Beauty in darkness

[utopiandreamchild]

I think there's a beauty in all life ( and death for that matter). One just has to be open to it. Definitely beauty in the darkness imo.

[Shivani Devi]

How can I even begin this?

For the past week or so, I have been immersed in these threads which expound the very nature of Duality - when without the understanding of what is "Dark" there would be no "Light" and vice versa...and without non Duality, without pure consciousness, there would be neither.

This is going to be one of those situations where I know what it is that I want to say, but don't know how to say it in any way so as to be understood by another.

Most humans equate Light with Good/God and Dark with Evil/Satan and it is the association which causes the confusion, rather than the state of awareness itself.

So, try and explain the nature of suffering or beatitude to one who truly worships Lord Shiva...or Maha Kala in Buddhism..to one who honestly groks the concept of Tantra...

Lord Shiva (as a God) can be quite enigmatic...often contradictory in nature, because that is how God IS..I mean, if we could figure God out, we would be God ourselves (if we are not already) no?

Who can see the beauty in darkness? In suffering or sadness? Why, the one who also understand that this is necessary to have appreciation for the love, the bliss...so, in the end, all things are shown equal gratitude and appreciation.

Lord Shiva has two aspects...or five aspects, really...as seen by His five "heads" or His transition from Shiva into Sadashiva or from anything that could possibly be "known" about God...into "just forget it". LOL

I told you that this was going to be confusing..

He is known as Bholenath or Mahadeva....this is the benevolent, kind and loving aspect of the Absolute.
He is known as Bhairava or Mahakaal (Maha Kala)...this is Lord Shiva in His aspect of The Lord of Time...pure Darkness, which transcends existence and quite literally snuffs it out...when the human body dies and perishes.
It is in this aspect, He is also called RUDRA and Rudra means to cry or howl..because of the overwhelming sadness and grief caused by the loss of the eleven Raudras....or the five senses + five karmendriyas (regions of sense perceptions in the brain) and the one "animating principle".
He is known as Yogeshwara or Dakshinamurthy - the Yogi sitting in meditation, facing South..who will teach others who pass by and sit at His feet for a while.. neither light/dark or benevolent/malevolent..just existing as He is...as Aadi Yogi (which Sadhguru et al worship).
He is known as the Lingam or the "energy mark of Shiva" which has no physical form as a "being"...just a pillar of endless Light (Jyotir Lingam) or a convex egg-shaped stone which represents the animating force..the pure potency of Lord Shiva's creative potential which may/not be likened to a phallic symbol depending upon the individual stance on that analogy.
Finally, He is known as Nataraja, the Lord of the Dance...who is not only the Destroyer (of ignorance), but also the creator and preserver...all three aspects of material nature, which He also transcends as Tripurari...the overcomer of His own creation by not becoming influenced or immersed in ANY of it!

So, I see as much beauty in Darkness as I do in Light... sometimes, I also tend to appreciate it more, because the Dark aspect of Shiva is less passive and boring than the Light aspect...however, the goal is to realise all 5 aspects as one...the Sadashiva or Paramashiva which is Brahman (absolute consciousness) itself.

Yeah...I knew this was gonna be confusing...sorry about that.

Originally Posted by running

sounds like something to build on. there doesn't have to be bliss for it to be. most connect with a silence. i say bliss and silence because that describes both aspects of what can be experinced. and perhaps bliss comes along later. but silence is it. meditation, pranayama, and whatever else works are designed to build on that silence. open to it more abundantly. and no there is nothing spiritual in ideas about it. the real thing does not play preferences. its consciousness.

thank you for sharing!

Well that's the thing, I think the point is to not build on it but pare away the chatter of the egoic mind, that way you strip the onion-like layers - which is what happened to me. The consciousness was completely apart from the brain/mind mechanism for a time and there was no thought at all, other than just consciousness itself. Meditation is brain/mind so I'm not sure how using the brain/mind to strip away the mechanisms of the brain mind/ is going to work. I'm not even sure I'd call it an experience, experience only happens with the brain/mind mechanism and the external influences.

You're very welcome.

[hallow]

Originally Posted by Shivani Devi

How can I even begin this?

For the past week or so, I have been immersed in these threads which expound the very nature of Duality - when without the understanding of what is "Dark" there would be no "Light" and vice versa...and without non Duality, without pure consciousness, there would be neither.

This is going to be one of those situations where I know what it is that I want to say, but don't know how to say it in any way so as to be understood by another.

Most humans equate Light with Good/God and Dark with Evil/Satan and it is the association which causes the confusion, rather than the state of awareness itself.

So, try and explain the nature of suffering or beatitude to one who truly worships Lord Shiva...or Maha Kala in Buddhism..to one who honestly groks the concept of Tantra...

Lord Shiva (as a God) can be quite enigmatic...often contradictory in nature, because that is how God IS..I mean, if we could figure God out, we would be God ourselves (if we are not already) no?

Who can see the beauty in darkness? In suffering or sadness? Why, the one who also understand that this is necessary to have appreciation for the love, the bliss...so, in the end, all things are shown equal gratitude and appreciation.

Lord Shiva has two aspects...or five aspects, really...as seen by His five "heads" or His transition from Shiva into Sadashiva or from anything that could possibly be "known" about God...into "just forget it". LOL

I told you that this was going to be confusing..

He is known as Bholenath or Mahadeva....this is the benevolent, kind and loving aspect of the Absolute.
He is known as Bhairava or Mahakaal (Maha Kala)...this is Lord Shiva in His aspect of The Lord of Time...pure Darkness, which transcends existence and quite literally snuffs it out...when the human body dies and perishes.
It is in this aspect, He is also called RUDRA and Rudra means to cry or howl..because of the overwhelming sadness and grief caused by the loss of the eleven Raudras....or the five senses + five karmendriyas (regions of sense perceptions in the brain) and the one "animating principle".
He is known as Yogeshwara or Dakshinamurthy - the Yogi sitting in meditation, facing South..who will teach others who pass by and sit at His feet for a while.. neither light/dark or benevolent/malevolent..just existing as He is...as Aadi Yogi (which Sadhguru et al worship).
He is known as the Lingam or the "energy mark of Shiva" which has no physical form as a "being"...just a pillar of endless Light (Jyotir Lingam) or a convex egg-shaped stone which represents the animating force..the pure potency of Lord Shiva's creative potential which may/not be likened to a phallic symbol depending upon the individual stance on that analogy.
Finally, He is known as Nataraja, the Lord of the Dance...who is not only the Destroyer (of ignorance), but also the creator and preserver...all three aspects of material nature, which He also transcends as Tripurari...the overcomer of His own creation by not becoming influenced or immersed in ANY of it!

So, I see as much beauty in Darkness as I do in Light... sometimes, I also tend to appreciate it more, because the Dark aspect of Shiva is less passive and boring than the Light aspect...however, the goal is to realise all 5 aspects as one...the Sadashiva or Paramashiva which is Brahman (absolute consciousness) itself.

Yeah...I knew this was gonna be confusing...sorry about that.

To me "light" and "dark" definitions. Take on both spiritual and physical forms. To much of either one is not good and one loses touch and misses the "gray" totally. I believe you must be aware of both know and understand both are there and both have their hidden dangers and freedoms.

[A human Being]

Originally Posted by Greenslade

Meditation is brain/mind so I'm not sure how using the brain/mind to strip away the mechanisms of the brain mind/ is going to work.

For me, meditation is simply a state of non-resistance; in this open, receptive space of allowing, what had previously been suppressed is allowed to gradually arise and release, energetic blockages can gradually dissolve, and in time one comes to feel more alive, joyful, connected, and at peace. It's less the case that the mechanisms of the brain/mind are stripped away, it's more like they gradually fall away once the repressed emotions and sensations that had been underlying and compelling the mental activity are released.

