2 – God’s Effortless Play, and the Devotee's Transcendental Joy| King Nimi’s Questions 2-4 | 2016 Jain Temple| Swami Tattwamayananda

-As we evolve in spiritual life, the direction is from the gross to the subtle, from the many to one, and from mechanical rituals to inner experience. In answer to the second question, the three stages in the evolution of a devotee are explained.-In Vedanta, God and creation are realized to be one. -A spiritual seeker is able to have the insight that all happy and unhappy experiences will change and make use of this insight while working and living life. -In the 12th Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita it is said that a devotee of God will have santushta, a deep unshakeable transcendental joy.-From a devotional standpoint, creation can be explained as the play of the lord. There is no definite reason for it, so it is not tiring. -Question 3) Why should the perfect Brahman become the imperfect universe? How can we explain Maya?-Maya is explained as Ma (negation) and Ya (pronoun indicating something). It is a something that exists in the relative sense but that does not exist in the Absolute sense.-Shankaracharya’s Vivekachudamani says it is beyond all explanation and a great mystery. We can ask why for many relative entities but can we ever answer the question of why for the entirety of creation? A person of spiritual insight is not deluded by this.-A person who is not able to see through Maya has a constant feeling of need to acquire and achieve, and is stuck in Samsara. -Question 4) How do we get out of this Maya?-The experience of a real devotee is that every moment is a celebration and auspicious. We gain a higher spiritual bliss. We can get this only by seeing the limitation of all worldly experience. It is not a life-negating philosophy.-In order to achieve para-bhakti, the mind should instinctively go towards God. -Svadhyaya, sravana, manana, nididhyasana are all important practices. -The Chandogya upanishad’s illustration of a man trying to reach his destination is given.-A seeker should 1) Make effort to get to the truth to obtain fitness to obtain God’s grace. 2) Meet a teacher and sincerely listen to his instructions about the route. 3) Remain steadfast in following the instructions and not get distracted.-The meaning of taking refuge in God is also explained. We can become an instrument in the hands of God. -We can link our mind to God by developing an intimate relationship. The 12th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita explains the stages in this practice.