mundakya lecture Flashcards
Summary of reading
Scripture claims that the rites performed by brahmanical priests are not enough to liberate oneself. These are only valid enough rise to a celestial heaven and once they do they will inevitably come back to earth post reincarnation. To full liberate from the cycle of birth and death and achieve immortality in one’s life one must duly bow down to a seer who will teach him to how to medidate in a cave free of distraction and realize brahman or the atman and merge with them.
Beginning verses: why ritualists are fools
explain how ritualists are fools in focusing only on rituals to gain enlightment. Rituals will simply cause one to live in a celestial earth after death and then come back down anyway. The only way of truly liberating is by learning higher knowledge which is how to medidate and find the atman.
Middle verses: how to gain knowledge
This indicates that students should carry firewood in hand to the teacher and ask for the higher knowledge that will grant them liberation.
Middle verses: description of brahman
Everything emanates from brahman, a thousand qualities of flame, mountains, hills, rivers etc. and returns to it.
Middle verses: practice which leads to liberation
Must control ones desires by meditating according to instruction by teacher.
End verse: description of atman
It is located in the body and is inconcievable by the human mind. Smaller than anything we know and larger than anything we know, infinite and minute»>beyond perception.
End Verse: Intention realizing brahman/atman
Must set the intention to realize atman by creating goal to find knowledge about it.
End verse: Verse 8 What joins brahman
All beings though appearing seperate join brahman indiscriminatly, rivers, oceans etc.
End verse: How to do rituals and still achieve liberation
People should still do rituals as apart of fulfilling their dharma but their main focus should be centered on their realization of brahman and the main goal of life and after death.
