Ahamkara
Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 9:02 pm
I found my old notes about Kashmir Shaivism and they made me think if their concept of Ahamkara is the same thing than Monad in our system?
I will explain how I understand the meaning of Ahamkara and purified / impure Ahamkara etc.
Kashmir Shaivism can be found two kind of 'I' Consciousness. One is pure Shiva consciousness ”the light of consciousness reposing in itself”. The other one is a product of Maya. The Pure Ego (Pure Ahamkara) rests in pure Shiva consciousness and the impure Ego (impure Ahamkara) on outer objective forms. The latter is the one would like to get rid of by doing Yoga and Meditation.
Impure Ahamkara can be seen in attachments to form”I am wealthy”, ”I'm redhead”. Impure Ahamkara is about identifying self with floating emotions and outer objects. Pure Egoity is uncreated (akrtrima) and free. You cannot create it, but you can find it. In Kashmir Shaivism pure ego (Purified Ahamkara??) is called Spandasakti.
The Doctrine of Vibration – An Analysis of the Doctrines and Practices of Kashmir Shaivism by Mark S.G. Dyczkovski says, in Kashmir Shaivism Ahamkara is the source of all other senses:
”Ahamkara is uninterupted self-awareness, it is called the Sun of Knowledge. Around the sun of the ego rotate twelve suns of the other senses. They emerge from it and are drawn back into it just as, according to Saiva cosmography, the twelve suns, corresponding to the signs of the zodiac, emerge from and return to the thirteenth sun.”
”Thus the function on the ego is the self-arrogation of experience through the identification it engenders between consciousness and the senses which are its instruments of knowledge and action. Although those ignorant of the authentic identity of the ego are bound by its operations, it is nonetheless an essential component of individual consciousness. Directing its sensory and mental activity, it reflects in the microcosm the supremity of the universal ego that is the source and master of all that takes place in the domain of manifestation.”
This lets me think, that purifying Ahamkara and making it stronger is actually quite Left Hand Path, because Right Hand Paths in India try to get rid of Ego? I find also similarities between purified Ahamkara and Gurdjieff’s “Awaken person”. Stronger one’s Ahamkara gets, easier it is to be in Buddhi state – Awaken. And more questions arise in my mind… if Ahamkara is persons true core Beeing and it is bond to universal Shiva (consciousness), is that the same thing as Atman = Brahman?
I will explain how I understand the meaning of Ahamkara and purified / impure Ahamkara etc.
Kashmir Shaivism can be found two kind of 'I' Consciousness. One is pure Shiva consciousness ”the light of consciousness reposing in itself”. The other one is a product of Maya. The Pure Ego (Pure Ahamkara) rests in pure Shiva consciousness and the impure Ego (impure Ahamkara) on outer objective forms. The latter is the one would like to get rid of by doing Yoga and Meditation.
Impure Ahamkara can be seen in attachments to form”I am wealthy”, ”I'm redhead”. Impure Ahamkara is about identifying self with floating emotions and outer objects. Pure Egoity is uncreated (akrtrima) and free. You cannot create it, but you can find it. In Kashmir Shaivism pure ego (Purified Ahamkara??) is called Spandasakti.
The Doctrine of Vibration – An Analysis of the Doctrines and Practices of Kashmir Shaivism by Mark S.G. Dyczkovski says, in Kashmir Shaivism Ahamkara is the source of all other senses:
”Ahamkara is uninterupted self-awareness, it is called the Sun of Knowledge. Around the sun of the ego rotate twelve suns of the other senses. They emerge from it and are drawn back into it just as, according to Saiva cosmography, the twelve suns, corresponding to the signs of the zodiac, emerge from and return to the thirteenth sun.”
”Thus the function on the ego is the self-arrogation of experience through the identification it engenders between consciousness and the senses which are its instruments of knowledge and action. Although those ignorant of the authentic identity of the ego are bound by its operations, it is nonetheless an essential component of individual consciousness. Directing its sensory and mental activity, it reflects in the microcosm the supremity of the universal ego that is the source and master of all that takes place in the domain of manifestation.”
This lets me think, that purifying Ahamkara and making it stronger is actually quite Left Hand Path, because Right Hand Paths in India try to get rid of Ego? I find also similarities between purified Ahamkara and Gurdjieff’s “Awaken person”. Stronger one’s Ahamkara gets, easier it is to be in Buddhi state – Awaken. And more questions arise in my mind… if Ahamkara is persons true core Beeing and it is bond to universal Shiva (consciousness), is that the same thing as Atman = Brahman?