Monday, March 10, 2008

Gone Beyond


Beyond the senses are their objects, and beyond the objects is the mind. Beyond the mind is pure reason, and beyond reason is the Spirit in man.

Beyond the Spirit in man is the Spirit of the universe, and beyond is Purusha (God/Godhead), the Spirit Supreme. Nothing is beyond Purusha: He is the End of the path.

The light of the Atman, man's Spirit, is invisible, concealed in all beings. It is seen by the seers of the subtle, when their vision is keen and is clear.

[from the Katha Upanishad]


Most of the time I'm content to stay within the realm of the very first level - the level of the senses. There's not much depth - just getting by in life, spinning from this project to that project, feeding my belly and doing things that feel good.

Oh how much we miss when we choose not to delve deeper. As Deepak Chopra says, perhaps Jesus' condemnation of "the world" and worldliness is not so much a disdain for the things of this world, but rather an invitation to see outer things as a trap that keeps us from going within to deeper realities.

This is why the Buddhists say:

"Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha"

or

"Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone completely beyond, oh what an awakening!"

6 comments:

Jon said...

My translation of svaha is "Hallelujah!"

Thanks. You just combined one of my favorite 'Shads with my favorite mantra.

ElPato said...

ohm, shanti, ohm

anonymous julie said...

Where does intuition fall among objects, mind, reason, spirit? Where lays the realm of the mystics? The quote implies logical order.

"Oh how much we miss when we choose not to delve deeper." In what sense? How? What's being missed? Why do you think anything's being missed? Or what, lately, have you found? Or what's the deeper reality that's being missed or expected to be found?

isaiah said...

Julie's asking questions again, Trev... so unlike her :)

I enjoy a good querry myself- AND, hers are worthy.

Perhaps enlightenment is simply the ability to ask the right question... in the right moment. Who cares what the answer may be... we seem much more content with questions.

Besides, those claiming a stake with an answer are both wrong... and enlightened all at the same time.

"Black rain falling on the temple roof."

Trevor Harden said...

Julie - As far as the quote implying logical order, I read it as poetry and not exact science. Though it does leave out things and presents a logical order if you look at it from a certain angle, it also just speaks of unfolding layers of reality. I'm not sure it's to be taken as fact.

What is being missed? Though Tommy summed it up well, the simplest word to describe what I miss is DEPTH. I certainly can feel the difference between a shallow existence and when I'm "connected to the Source" so to speak. It's that deep primordial need that has driven humankind to spirituality at all. What's being missed is (1) a deeper reality that says that my little micro-drama is not all there is and (2)a sense of a foundation and peace that comes from "knowing God."

anonymous julie said...

Thanks, Tommy :) (Who, me? Questions? Never!)

Depth. What if this - what you're experiencing now - is it?