The Dead-end Up Here: June 2017

Friday, June 30, 2017

The Heart of Sutras

This should be called the heart of sutras rather than a heart sutra. Very little in the sutra refers to the heart, love, compassion or meta bhavana.

Here are some excllent explanation of the sutra.

prajna paramita hridaya sutra
(perfect wisdom heart sutra)

aryavalokitesvaro bodhisattvo
(Saintly Avalokateshvara bodhisattva)

gambhiram prajnaparamita caryam caramano vyavalokayati
(deep perfect wisdom action perform luminously)

sma panca skandhas tams ca sva bhava sunyam
(saw five bundles them own nature empty)
THEIR EMPTY NATURE
pasyati sma iha sariputra
(crossed beyond all suffering and difficulty. Shariputra:)

rupam sunyata (...) va rupam rupan na prithak
(form emptiness evidently form form not different)
THIS EMPTY NATURE OF IMAGE IS THE IMAGE NOT SEPARATE
sunyata sunyataya na prithag rupam
(emptiness emptiness not different form)
EMPTINESS IS ALSO EMPTY AND HAS NO OTHER IMAGE
yad rupam sa sunyata ya sunyata sa rupam
(this form that emptiness this emptiness that form)
AS IS EMPTINESS of the IMAGE SO IS IMAGE's emptiness.
evam eva vedana samjna samskara vijnanam
(like this feeling thought choice consiousness)
AND PRAYERS, SAMSKARA AND KNOWLEDGE
iha sariputra sarva dharma sunyata
(oh Sariputra all dharmas emptiness)
ALSO SHOW THE EMPTINESS OF ALL DHARMAS
laksana anutpanna anruddha avmala anuna aparpurna
(mark not born not pure not increase not decrease ?)
WHICH IS NOT BORN, NOT PURE NOT SOILED, NOT COMPLETE, NOT INCOMPLETE

ta (...) sariputra sunyatayam
(therefore Sariputra in the middle of emptiness)
THUS IN THIS EMPTINESS THERE IS
na rupam na vedana na samjna na samskara na vijnana
(no form no feeling no thought no choice no consciousness)
NO FORM, NO FEELING, NO .......
na caksuh srotam na ghrana jihva kaya manah
(no eye ear no nose tongue body mind)

na rupa sabda gandha rasa spistavya dharmah
(no form sound smell taste touch dharmas)

na caksur dhatur ya van na mano vijnanam dhatur
(no eye-area up to no mind-consciousness area)

na vidya na vidya na vidya ksayo na(*) vidya ksayo
(no clarity no clarity no clarity exhaustion no clarity exhaustion)

ya van jaramaranam na jaramarana ksayo
(up to old age no old age exhaustion)

na duhkha samudaya nirdoha margajna
(no suffering end of suffering path)

na jnanam na prapti na bhismaya tasmai na prapti
(no knowledge no ownership no witnessing no thing to own)

tvad bodhisattva prajnaparamita asritya
(therefore bodhisattva perfect wisdom dwells)

viha ratya citta varano vidya ksayo na vidya ksayo
(in dwell thought no obstacle clarity exhaustion not clairty exhaustion)

ya van jaramaranam na jaramarana ksayo
(up to old age no old age exhaustion)

na duhkha samudaya nirodha margajna
(no suffering end of suffering path)

na jnanam na prapti na bhismaya tasmai na prapti
(no knowledge no property no witnessing no thing to own)

tvad bodhisattvanam prajnaparamita asritya
(therefore bodhisattva perfect wisdom dwells)

viha ratya citta varano citta varano
(in dwell thought no obstacle thought no obstacle)
WITH THIS PERFECT WISDOM
na siddhitvad atrasto vipa ryasa ti kranto
(no existence fear fright inverse reverse ? separate)

ni stha nirvana tya dha vyava sthitah
(perfectly stands nirvana three worlds thing experiences)
STAY IN PERMANENT NIRVANA IN THREE WORLDS.
sarva buddhah prajnaparamitam asritya
(all buddhas perfect wisdom dwell)

(a?)nuttaram samyaksambodhim abdhisambuddhah
(unexcelled ultimate perfect insight together ? buddhas)

ta smai jnata vyam
(therefore should know ?)

prajna paramita maha mantram maha vidyamantram
(perfect wisdom great charm great clear charm)

anuttara mantram asamasama mantram
(unexcelled charm unequalled equal charm)

sarva duhkha prasa manam sa tyam ami thyatvat
(all suffering stop terminate genuine real not vain)

prajna paramita yam ukto mantrah tadyatha
(perfect wisdom declaired charm saying)

GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA
(gone gone totally gone totally completely gone enlightened so be it)

(prepared by: Dr. Michael E. Moriarty
Communication Arts Department
Valley City State University
Valley City, North Dakota 58072)
Redistribution permitted.)

