Abridged excerpts from Gurujī’s seminar on Śivasūtram FULL:
चैतन्यमात्मा॥१॥
Caitanyamātmā||1||
Translation: Consciousness which is omniscient and omnipotent is the Self or true nature of Reality||1||
Other names for Caitanya are Svātantrya, Paramaśiva etc. In this explanation, you will learn how to reason properly.
Kṣemarāja’s Commentary: Here, the activity of Consciousness is common to all –i.e. universal– due to nonexistence of something unperceived –i.e. of something out of the range of Consciousness–.
So, Consciousness is in everybody, like everybody. Why is it like this? – Due to nonexistence of something unperceived. Due to the nonexistence of something out of the range of Consciousness. If it is perceived (if it appears), it is the Light of Consciousness. It’s because that thing appears due to the Light of Consciousness, the activity of Consciousness is in that thing too (and in any thing that is appearing). All that appears is doing that because the Light of Consciousness is in it. Because the Light of Consciousness is illuminating it. So, in that thing, the Light of Consciousness is active. And all that is not perceived is not existing. All that is out of the range of Consciousness is not existing. But when you imagine something, it exists immediately. For example, imagine a bird with teats giving milk or the son of a barren woman. Those things are not appearing outside, but they are appearing inside (in the mind). So before being revealed –before appearing in your mind–, those things were not existing. But once you create that in your mind, being revealed by the Light of Consciousness, they exist. And because they are revealed by the Light of Consciousness, they are one with the Light of Consciousness.
Kṣemarāja’s Commentary: A cetana is a being who is conscious and able to form an idea in his mind, and who is endowed with Absolute Freedom regarding all knowledge and activity. “Caitanya” is the state or condition of that conscious being or cetana. The word Caitanya contains an affix that connotes relationship. Therefore, Caitanya is said to be complete and perfect Freedom in respect of all knowledge and activity.
You are a cetana. Not another being living in a far galaxy. No, it’s you. A cetana is a being who is conscious and able to form an idea in his mind. So, he can create a cinta (a thought). You can create a thought? You can. So you are a cetana. This cetana is a being who is conscious and able to form an idea in his mind, and who is endowed with Absolute Freedom regarding all knowledge and activity. Now, it’s a problem. You can say, “I am in bondage. How is it possible that I have Absolute Freedom regarding knowledge and activity? I am in bondage. Ignorance caught me in this bondage.” There is a mystery here. I will explain this and next I will explain more.
Ignorance is one with Śiva because it’s the manifestation of Śiva.
For example, you are taught that ignorance is the Self too. In Trika you are all the time being taught this. You know this teaching. At least in the mind only, but you know. So, ignorance is the manifestation of Śiva (of Consciousness), and is one with Consciousness. Anyway you are trying to remove that ignorance. That means you are trying to remove Śiva. It’s very strange. Common people cannot reason. They speak for example, “Oh, we have to remove ignorance to attain Śiva”. These are ‘cats and dogs’. But it’s a contradiction! We need to speak like this to teach something. Because it’s impossible otherwise. We need to teach. When we teach, we use duality in order to teach because all the words are full of duality always. But it’s very strange. Because you are trying to remove ignorance. Ignorance is one with Śiva because it’s the manifestation of Śiva. And if ignorance appears, it is the Light of Consciousness. So, it is the Light of Consciousness. It’s very strange. So, all in all, you are trying to remove the Light of Consciousness. But you cannot! So why are you doing that? It’s very strange. Try to think about this. Try to use your intellect in the right way. It’s very strange. It’s a mystery.
There cannot be Liberation. Because if there is a Liberation, there would be a change in the Light of Consciousness.
Another thing for example, people say… We have to say too in order to explain something – “When you get Liberation, you realize that ignorance doesn’t exist. That all was the Light of Consciousness”. But it’s very strange. Because you know that when you get Liberation, you will realize that ignorance was the Light of Consciousness. That no ignorance exists apart from the Light of Consciousness. And you are not taught that “Ignorance is the Light of Consciousness from Liberation and later”. No, all the time it is the Light of Consciousness. So, it’s the Light of Consciousness now too. So what’s the point of making all these efforts to realize that the Light of Consciousness is in ignorance too. It’s very strange. Why to say that “After Liberation, you will realize this, and not before”. Even before, it’s the same. It’s very strange. Yes, you can explain: “Okay, because I don’t realize. When I get Liberation, I realize”. But what’s happening really? There is a universal cheat with this. People are learning non-dualism, they are teaching non-dualism, but they don’t understand what’s happening. So, it would be better to say (for example) that there is no Liberation. There cannot be Liberation. Because if there is a Liberation, there would be a change in the Light of Consciousness. Light of Consciousness before Liberation and after Liberation. That would break the absolute non-dualism. That’s not possible. It’s very strange! So it’s better to say that there is no Liberation.
