A Treatise on the Vedanta Philosophy and Its
Methodology by Swami Krishnananda
From: The
Realization of the Absolute - Chapter 3: The Need for Integral Knowledge
One must
go beyond all that causes duality, even the intellect, and take resort in the
transcendent silence. The intellect is the seat of egoism, and the highest
learning is only apara vidya,
not above the phenomena of nature. The intellect has no light of its own,
independent of the Self, any more than the moon has any light other than that
of the sun. Consciousness gets diffused through the distractive intellect and
creates the perception of multiplicity.
Further, it is erroneous on the part
of an individual to take seriously the many forms of perception. These forms
float in Truth even as bubbles in the ocean. They cannot exist apart from the
ocean of Truth. The names and forms of the world are the effects of the piled
up desire-impressions of all the manifested and the unmanifested individuals
that inhabit it. Since destruction of all desires brings about destruction of
all forms in the state of Self-realisation, the forms are unreal, being
dependent on the desire-impulses of the collective perceiving consciousness.
The human being has not explored
even the mental region, which is so vast that it mocks at the futile efforts of
the selfish individual to bring it under his control. The deceived soul fears
death of its body, death of what it considers as dear. It loves objects which
do not promise real satisfaction.
Every bit of gain in the realm of
Truth involves a loss—if at all it is a loss—in the world of experience. The
dream-objects have to vanish if waking experience is to be had. The glorious
life is to dawn upon earth the moment individuals begin to live in the
consciousness of the basic substratum of the Infinite Reality which is not only
metaphysical but also metapsychical. The Upanishad declares that for them who
depart hence without having realised the Truth, the Atman of all, there is no
freedom in all the worlds.
The spiritual aspirants are not, as
it is commonly supposed, some queer type of people who have strayed away from
the general intelligent humanity. On the other hand, they are the cream of the
whole of mankind. The value of a person is nothing if he does not aspire for
the realisation of the Eternal Good of the entire universe. All are here so
that they may perfect themselves absolutely, for which men are endowed with
intelligence, and without which their intelligence has no substance in it.
Perfection is Absolute-Experience, brahma-anubhava,
the Consciousness of Reality.
Continue to read:
“The need for integral knowledge” – from Chapter 2:
The
Realisation of the Absolute by Swami Krishnananda
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