The Heart Sutra

FIVE AGGREGATES ARE EMPTY OF THE CHARACTERISTICS THE MIND ASSIGNS THEM. SINCE THERE IS ONLY THE MIND THAT ASSIGNS THESE CHARACTERISTICS IN REALITY THEY ARE EMPTY. SO, ALL CHARACTERISTICS ASSIGNED BY THE MIND LIKE THE SENSES, FEELINGS, EVEN DHARMAS, BIRTH AND DEATH ARE MIND's ASSIGNMENT. THEIR TRUE NATURE IS EMPTINESS. THIS INSIGHT IS NIRVANA..

METAPHOR BY GIL FRONSDAL, MOVIE SHOWN FRAME BY FRAME. FORM APPEARS TO BE FORM BECAUSE MIND PROJECTS IT TO BE. IN FACT IT IS EMPTY.

A TABLE IS ASSIGNED TABLENESS BUT IT HAS IN FACT MANY OTHER QUALITIES AND NOTHING AT ALL AT A MOLECULAR LEVEL. EARS ARE ASSIGNED HEARING ALTHOUGH IT IS ALSO FLESH, COULD BE LUNCH FOR MAGGOTS AND AGAIN NOTHING. SO TABLENESS AND HEARING ARE IN REALITY EMPTY. ALL THE CHARACTERISITCS ARE IN FACT EMPTY ONLY HAVE MEANING TO THE MIND WHICH ITSLEF IS EMPTY.

SIMILAR TO IMPERMANENCE TEACHING BUT A DIRECT PATH. IMPERMANENCE TEACHING ASSUMES THE CHARACTERISTICS OF FIVE SKANDHAS REAL BUT IMPERMANENT, I.E. CHANGING FROM FRAME TO FRAME HENCE SUFFERING. HEART SUTRA SAYS BOTH THE FIVE SKANDHAS AND THEIR IMPERMANENCE ARE MADE UP PROJECTIONS BY THE MIND AND ALL ARE EMPTY. THE ONLY CHARACTER IS EMPTINESS.

Friday, June 9, 2017

The Heart Sutra

Om namo bhagavatyai arya-prajnaparamitayai!
Om! Salutation to the blessed and noble one! (who has reached the other shore of the most excellent transcendental wisdom).
(In this invocation the perfection of transcendental wisdom is personified as the compassionate mother of bodhi -- wisdom -- who bestows enlightenment upon the bodhisattvas who had vigilantly followed the course prescribed for the aspirant to full enlightenment -- samyak sambodhi.)
Verse 1
arya-avalokitesvaro bodhisattvo gambhiram prajnaparamitacaryam caramano vyavalokayati sma: panca-skandhas tams ca svabhavasunyan pasyati sma.
The noble bodhisattva, Avalokitesvara, being engaged in practicing the deep transcendental wisdom-discipline, looked down from above upon the five skandhas (aggregates), and saw that in their svabhava (self-being) they are devoid of substance.
Verse 2
iha sariputra rupam sunyata sunyataiva rupam, rupan na prithak sunyata sunyataya na prithag rupam, yad rupam sa sunyata ya sunyata tad rupam; evam eva vedana-samjna-samskara-vijnanam.
Here, O Sariputra, bodily-form is voidness; verily, voidness is bodily-form. Apart from bodily-form there is no voidness; so apart from voidness there is no bodily-form. That which is voidness is bodily-form; that which is bodily-form is voidness. Likewise (the four aggregates) feeling, perception, mental imaging, and consciousness (are devoid of substance).