Meditation really is a non-doing, it's not an activity - activity happens, but it's witnessed rather than actively engaged in.

[Shivani Devi]

Originally Posted by hallow

To me "light" and "dark" definitions. Take on both spiritual and physical forms. To much of either one is not good and one loses touch and misses the "gray" totally. I believe you must be aware of both know and understand both are there and both have their hidden dangers and freedoms.

Of course you can appreciate the "gray area"... all 50 shades of it OR you can transcend the limitations of the gradations of luminosity entirely and seek to establish a connection with that which is neither Dark nor Light nor anything in between.

[Sorai Rai Aorai]

It’s a reflection of maturity of the human persona to see beauty in everything. I’m working on it; it’s like life is art, so it’s all beautiful. How can I explain to people of conventional values that i see beauty in commonly known tragedies? I see the tragic adpect too. Thanks for this thought-provoking discussion.

Originally Posted by ketzer

I often feel like I find great beauty and meaning in the darker and sad side of the life experience.

Sad music, sad or tragic stories (fiction, nonfiction, history), dark poetry, dark art, and other sad/dark things I can't think of at the moment. Of course, it is not just dark things, I appreciate the happier joyful side of art, history, life, etc. just as much (I mean I am not goth ). But I am often drawn to those darker aspects of the human experience and they in some way make me feel good instead of sad.

I am also aware that many people are not, and would rather steer clear of the darker and sad side of life. Often they almost think something is wrong with those who appreciate those sad and dark moments.

I am curious as to how others on this forum line up. Do you find you derive beauty and meaning from the darker aspects of life and are often drawn in (maybe even comforted) by them, or do they just bring you down and would prefer to avoid them when that is possible?

Any reflections on why we are one way or the other?

[running]

Originally Posted by Greenslade

Well that's the thing, I think the point is to not build on it but pare away the chatter of the egoic mind, that way you strip the onion-like layers - which is what happened to me. The consciousness was completely apart from the brain/mind mechanism for a time and there was no thought at all, other than just consciousness itself. Meditation is brain/mind so I'm not sure how using the brain/mind to strip away the mechanisms of the brain mind/ is going to work. I'm not even sure I'd call it an experience, experience only happens with the brain/mind mechanism and the external influences.

You're very welcome.

that sounds really good. the onion and like layers is a great metaphor. thanks again for sharing. and good luck on peeling the onion however the means or practice. as the practice is only a tool. the objective is the point of the practice. i think people forget that and then become religious in the sense of putting a practice over the point of doing the practice.

Originally Posted by Greenslade

I've had a few experiences where my mind and consciousness have 'parted company', where my mind/body have just carried on doing what they've been doing and all I've been conscious of is being consciousness itself.There's no thought of "Oh look, I'm having a deeply Spiritual experience" or "This must be....." There was just consciousness where consciousness knew itself as consciousness, nothing more.

Greenslade,

In my personal experience this is what I would call a good meditation. No remembrance, no experience, just being:) Oh, an no sense of time. In my mind(afterwards) I regard it as a good surrender to the Divine. That was when the Divine had an opportunity to work on me without any interference from my mind. No judgement on my part, no evaluation of the time by me. I compare it to the heart surgery I had. The doctors were free to work on me without any input from me and something I had no experience or memory of. After the necessary healing time I was aware of the changes in me that it had provided.

[utopiandreamchild]

Originally Posted by utopiandreamchild

I think there's a beauty in all life ( and death for that matter). One just has to be open to it. Definitely beauty in the darkness imo.

I love demons just as much as I love angels. Life just as much as death. The Devil just as much as I love god. The darker side of life is very intriguing and beautiful in and of it's own right. Just imagine having a Guardian demon instead of the tipical guardian angel ( which everyone has these days. ) I think that would be cooler. No?