Ashtavakra:
9.1 A man of Pure Intuition realizes the treasure of Self-Gnosis upon hearing just a casual teaching; whereas a worldling becomes bewildered regardless of the message taught.
A man of the Unborn is instilled with an Invincible Intuition that naturally uncovers Great Truths; a worldling depends upon surface and secondhand knowledge that pales in comparison.
9.2 Liberation consists in a profound distaste for all sensate phenomena. Love of the senses assures a lifetime of bondage wrapped in suffering.
The sole duty of an Unborn aspirant is to clearly discern the nature between the two and choose wisely.
9.3 An astute adept bows silently and inertly in the face of True Self-gnosis; the self-bewildered thus shuns the very notion of Truth in favor of worldly ways.
The ways of the worldling are diametrically opposed to the True Believer in Selfhood.
9.4 You are not the body-consciousness nor is the body a reflection of the Real You. You merely observe the ways of the flesh and at a moment’s notice can drop any such association. Live free and faithful and in blessed harmony with the Unborn.
Living thus free in the Unborn you are not conditioned by any affairs of the flesh. You are Spirit, not body.
9.5 Attachments and aversions are attributes of the Un-aware mind. You are not this no-mind and in no way, shape or fashion are affiliated with it. Hence, live Noble and Free.
The Unborn Mind adept is neither attracted nor repulsed by the affairs of samsara; he thus neither loves nor hates but instead clings to the true notion of Love for the Self Alone.
9.6 Realizing that the Self is in all and all is in the Self shun any notion of this or that is “mine”. Thus relegate I, me, and mine to the universal dustbin of the Cosmos. Thus freed from egoism You are free In All and All is free in You.
Disidentify yourself with all notions of the no-mind and soon all forms will disappear; what remains is the One THAT is You and the entire Cosmos.
9.7 O’ True-Self, in you the whole universe is manifested like waves in the ocean. You are Absolute Awareness Itself—Alone and free from the feverish ways of a self-divided world.
The Self-Aware Universe cares little for the broken ways of divided little worlds.
9.8 Have faith, my son, have faith. You are the Absolute and Undivided One—the Self-Same Lord of the Universe.
Here, Ashtavakra is impressing upon Janaka the Absolute True Nature of the Self. IT is One and Undivided, unaffected by lesser-things.
9.9 The body is composed of lesser, worldly-stuff. It comes and goes, remains for a while and then dissipates into nothingness. Why mourn its demise? You neither come nor go but ARE AS SUCH.
The Self neither comes nor goes—IT is the veritable Tathagata of one’s Mind and Spirit.
9.10 Allow the body to last for many kalpas, or end its apparent existence today. There is neither gain nor loss for you, the Ever-Aware and Primordial Consciousness—so shake all that dust from your feet.
The Unborn is conditionless—rest Oneself in THAT!
9.11 Allow the waves of the Cosmos to ebb and flow of their own accord. You have nothing to gain nor lose—You ARE the Cosmos.
Creation and dissolution are time bound—You are the timeless Wonderment Itself.
9.12 My son, IT is the Substance behind the All—no-thing is apart from IT. Who are you to claim otherwise? Who are you to reject any part of IT? How dare you!
There is no space or reality outside the One and Unborn—yea, where can one even begin to accept or reject?
9.13 Can either karma or rebirth, self-regenesis, co-exist with THAT timeless and imageless hue that is your own Primordial Consciousness?
The immutable One and Unborn Mind is never born and never dies—where’s defiling karmic dust to rest?
9.14 Whatever you perceive is Undivided, purely One and Unborn. Nothing stands on its own merit apart from the Self-Essence, it is mere sunya. Just as bracelets and armlets and anklets are nothing other apart from the gold which they are made.
Just as the nature of golden ornaments are nothing but the essence of gold, just so is the Cosmos nothing apart from the Animating-One. The Self Alone Is.
9.15 Drop all distinctions such as “I am he” and I am this or that. The Self is in first place in all your affairs, both individual and collective.
Transcendental Reality is the one and only—let go of all secondary characteristics.
9.16 Out of ignorance the world came to be. In Truth, the One Alone IS and all other is not. There is no creator or god other than what you create within your own mind.
There is no separate creation that is distinct from the Self; when the illusion subsides the Undivided Self Alone remains.
9.17 Get rid of the notion of existence. If you continue to carry it around you will never be free.
There is no existence or non-existence. Break-free from this dichotomy and Self-realization will be yours.
9.18 You are an Ocean unto your-Self. There is neither bondage nor liberation therein. Simply be content and All will unfold as it should.
You are the very depths of Self-Awareness—nothing bound nor unbound can interfere with THAT.
9.19 Refrain from disturbing your-Self with affirmations and negations. Still your mind and the Bliss of the Unborn will be yours.
What is there to affirm or negate when the Bliss of a Still-Mind is the real-stuff.
9.20 Stop the incessant need for meditation. What can you ever hope to achieve by forcing the mind into submission?
Does the Unborn need meditation? Ponder this and go in peace.
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