Viveka talks – exercise 6.
Remember: this article/chapter is tokenized, and you may buy it as “writer’s NFT!”
Points to consider
Chapter 6. starts with the unmasking of patriarchal, anti-feminine elements in Indian traditional culture. Adi Shankara introduced to rigid India a revolutionary idea of immortal atman, which is present in every human being, independently of caste or sex. Still, there are some shameful verses in Vivekachudamani giving the right to study viveka only to the male progeny of the brahman caste. Such anomalies are one of the reasons to doubt the integrity of the text left to us twelve hundred years after Shankara’s departure.
Fortunately, there are other, non-corrupted portions of the text speaking about an adequate student of viveka. To start, you’ll need to have something called mumukshuta. It is more than a desire to learn; it is a desire for liberation, for the truth.
Mumukshuta is a strong inner impulse by which you reject anything false or illusionary. You don’t ask, “what will I do with it” or “what will I achieve by studying viveka”. The only thing in your mind is – to see reality as it is.
Note one very interesting thing about mumukshuta motivation – it is not a positive one. A quote from Chapter 6:
“To be clear, mumukshuta is not felt as a desire for something. It is more kind of a repulsive rejection of the illusion. While still profoundly immersed in the sea of ignorance, you can not know what the actual reality looks like. How can you wish for something you don’t know or understand? On the other hand, you can perceive the illusory nature of the reality you are living in. The natural response is to reject what you perceive as an illusion and start looking for the truth behind that. You don’t know what it is yet, but nevertheless, you will do anything and everything to find it.”
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There are six more desirable qualities of a viveka student: vairagya, sama, dama, titiksha, shraddha, and samadhana.
For a detailed explanation, please read the said chapter. Here is a short version.
Vairagya – It’s preparedness to give up or to lose anything during the process of liberation.
Sama – A permanent focus on the goal. Constancy; keeping your mind unwaveringly on what you want to achieve.
Dama – It’s the understanding that the truth is not to be discovered through sensory perception.
Titiksha – Forbearance. Don’t complain. The path will be rough.
Shraddha – Acceptance of sound judgment of the mind as the sole criteria of the truthfulness of the words of masters and scriptures.
Samadhana – It’s the practice of settling the mind into the immovable state of consciousness.
So, can you be a student of viveka?
We established that gender does not have a role in that. There is no mention of intellect, either. You don’t have to be super-smart to understand viveka. I am mentioning that because, in later chapters, we’ll talk about similarities between viveka and western logic, grammatic, and even mathematics. Sometimes, people shiver at that thought. What? Logic? Mathematics? Brrr…
Don’t, please. Viveka is just common sense, and you should have that, no problem. I am more concerned with your mumukshuta. You should be, too.
Do you really want liberation? Really? More than anything in the world?
Questions for thinking
- How is your mumukshuta? Do you really want liberation? Really? More than anything in the world?
- Do you think you have any other qualities required for a good student of viveka?
- What qualities of a good student of viveka do you think you DON’T have?
It is your turn now. Write your thoughts, comments, or questions.
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