Ignorance was all the time the Light of Consciousness (even before your Liberation).
So you are all the time trying to get Liberation to remove ignorance. But ignorance was all the time the Light of Consciousness (even before your Liberation). So, what’s the point? No point. But well, it’s like this. This is part of duality. People are all the time entangled in the poison of duality. In other dualistic systems, this is valid because they are dualistic. So you are down, next you are up. But not in non-dualism. In non-dualism, all the time you are up (Great). You are never down. But if you are said this when you are in this Play, you immediately tergiversate the teachings. You don’t understand. You start with “For what?”. It’s not the right thinking. So first you are said that you have to remove ignorance to get Liberation. You are said all that and you believe it (because you cannot resist). Sounds great – You are like a warrior going against ignorance. But ignorance is the Light of Consciousness. You can say, “It’s a manifestation of the Light of Consciousness that is angry…”. Yes, but it’s the Light of Consciousness anyway.
Śiva waiting for Liberation is the Play of Consciousness
Everything is the Light of Consciousness. Everybody is the Light of Consciousness. So where to go to? You continue your studies, your Mantra, etc. You continue, but like a Play of Consciousness and not like “Oh, I will defeat ignorance”. Now, if you are intelligent enough, you can realize that you have Absolute Freedom regarding all knowledge and activity. So why to wait for Liberation or for whatever you want? Why to wait? This is the Play. “I have to wait”. Waiting Śiva is the Play. Why to wait? What do you want? Take it, have it. This is the contraction: “No, because I cannot…”. This contraction is a Play too. Because it’s the Light of Consciousness.
When you go to sleep, you close everything. You go inside. During the day, you go outside. This is Krama mudrā you are doing all the time.
For example, you have a beautiful house. You can have a castle! You say, “It’s impossible”. This is contraction. “I don’t need…” – This is contraction. You can be the king of the world if you want. Why not. Why to ask only for little? Ask for big. There is no limit. You will be amazed at this when you have this Consciousness and you move this Consciousness. This attitude. You will be amazed at what you will get. Why to be limited? Don’t be limited. “No, it’s impossible, the kañcuka-s”. The kañcuka-s are the Light of Consciousness. If you are the Light of Consciousness (one with the Light of Consciousness), so why cannot you move kañcuka-s? Move them! This realization that one is Free all the time, not in future, is enlightenment. Next you have another contraction of Śiva: “Oh no, I don’t have enlightenment because I didn’t experience Krama mudrā”. This is contraction again. “When I experience Krama mudrā, after that I will be enlightened”. But He is all the time experiencing Krama mudrā. But He doesn’t know. All the time. When you go to sleep, you close everything. You go inside. During the day, you go outside. This is Krama mudrā you are doing all the time. But you think that Krama mudrā is only that special Krama mudrā at the end of the spiritual path before Liberation. This is the Play.
The cetana is a being that is endowed with Absolute Freedom regarding all knowledge and activity. You are cetana!
This is the Play. Limitations, requirements. But you are All! What requirements? When you realize this, you realize your Power. You expand your Powers. You don’t need to be like this. You can be different. Why to wait? Śiva never waits. Instantaneous. But the contraction: “No, I cannot”. It’s the contraction. But you are creating the contraction. It’s not the kañcuka-s. You are creating the kañcuka-s and the mala-s. “I cannot, it’s impossible” – This is kañcuka. “No no, I don’t want any more because it’s a lot”. You are limiting. “No, with this is enough. For what I need more”. Limitation. Your Powers will do that for you. Because you are limited, the Powers are limited too. That’s why Kṣemarāja said that the cetana is a being that is endowed with Absolute Freedom regarding all knowledge and activity. You!
Excerpts retrieved from 1:15 to 35:35 of Shivasutram FULL – Section 1 – Aphorisms 1 to 3 – Part 2:
