Secret Instruction on the Practice of Non-Dual Jnana Yoga
Om
Salutations to Shiva, the goddess of wisdom Saraswati, the avadhuta guru Dattatreya, the holy Brahmananda, and all the saints of the great Tree of Refuge.
- "Happiness is in Brahman, and not in anything else," – so declare the Shrutis and teach the Rishis; therefore, a yogi-sannyasin must focus entirely on the realization of Brahman, rejecting worldly vanity as one casts away old and useless things.
- Not everyone knows Brahman, but only the rare yogi-sadhu endowed with great destiny and qualities, who has ascended to the four highest stages of wisdom (Jnana-bhumi), such as:
- sattvapatti
- asamshakti
- padartha-bhavana
- turyaga
- The wisdom of those outstanding saints who abide in these stages is direct (aparoksha-jnana); they are the wisest of the wise. Others have only a small indirect understanding from the mind, books, and memory (paroksha-jnana); they must purify their karma by advancing through the first three Jnana-bhumis.
Shravana
- First, by studying carefully under one’s guru, one must learn the prakriyas of Vedanta, especially such as:
- the three bodies and five koshas
- vidya and avidya
- the three avasthas
- the seven jnana-bhumis and seven ajnana-bhumis
- the four qualities (anubandha-chatushtaya)
- the nature of Brahman
- vishayakara-vritti and brahmakara-vritti
- the fivefold nature of things
- the four states of jnana
- the two types of mukti
- the levels of samadhi
- paroksha-jnana and aparoksha-jnana
- the levels of being
- the two meanings of the mahavakya "Tat Tvam Asi" and others
In all these concepts, one should be certain in order to form vedanta-yukti and have no doubts.
- Then one should study the pramanas of Vedanta:
- "Bhagavad Gita"
- "Brahma Sutras"
- The Upanishads of the Mukhya canon
other important scriptures:
- "Avadhuta Gita"
- "Ashtavakra Gita"
- "Yoga Vasistha"
- "Mandukya Karika"
- "Vakyapadiya"
as well as such texts by Sri Shankaracharya as:
- "Shariraka Bhashya"
- "Viveka Chudamani"
- "Vakya Vrittih"
- "Atma Bodha"
- "Drik Drishya Viveka"
- "Aparoksha Anubhuti"
- and others
- Then one should study various available manana-granthas of Navya Vedanta (New Vedanta), namely the texts and commentaries of subsequent saints in the lineage of Sri Shankaracharya, for example:
- the texts of Chitsukha and Shriharsha
- "Brahma Siddhi" by Mandana Misra
- "Bhamati" by Vachaspati Misra
- the teaching of drishti-srishti-vada by the saint Prakashananda
- "Vedanta Panchadashi" by Vidyaranya
- "Pancha Padika Vivarana" by Padmapada and others.
All this must be studied by the student of the Advaita Vedanta tradition under the guidance of a guru to deeply master the Advaita view (jnana-drishti) and have no doubts.
- Then one should seek the realization of Brahman through the path of "shravana – manana – nididhyasana", that is, hearing about Him from the guru, removing doubts, and abiding in the awareness of Brahman. Such a method on the path of Advaita is applied three times: during the verbal transmission from the guru at the beginning, during the symbolic transmission in the middle, and during that which is beyond words at the end of training.
- Abhasa-vada
- avachcheda-vada
- svatantra-vada
- bimba-pratibimba-vada
- vivarta-vada
- drishti-srishti-vada
- maya-vada
- satkarya-vada
- brahma-vada
- abhasa-vada
– all these important philosophical teachings must be carefully considered through examples and studied by the student under the guidance of a learned guru who knows the shastras and is established in Brahman.
Such is shravana.
Manana
Next, one should practice manana to eliminate doubts.
- Study and practice the three great analytical methods recognized by all sadhus who are followers of Advaita:
- pancha-kosha-viveka
- drik-drishya-viveka
- recognition of the Atman in external objects by the asti-bhati-priya method
- Ask the teacher questions to eliminate all doubts regarding Brahman, Atman, jnana, and maya, and then contemplate tirelessly.
Such is the magnificent manana that removes all doubts. When all this is studied through shravana and manana, paroksha-jnana is attained.