IMAGE OF EMPTINESS IS THE EMPTINESS OF IMAGE. IMAGE IS NOT SEPARaTE FROM EMPTINESS, VICE VERSA.
Verse 3
iha sariputra sarva-dharmah sunyata-laksala, anutpanna aniruddha, amala avimala, anuna aparipurnah.
Here, O Sariputra, all phenomena of existence are characterized by voidness: neither born nor annihilated, neither blemished nor immaculate, neither deficient nor overfilled.
Verse 4
tasmac chariputra sunyatayam na rupam na vedana na samjna na samskarah na vijnanam. na caksuh-srotra-ghrana-jihva-kaya-manamsi. na rupa-sabda-gandha-rasa-sprastavya-dharmah. na caksur-dhatur yavan na manovijnana-dhatuh. na-avidya na-avidya-ksayo yavan na jaramaranam na jara-marana-ksayo. na duhkha-samudaya-nirodha-marga. na jnanam, na praptir na-apraptih.
Therefore, O Sariputra, in voidness there is no bodily-form, no feeling, no mental imaging, no consciousness; no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no sense objects of bodily-form, sound, smell, taste, or touchable states; no visual element, and so forth, until one comes to no mind-cognition element. There is no ignorance, nor extinction of ignorance, until we come to: no aging and death, nor extinction of aging and death. There is no suffering, no origination, no cessation, no path; there is no higher knowledge, no attainment (of nirvana), no nonattainment.

EMPTINESS HAS NO FORM, NO FEELING, NO.....
Verse 5
tasmac chariputra apraptitvad bodhisattvasya prajnaparamitam asritya vibaraty acittavaranah. cittavarana-nastitvad atrasto viparyasa-ati-kranto nistha-nirvana-praptah.
Therefore, O Sariputra, by reason of his nonattainment (of nirvana), the bodhisattva, having resorted to prajnaparamita (transcendental wisdom), dwells serenely with perfect mental freedom. By his non-possession of mental impediments (the bodhisattva) without fear, having surpassed all perversions, attains the unattainable (bliss of) nirvana.

THE BODHISATVA WHO HAVE NOT OBTAINED THE SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE DWELL IN INCOMPLETE MENTAL CLARITY, BY LOSING THESE MENTAL VOLITIONS THEY RECEIVE PERMANENT NIRVANA.
Verse 6
tryadhva-vyavasthitah sarva-buddhah prajnaparamitam asritya-anut-taram samyaksambodhim abhisambuddhah.
All Buddhas, self-appointed to appear in the three periods of time (past, present, and future), having resorted to the incomparable prajnaparamita, have become fully awake to samyak sambodhi (absolute perfect enlightenment).
Verse 7
tasmaj jnatavyam: prajnaparamita maha-mantro mahavidya-mantro 'nuttara-mantro samasama-mantrah, sarva-duhkha-prasamanah, satyam amithyatvat. prajnaparamitayam ukto mantrah. tadyatha: gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha. iti prajnaparamita-hridayam sa-maptam.
Therefore prajnaparamita should be recognized as the great mantra, the mantra of great wisdom, the most sublime mantra, the incomparable mantra and the alleviator of all suffering; it is truth by reason of its being nonfalsehood. This is the mantra proclaimed in prajnaparamita. It is:
gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha!
Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone altogether beyond (to the other shore)! O enlightenment! Be it so! Hail!

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Friday, June 2, 2017

What are you?

You can not be both a body and a soul and they can not be the same.

You have to first agree on what is meant by the question itself. If we define a something as being detectable by our five senses or extension of them through scientific instrumentation then there is no you as no object can be found that meets the qualities of you. There is a sense of presence other than the five or there is an idea, neither of which can be confirmed by conventional means.

If we settle on you being an idea or a concept like truth or lies or sky or space; meaning a label for something whose presence can be felt but only indirectly by the senses, then by that definition the body turns out to be a concept too. A hand is a label, all you know is the tactile sensation. No one has actually seen their own eyes or her own taste.

This has incredible implication. If you can not find a you then how can you find suffering? Who is suffering?

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Lineage

I am a descendant of the great sage Kashyap.

Here is one of his poems.

Undisturbed am I, undisturbed is my soul,
undisturbed mine eye, undisturbed mine ear,
undisturbed is mine in-breathing, undisturbed mine out-breathing,
undisturbed my diffusive breath, undisturbed the whole of me.

