A series of posts, presenting a new translation and commentary by James Swartz on the Panchadasi. This was presented by James as a week-long course during July 2012 and was very well received.
This is Part 2 and contains the teaching on the pa~nchikaraNa (‘quintuplication’ of the elements), macrocosm and microcosm, pa~ncha kosha (five sheaths) and the ‘elimination’ of these.
“the recognition of the unchanging nature of awareness”
It does seem that awareness must be unchanging in order to perceive changes, it would have to be unchanging, otherwise it would be one of the apparently changing “things”. It seems that THAT, awareness, is exactly the same in all of “us” and it is THAT which is without quality which can perceive quality. Awareness, that function, (for lack of a better word) must be impersonal. If it were personal, then it would be of quality. Unchanging awareness is what creates room for all the “ten thousand things” of the world….Maybe? Unchanging awareness implies awareness of change, otherwise how can IT be the only thing unchanging?….I think. So if this is true, then the more changes I’m aware of, the more unchanging awareness is present (but of course, it’s always present. All I’m saying is concept–but how else can we communicate?)….I think!
The way I’ve stated this allows for paradox, I think, and allows for unchanging awareness and the objects of awareness to co-exist, so to speak, for there to be no conflict between them, or one “better” than the other…I think!
Best wishes,
Steve