THE
ESSENCE OF ENLIGHTENMENT
Vedanta,
The Science of Consciousness
(Written by James Swartz)
~ Synopsis and Review by Vimal Kodai ~
Vedanta’s main thematic display is brought up as
it is addressed through a very comfortable attempt by writer, James Swartz, in
this book of his entitled, The Essence of Enlightenment. The
author/writer of this apparent enlightened and bright book, stretches through
several obvious explanations about the essence of enlightenment, as he admits
himself to debriefing on the nature of being enlightened. ‘The essential parts
of being enlightened’ is the main focus which draws this author to make its
relevance clear and simple to his readers.
The book
suggests the following understandings:
1. Being a careful listener with an open-minded self while setting aside
personal views and by dismissing non-judgemental sets of opinions, is the first
and foremost ideal of a self-inquirer whose foundations vividly adapts to the
science of consciousness, Vedanta. Being free and being happily endowed with
fruitful and selfless knowledge makes one feel really worthy of a divine cause.
This stands up as a secure reason which lasts to make matters work out for
efficient meanings.
2. This same book translates further knowledge about what love is and what
is the bond between ‘love’ and the ‘heart.’ What may one expect to deduce from
love? How can ‘love’ be truly deduced from the ‘being loved’? As per further
embraced understandings of the feelings and emotions that are tied to
explanatory themes of true love and bonded love, this main idea is idealized in
the concept that is derived from knowledge and self-knowledge. How may one
transcend all attachments and knots to this material world while admitting and
by accepting knowledge (really true knowledge)? How to pervade all
unnecessary sequences of thinking patterns that lead to unproductive thoughts
and ideas while disapproving selfishness and egoism? How to destroy angry,
hateful and lusty thoughts by calming the mind and by silencing all the trends
and flows of constant thoughts that are from evil sources?
3. While stating that Vedanta is usually meant for
seekers who have been seeking throughout their lives for a long lengthy length
of time, this book also suggests that Enlightenment is as well the fact of
being ‘ignorance free’ and ‘knowledgeably accommodated to the idea of being enlightened
spiritually’. This book claims that spiritual practice is not simply the
resolving of inner conflicts between the subtle body and the disturbed mind,
but it is a practice that has to be maintained while balancing and while
nurturing the mind with peaceful ideas and peaceful resolutions—by accepting
laws and principles of creations as the crucial instructed guide to man and to
man’s just causes, one may lead oneself on the righteous pathway.
James Swartz
explains that: “Experience is an unbroken series of inner and outer events and
the reaction or response to them. The reaction of animals to experience is
totally different programmed. Humans have an advantage because they have the
power to think. They can study their experience, extract knowledge from it and
change it, freeing them to some degree from their programming.” (Pp. 152 – 153)
Growth in the spiritual field is acquired through growth occurring both
physically and intellectually. Thus, this experience that is being accumulated
with time and this consistent growth in assimilating values and developed
choices, results in freeing one from hatred, anger, ego, jealousy, lust, envy
and self-pity. Selflessness and devotional acceptance is accrued through the
experience derived from pure release of unworthy and unnecessary thoughts about
past events that have resulted in resentment and rage.
This book The
Essence of Enlightenment also states that ordinary man has the following
characteristics and he uses these well in his life; these are namely: Ignorance,
Desire and Fear, Anxiety and Control, Anger, Ego and Delusion.
By appreciating
time and by accepting that time is precious and that it should be used wisely,
one may get to some solid foundations of spiritually-oriented ideas and faiths,
while staying away from ignorance. Likewise, this book advises and suggests
that ‘Desire’ and ‘Fear’ are equal in the ways that these features embrace egoistic and
selfish thoughts and ideas. It even states that excessive desire is described
as showing impulsiveness. One needs to balance ideas and planned goals in order
to maintain proper stability in living life in the society. Desires and
fearfulness lead to common grounds of despair as it requires a sense of
obligation towards duties in order to accommodate wishes and wishful outcomes.
Thus, ego grows and the true sense of duty decreases.
Anger, Ego and
Delusion—are resultant substances of the ignorant minds; these
characteristics derive from natures that are unhealthy.
Despite the
fact that I have gained lots of positive knowledge from this book and that I
have admitted myself to writing a review about it, I find that James Swartz
does not fully use the correct and appropriate language and language structure
while he writes on such a worthy theme and subject matter. While attempting to critically
view this book, I find it very enlightening overall with some to many wordings
that could have been opted out for more relevant choices of vocabularies.
Of course, The Essence
of Enlightenment is not a mastery of the knowledgeable skills of this writer in question, but it is a hail to the knowledge derived from Vedanta and from
Vedanta’s immensity and vastness.
