u/JamesSwartzVedanta

... if you get too excited you may fail to understand that self-inquiry (Vedanta) is a lifetime commitment and when the excitement starts to wear off, you may wonder what’s next. "I know the world isn’t real and that I am consciousness (the self), so what do I do now?"

If you find yourself bothered by this thought, you did not take time to appreciate the value of Vedanta beyond removing your ignorance. If you understand the implication of complete, fully actualized self-knowledge, the excitement will slowly be converted into a lifelong passion, one that will enrich you beyond measure.

When you get too excited by something, including self-inquiry (Vedanta), it is easy to lose the plot, which often takes the form of a heartfelt sattvic desire to teach others. If you were awakened to this great knowledge at the hand of a traditional Indian guru with knowledge of the scriptures in Sanskrit, you may think that to be an effective teacher you need to know the scriptures in the original, which is not true, although it can’t hurt. Sanskrit is an incredible language, unique in the world of languages, so it is easy transfer your excitement to Sanskrit. To teach Vedanta properly you need to understand the science, not the language.

The science is knowledge, and knowledge can be expressed in any language. You certainly can study Vedanta, but Vedanta is not meant to be studied, unless you understand that you are the subject. Because you are looking ahead to the day when you will become a great teacher and enlighten the world like your guru, you learn the basics and you convince yourself that you know them well, that you are the self and are free, when in fact the ego has co-opted the knowledge.

You don’t realize that “I am the self ” is the fifth stage of enlightenment and that there are two more to go, negating the doer and moving beyond sattva. You are sure you have negated the doer, but you haven’t, because the excitement belongs to the doer. Sometimes it takes five or ten years to realize your mistake.

... if you get too excited you may fail to understand that self-inquiry (Vedanta) is a lifetime commitment and when the excitement starts to wear off, you may wonder what’s next. "I know the world isn’t real and that I am consciousness (the self), so what do I do now?"

If you find yourself bothered by this thought, you did not take time to appreciate the value of Vedanta beyond removing your ignorance. If you understand the implication of complete, fully actualized self-knowledge, the excitement will slowly be converted into a lifelong passion, one that will enrich you beyond measure.

When you get too excited by something, including self-inquiry (Vedanta), it is easy to lose the plot, which often takes the form of a heartfelt sattvic desire to teach others. If you were awakened to this great knowledge at the hand of a traditional Indian guru with knowledge of the scriptures in Sanskrit, you may think that to be an effective teacher you need to know the scriptures in the original, which is not true, although it can’t hurt. Sanskrit is an incredible language, unique in the world of languages, so it is easy transfer your excitement to Sanskrit. To teach Vedanta properly you need to understand the science, not the language.

The science is knowledge, and knowledge can be expressed in any language. You certainly can study Vedanta, but Vedanta is not meant to be studied, unless you understand that you are the subject. Because you are looking ahead to the day when you will become a great teacher and enlighten the world like your guru, you learn the basics and you convince yourself that you know them well, that you are the self and are free, when in fact the ego has co-opted the knowledge.

You don’t realize that “I am the self ” is the fifth stage of enlightenment and that there are two more to go, negating the doer and moving beyond sattva. You are sure you have negated the doer, but you haven’t, because the excitement belongs to the doer. Sometimes it takes five or ten years to realize your mistake.

How does Ishvara (God), which is pure awareness, develop a will to create, and what role does Maya play in this process? Answer: Verse 18 of Panchadasi discusses how awareness, in its purest form is actionless, changeless, and non-doer, doesn't inherently possess a will because there's nothing external to act upon.

However, due to the presence of Maya, which is Brahman's inseparable, beginningless power makes the impossible possible, Ishvara, representing pure awareness, becomes a creator with will, knowledge, power, and desire to create. This will manifests as the power to appear itself as all objects and laws within the creation. Maya, which is neither real (sat) nor unreal (asat), therefore, is the operative force that allows the unmanifest to manifest, giving rise to the appearance of creation and a creator's will. This will is not a personal, binding desire like a human's. It is an administrative, cosmic function, like the physical laws, providing a field in which Jivas can act out their desires and experience the results of its own actions.

How does Ishvara (God), which is pure awareness, develop a will to create, and what role does Maya play in this process? Answer: Verse 18 of Panchadasi discusses how awareness, in its purest form is actionless, changeless, and non-doer, doesn't inherently possess a will because there's nothing external to act upon.

However, due to the presence of Maya, which is Brahman's inseparable, beginningless power makes the impossible possible, Ishvara, representing pure awareness, becomes a creator with will, knowledge, power, and desire to create. This will manifests as the power to appear itself as all objects and laws within the creation. Maya, which is neither real (sat) nor unreal (asat), therefore, is the operative force that allows the unmanifest to manifest, giving rise to the appearance of creation and a creator's will. This will is not a personal, binding desire like a human's. It is an administrative, cosmic function, like the physical laws, providing a field in which Jivas can act out their desires and experience the results of its own actions.