For aparoksha-jnana, two conditions are necessary: samadhi and prolonged nididhyasana.
Nididhyasana
Nididhyasana is the prolonged abiding in the contemplation of Brahman day and night. When the mind of the contemplator is directed toward Brahman and not toward anything else, even if he speaks, walks, sleeps, or eats – this is nididhyasana. When turya is recognized everywhere and in everything – this is nididhyasana, desired by all sadhus, yogis, and jnanis. When it is unerring, deep, continuous, and effortless – this is sahaja-samadhi.
- When a yogi, thanks to previous training, has directly beheld the inexpressible essence of Brahman even for a moment, he must ask for confirmation from the guru. Having received it, he can discard philosophical theories for the sake of contemplating That which is beyond the mind, entirely surrendering to amanaska-yoga and meditation on the supportless state (niralambha).
Meditating on the mahavakya "Aham Brahmasmi", let him practice bhava-samadhi or shabdanuvid-savikalpa-samadhi and become steady in it. Or let him practice atma-vichara and brahma-vichara according to the instructions of his teacher.
- Students of the divya level can penetrate into the knowledge of Brahman by receiving from the guru during shravana a direct introduction "beyond the mind" into the natural state (sahaja) as an experience of their true nature. Holding onto sahajya, they easily pass the stage of manana, eliminate doubts, and, becoming established in it, immediately enter the path of nididhyasana, soaring very high like Garuda, who is born already capable of flight.
If they have successfully entered direct knowledge of Brahman, then intellectual training is not mandatory for them.
- Others must follow the path of combining contemplation and samadhi. They should practice the six types of samadhi of jnana-yoga, as commanded by Shiva in the form of the holy acharya Sri Shankara in his scripture (prakarana-grantha) "Drik Drishya Viveka".
The samadhi of jnana-yoga is of six types: three internal and three external. From the practice of these types of samadhi, pure aparoksha-jnana is born, like a lotus.
The three internal samadhis are as follows:
- antar-drishyanuvid-savikalpa
- antar-shabdanuvid-savikalpa
- antar-nirvikalpa
The three external samadhis are as follows:
- bahir-drishyanuvid-savikalpa
- bahir-shabdanuvid-savikalpa
- bahir-nirvikalpa
Let the yogi practice them without laziness day and night. Through these samadhis, he becomes established in brahma-aham-bhava and divya-bhava. When these two bhavas are achieved – mukti-bhava comes.
- When the five light spaces (vyoma-panchaka) are experienced in these samadhis – success is achieved. Aparoksha-jnana grants the direct experience of the Atman as pure clear light, turya, prabhasvara – that which is beyond the three states.
- When the transcendental dimension turya-turya is realized in nirvikalpa-samadhi, and then the awareness of turya is brought down into lower levels of consciousness and the dimensions of turya-svapna, turya-sushupti, and turya-jagrat are mastered – success is undoubtedly obtained.
Further, the yogi brings the experience of turya even lower and enters the dimension of jagrat-turya by day, as well as the dimensions of svapna-turya and sushupti-turya by night. And then success is achieved, then enlightenment is experienced even amidst the mundane, and all the karma of such a great yogi dissolves into the radiant nature of the Atman.
- Thanks to aparoksha-jnana, first the destruction of mental constructs (vikalpa-kshaya) is achieved. Then the dissolution of the external visible world (drishya-vilaya) is attained. Next occurs the destruction of vasanas (vasana-kshaya). Finally, it is the turn for the destruction of identification with the mind (manonasha), and then bodha comes – the awareness of the supreme true nature "I am Brahman".
- When these stages are passed, the yogi first reaches the fourth bhumi, called "sattvapatti". Rising further stage by stage, he reaches truly deep nididhyasana, abiding in the contemplation of Brahman day and night.
Thus, having become established in sahaja-samadhi and then in svarupa-samadhi, the yogi forever becomes a jivanmukta, liberated already in this life, having reached the 7th jnana-bhumi, realized the stage of 16 kalas, one with Shiva, having attained the invisible, infinite, radiant, all-pervading formless body of wisdom (jnana-deha).
Pancha Dashanam Juna Akhara Mahamandaleshwar Sri Guru Swami Vishnudevananda Giri December 2020
