Infinite consciousness and creation

“The mountains, the forests, the earth and the sky–all these are but infinite consciousness. That alone is the very beginning of all, the reality in all.
In the very beginning that pure infinite consciousness appeared to become whatever form it took whenever it manifested itself. Till now it continues to be so. When life-breath enters into bodies and begins to vibrate the various parts, it is said that those bodies are living.
Such living bodies existed right in the beginning of creation. When those bodies into which the life-breath had entered did not vibrate, they were known as trees and plants. ”

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From ~The Concise Yoga Vasistha ed. Swami Venkatesananda

Re: Infinite consciousness and creation: sentient/insentient

“It is indeed a small part of infinite consciousness that becomes the intelligence in these bodies. This intelligence, entering into the bodies, brings into being the different organs like the eyes.

When that intelligence, which is part of infinite consciousness fancied itself to be a tree, it became a tree; or a rock, it became a rock; or grass, it became grass.

There is no distinction between sentient and the insentient, between the intelligent and the inert: there is no distinction at all in the essence of substances, for infinite consciousness is present everywhere equally.”
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From ~The Concise Yoga Vasistha ed. Swami Venkatesananda

Re: Infinite consciousness and creation: sentient/insentient

I find this idea completely amazing. It immediately changes our perspective
 from down looking above to above looking everywhere at  once;
from small looking at large to THE LOOK ;
from matter looking at spirit to spirit being matter;
from one looking at ONE to ONE BEING

”There is no distinction between sentient and the insentient, between
the intelligent and the inert: there is no distinction at all in the
essence of substances, for infinite consciousness is present everywhere
equally.”

Re: Infinite consciousness and creation

“We contemplate that reality in which everything exists, to which everything belongs, from which everything has emerged, which is the cause of everything and which is everything.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From ~The Concise Yoga Vasistha ed. Swami Venkatesananda, P. 165

Re: Infinite consciousness and creation

O Rama, behold this mysterious creation brought into being by who-knows-who in response to the mental concepts of beings. This universe has been conjured up in empty space merely by mental conditioning. It is not a reality.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From ~The Concise Yoga Vasistha ed. Swami Venkatesananda

Re: Infinite consciousness and creation: one and many

In the seed there is nothing but the seed - no diversity. At the same time there is the notion of potential diversity [of flowers, fruits] supposedly present in the seed. Even so, cosmic consciousness is one, devoid of diversity; yet the universe of diversity is said to exist only in notion.

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From ~The Concise Yoga Vasistha ed. Swami Venkatesananda

Re: Infinite consciousness and creation: one and many

Meenakshi,

I like the flow of language in this.  It goes along with these thoughts that I keep having, regarding individuation and how that relates to the wholeness of Spirit, and then, matrix that connects us each one to the other.

So, there is nothing in individual expression that would not already exist in potentiality within Spirit.  That seems easy to understand and - the “seed” is the Spirit “connected” within each newborn being, full of a potentiality that can not be predicted. 

Leaving just one question unanswered -

In whose notion does the universe of diversity exist?

Deb

PS - This also brings to mind something rudyan posted on his status line recently ”wondering: without duality labels like beautiful/ugly, flower/weed, etc., how would we regard the dandelion (as a case in point)?” to which I answered - ”The dandelion is what it is and changes as it does and shares itself freely not caring where it goes blown by the wind. How did I do ?” - and he responded ”Thank you, Deb, for playing! I like your response, came pretty close to my own. And there' s no right or wrong, of course…”

Re: Infinite consciousness and creation

It's those unanswered questions that I love -”In whose notion does the universe of diversity exist?”

Because while seeking an answer to them, we are forced out of our lateral thinking, the left vs right brain notions, ancient vs modern, east vs west, right vs wrong, you and me.

 We're brought into the consciousness that Denise/flowerchild shared:
“Even the brain is divided, everything is divided in the body. The only
thing which is one is the third eye – the witnessing. It is one. If
you want to be one within you, seek the point of witnessing
consciousness. While walking, watch. While eating, watch. While going
to sleep, fall asleep watching what is happening.

Hsin hsin ming : the book of nothing, ch.7”

And that Lao Tze wrote hundreds of years ago, and you typed out in this group!

The Tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named
is not the eternal name.

The Tao is both named and nameless.
As nameless it is the origin of all things;
as named it is the Mother of 10,000 things.

Ever desireless, one can see the mystery;
ever desiring, one sees only the manifestations.
And the mystery itself is the doorway
to all understanding.