Thereafter rose Desire in the beginning, Desire the primal seed and germ of Spirit,
O Kama dwelling with the lofty Kama, give growth of riches to the sacrificer, (...)
Prolific, thousand eyed, and undecaying, a horse with seven reins Time bears us onward,
Sages inspired with holy knowledge mount him, his chariot wheels are all the worlds of creatures.

Kala [Time] created yonder heaven, and Kala made these realms of earth,
By Kala, stirred to motion, both what is and what shall be, expand, (...)
Kala created living things and first of all Prajapati,
From Kala self-made Kasyapa, from Kala Holy Fire was born.

— Atharvaveda, Book XIX, Hymns L51-53^[7]^[20]

Special Needs Meditation

"My son is a young man diagnosed with Aspergers. Two professionals in his life, a psychologist he had been seeing for many years and a holistic practitioner both suggested that he start meditation training. The goal was to help him learn to practice mindfulness and breath control to learn how to calm down his active mind and body. Once a week yoga meditation practice with Sunil has lowered my son's anxiety. He has an increased sense of calmness and the tools to practice relaxation techniques in different environments outside of the yoga studio. He has also started working out in the gym and trying other new activities (roller blading outside). His overall mood is more positive and he is gaining strength and flexibility. Most importantly, he now feels included; a part of something. This weekly yoga meditation routine has enhanced his self esteem and he feels accepted and comfortable in this training environment provided by Sunil and Be Yoga & Wellness."

"The Dead-end(Up) Here" is a book of Celestial Songs of Love...

Round and round I go

Looking for you

All I find are

Dead-ends here.

My chakras dancing

My breathing fierce

My heart is leaping

Spine trembling.

This is something to expect

Guides had said

Know it

Death ends here.

There is no death, I sort of get it

It’s faith, not realization.

More semantics than truth

Clever dialogue, not deep insight.

Not body nor mind am I

How could I die

It is the body that perishes

I dwell in continuous freedom.

I love the idea

Of living forever

That too without

The source of all pain.

Body was great once

Pleasures abound

Love was grand

Ecstasy divine.

Mostly aches and groans now

Unfulfilled desires

Of a mind

That never ages.

“Beyond mind beyond death”

A cry that launched my search

Years have gone by

I find only dead-ends here.

I am over the hump

Unfulfilled ambitions sting no more.

No cold sweaty nights

Heart breaks are rare as aspirations

diminish.

They call it maturity

Spirituality or awakening

Still, thy screams I do not hear

Shiva I do not see.

I call it the end

End of Buddha’s suffering

End of useless search

The dead end up here.

Resonate with the author as he takes you on life journey which is full at times and empty at other, always seeking “happiness” that will last, a bliss that endures and a love that is unconditional. But as most seekers, he too reaches a dead-end. Then you realise what Shiva said in one of his soma rush laden moments, the dead end up here.

We all have such moments but some have the inspiration and skills to put them down as poetry. As one reader put it, “…and I found myself getting lost between the lines and imagining this little fantasy tale. It seemed to hold many truths within it and I think this is a piece many will enjoy and relate to.”

This book is a story disguised as poetry.

First a journey of spiritual seeking, a popular reaction to those days with no hope, no love, no life satisfaction. On this journey he does find some divine, blissful love in the form of beautiful, compassionate and loving people. Oh, how fireworks ensue in climactic poetry, describing the heartache that simply is. Lessons learned from the other side of pleasure are priceless but bliss endures.

As the book unfolds, we quickly realize there is no elegant conclusion to this poem-filled love story of divine intervention, just as there is none to life. You will either fall in love, fall in desire, or achieve some temporary yearning to feel what the author once felt. It is better to have loved like this; that which truly transforms human experience forever.

Why the blog title?

Patanjali, well known seminal author of yoga guide for all practitioners, defines yoga as "chitta vritti nirodhuh" meaning "cessation of mental formations."

This could also be expressed as the dead (one who has ceased mental formations) end up, here (now).

Bhagwat Gita, is a satsang between an undefeated warrior, Arjuna with his charioteer, friend and teacher, Krishna in the middle of an epic battle. Gita's lessons of how to conduct oneself while arrows and spears fly past you and still maintain a meditative calm are as good today as thousands of years ago.

Krishna could have taught his long time friend much earlier but chose to do so only when Arjun came to a "dead end" at the battle front (up here and now). Teachings work only when the student reaches the dead-end.