Stages of Spiritual Progress
- augustleo2
- Topic Author
14 years 11 months ago #73528
by augustleo2
Stages of Spiritual Progress was created by augustleo2
From 'Notes on Spiritual Discourses of Shri Atmananda' taken by Nitya Tripta
884. THE STAGES OF PROGRESS TO THE ULTIMATE?
First from bondage to liberation, and from liberation to pure Consciousness. You have only to come to a deep recognition of the fact that you have always been, that you are, and that you shall ever be the witness. That is all that is needed.
First you know that you are the Reality.
Then you become it.
Then you be it.
In the being it, both the knowing it and the becoming it expire. The first two were misunderstandings of the '˜being it', at different levels.
The first knowing had an object, the last being is objectless knowledge.
1074. PROGRESS FROM OBJECTS TO CONSCIOUSNESS PURE
1. Objects: Not objects in the technical sense, but merely things. Here the Consciousness part is not referred to at all. This is an ignorant man's stand.
2. Consciousness of objects: This is also an ignorant man's stand, but a little higher than the first.
3. Objects of Consciousness: This is the sadhaka's stand at the beginning.
4. Objects in Consciousness: This is also the sadhaka's stand, a little later.
5. Objects as Consciousness: This is a jivan-mukta's stand (which may be compared with a detached knowing of the dream state).
6. Objects vanish and Consciousness reigns.
Gross forms appear when you perceive with gross sense-instruments. Thought-forms appear when you think (i.e. when you perceive with subtle senses). Knowledge-form alone shines when you know. But knowledge cannot be limited by any form. So the world is pure knowledge alone.
It is this one pure knowledge that appears as gross-form, thought-form and knowledge-form. Thus objects appear in terms of the instrument used.
884. THE STAGES OF PROGRESS TO THE ULTIMATE?
First from bondage to liberation, and from liberation to pure Consciousness. You have only to come to a deep recognition of the fact that you have always been, that you are, and that you shall ever be the witness. That is all that is needed.
First you know that you are the Reality.
Then you become it.
Then you be it.
In the being it, both the knowing it and the becoming it expire. The first two were misunderstandings of the '˜being it', at different levels.
The first knowing had an object, the last being is objectless knowledge.
1074. PROGRESS FROM OBJECTS TO CONSCIOUSNESS PURE
1. Objects: Not objects in the technical sense, but merely things. Here the Consciousness part is not referred to at all. This is an ignorant man's stand.
2. Consciousness of objects: This is also an ignorant man's stand, but a little higher than the first.
3. Objects of Consciousness: This is the sadhaka's stand at the beginning.
4. Objects in Consciousness: This is also the sadhaka's stand, a little later.
5. Objects as Consciousness: This is a jivan-mukta's stand (which may be compared with a detached knowing of the dream state).
6. Objects vanish and Consciousness reigns.
Gross forms appear when you perceive with gross sense-instruments. Thought-forms appear when you think (i.e. when you perceive with subtle senses). Knowledge-form alone shines when you know. But knowledge cannot be limited by any form. So the world is pure knowledge alone.
It is this one pure knowledge that appears as gross-form, thought-form and knowledge-form. Thus objects appear in terms of the instrument used.