonymous No.13762170]

>>13762062
Aren’t they a bit young to be considered a tradition ?

[Anonymous No.13762268]

>>13762034
I have not heard good things about them but at the same time the Gaudiya Vaishnavism that it comes from is based on a Vedanta school that goes way back in time so I dont rule out the possibility that there are valid spiritual teachings within Gaudiya Vaishnavism and its extensions. No, I dont have a guru

[Anonymous No.13762271]

>>13762062
Theravada Buddhism was retroactively refuted by Adi Shankara

[Anonymous No.13762332]

>>13762268
Is the guru relationship something that is not a big deal in Vedanta Hinduism ? Or is there a reason you don’t follow a guru?

[Anonymous No.13762365]

>>13762332
It is, and I plan to eventually but I just have a really busy life and have to work and there isn't one really available where I live, nevertheless you can still study it on your own and get a lot out of it if you are the right kind of person

[Anonymous No.13762995]

>>13762271
idiot.

[Anonymous No.13763052]

Vedanta anon can you make a reading chart/guide for vedanta?

[Anonymous No.13763084]

>>13762034
>>13762117
>>13762268
The Hare Krishnas also known by their organization ISKCON are a western branch off of an older indian tradition and are infamous for degeneracy and corruption. It seems to be calming down now as the hippies and crackheads from the 70's 80's 90's etc are now being replaced with normie indian families living in western countries, but its still full of standard religious organization corruption, hypocrisy, pedophilia and evil, it seems like the catholic church of india almost.

Despite this their literature is very much worth reading as it comes from the older krishna focused vaishnava bhakti tradition and the spotless well meaning guru who brought it from india to the west A.C. Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhupada (at the order of his own guru, to spread the religion to the english speaking world). Their 3 main texts are Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, and Caitanya Caritamrta. Even though they have a vast amount of literature to read that covers a wide array of hindu vaishnav philosophy their premise is that people are too shitty in this age to practice proper religion and dharma, to study scriptures, understand the vedas or even the advanced metaphysical concepts much of its literature describes so krishna has appeared in this age in the form of his own holy name that purifies you of millions of sins everytime you say it. of all the traditions and rituals and practices prescribed by the religion nothing is ever more important than the chanting of their 16 word Mahamantra as many times as you can stand every day, at least a minimum of 1728 times a day which should take about 1.5 to 2 hours.