I have been in India now for two weeks and have not yet found the time and place to write to you, I will make a small effort now and have more time in February when I arrive in Jaipur.

Currently I am in a study program in Tiruvanamailai with James Swart, also known as Ramji, an inspired teacher of  Vedanta teacher.  This 6 hour a day study session  will continue until the end of January.  Daily we listen  as he presents the text and elaborates on the subtle meanings within the ancient scripture.  The scripture we are studying this time is called the Panchadasi. by Vidyaranya Swami.  It is ‘ Inquiry into Existence”  – ‘The Essence of Vedanta‘   it is, in Ram’s words, a prakarana text, an analysis and discussion of certain famous Upanishad mantras.  Its fifteen chapters are divided into three sections, one on discrimination, one on illumination and one on bliss.  “ Panchadasi is a very sophisticated work that analyzes the meaning of words so that wrong thinking about the nature of reality can be exposed and corrected.  When one’s thinking coincides with the nature of reality, suffering ceases”

More on that later . . . once I have digested this and have a way of sharing it with you that will be meaningful and useful for you!

In the little free time we have,  I have been walking the rural roads, taking pictures.  Every morning starts with hatha yoga on the roof of the building I stay in,  just Adi and I up there in the early morning light greeting the rising sun.  It is a brightly beautiful orange light seen through the misty warmth of Tamil Nadu skies.

On our one day off so far I visited the Ramana Maharishi Ashram for early morning puja and vedic chanting then walked to the caves on the hillside where this gentle saint lived for many years actualizing his self realization.  I also visited the main Tiruvanamailai temple which is over 900 years old.  It was a holiday which brought in busloads of people from Kerala and other neighboring places, all dressed in finery making this journey to show their devotion.

I am enjoying the simplicity of life here, hand washing my clothes daily, visiting with people from all over the world, our Satsang has about 100 people in it.  I feel blessed to have been drawn to undertake this journey.   I will write again soon when there is more free time.

Warm Wishes to All

Sandra

Interpretive Translation by Joseph Le Page – 2.25 The Freedom of Clear Seeing

That ( avidya ) comes to an end as we release our unconscious identification with the seen, allowing us to experience the freedom of our authentic being whose essence is clear seeing.

Commentary:

As we align with our true being, clear seeing arises naturally, allowing us to live with freedom and ease so that the life journey is no longer a source of suffering, but a field of appreciation and awakening.

The essence of this freedom is the recognition that the “seer”, our true being, is inherently whole and complete, allowing us to rest in our essential equanimity whether in meditation or in daily activities.

With a greater sense of wholeness and equanimity, the layers of conditioning that form the personality dissolve gradually, allowing our true being whose nature is freedom and unity to unfold naturally.

And through clear seeing, even life’s most difficult challenges are released, including feelings of being unworthy or incomplete along with all doubts and questions about our life purpose and deeper meaning.

Within no need to do or achieve in order to feel complete, all conditioned judgments about how the world should be are released, allowing us to embrace each moment with curiosity, reverence and humility.

As judgment is released, we embrace our own history as part of a necessary process of transformation and learning, dissolving guilt and regret by seeing that all of our “mistakes” were essential steps in awakening.

Embracing the world and our own history more easily, we are able to differentiate clearly between the need to achieve and be seen, and the unfolding of our life’s true purpose, which naturally supports other beings.

Clear seeing also allows us to respond to our own minds more objectively, using thoughts and feelings as a field of learning by recognizing that the state of the mind is never the nature of our authentic being.

And clear seeing creates safe boundaries because when we no longer believe that our needs for belonging and security reflect reality, others find no place to hang their projections and fantasies.

As our unconscious drives and needs recede, there is a growing sensitivity to the clear voice of our own inner being, guiding our path toward ever greater clarity.

With clarity’s increase, our sense of wholeness becomes so complete that each breath is ecstasy, allowing us to rest in the silence of timeless being, no matter what is occurring in our surroundings.

In the light of clear seeing, our senses awaken naturally, and all of life’s sights, sounds, tastes, textures and fragrances are awakened within our being, allowing us to absorb each moment’s unique beauty.

And the world of the seen, with all of its challenges and possibilities, becomes a mystery novel in which each new day is a page that we turn enthusiastically, culminating in the experience of complete awakening.

We nourish the body-mind, the vehicle for our journey, with wisdom and sensitivity, so that we may reach the shore of freedom safely to swim with joy and ease in the ocean of limitless being.

For, in the end, freedom is just the ability to see clearly without the filters of need and insufficiency that cause suffering, allowing us to live fully and joyfully in the clarity of our authentic being.