Looking from Within

GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND NAMES

abhyasa - constant practice (of a disciplinary method).

agni (Agni) - fire; the godhead of fire.

ananda (Ananda) - bliss, delight, beatitude, spiritual ecstasy; a self-delight which is the very nature of the transcendent and infinite existence.

anirviṇṇa-chetasā - with a consciousness free from despondency.

Anumanta - giver of sanction.

Aspiration - the yearning of the being for higher things, for the Divine, for all that belongs to the higher or divine consciousness.

Being - the Self; the sole and fundamental Reality or Truth of existence; all that exists is part of the one indivisible Being.

The One Being manifests itself on different planes or levels of consciousness, and in the individual being is constituted by different distinguishable parts of the indivisible Being.
The part of our nature of which we are normally conscious is our surface or outer being, consisting of the body, the (surface) vital (related to life-energy, instincts, desires, emotions, etc.) and the (surface) mind (having to do with cognition, intelligence, ideas, thought perceptions, etc.).

Behind this superficial consciousness there exists a far greater, deeper and more powerful consciousness in touch with the universal planes of Mind, Life and Matter. This hidden consciousness, referred to as our inner or true being, consists of the true or inner mental, the true or inner vital and the true or inner physical, with the psychic (the soul) as the innermost being, which supports all the different parts in the manifestation.

The inner being is also sometimes referred to as the subliminal (being). It opens above to the superconscient and below to the subconscient and the inconscient.
bhakti (Bhakti)- devotion; love for the Divine.

Brahman - the Reality; the Absolute; the Spirit; the Supreme

Being; the One besides whom there is nothing else existent.

Consciousness - the self-aware force of existence whose energy and movement create the universe and all that is in it; consciousness is usually identified with mind, but mental consciousness is only one gradation of consciousness, there being gradations of consciousness both above and below mental consciousness; see also Being.
Detachment - The state of non-attachment resulting from the conquest of egoistic desire, likes and dislikes.
Dhammapada, the - a Buddhist scripture containing the teachings of the Buddha.

Dharma - Law; the deepest law of one's nature; literally, that which one lays hold of and which holds things together.
Divine, the - the Supreme Being from whom all comes and in whom all lives. In its supreme Truth the Divine is absolute and infinite peace, consciousness, existence, power and delight. The Transcendent, the Cosmic (Universal) and the Individual are three powers of the Divine, underlying the whole of manifestation.

Equality - equal-mindedness; see also samatii.

Gita, the - short form of Bhagavad Gita, "the Song of the Blessed Lord"; a celebrated scripture in the form of a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna in an episode in the Mahabharata.

Grace, the (Divine Grace) - higher Divine Force other than the force of Karma which comes down to help an aspirant.

Guru - spiritual teacher or guide.

Ignorance, the - the consciousness of Multiplicity as distinguished from the Knowledge, the consciousness of Unity; a view of the reality based on separative or egoistic consciousness.

lnconscience (the Inconscient) - the most involved state of Being; all the evolved powers of the Being - Matter. Life, Mind - have emerged successively out of the Inconscient; see also Being.

Inner Being - see Being.

Karma - action, work; the chain of act and consequence.

Karmayoga - the spiritual path based on works.

Mantra - words having a spiritual power; sacred syllable, name or mystic formula generally used for repetition.
Mara - in Buddhism: the Destroyer, the Evil One, who tempts man to indulge his passions; conscious devil or self-existent principle of evil.
Mind (the mental) - the part of the being which has to do with thinking and intelligence; see also Being.
Mother, the - the Divine in its aspect of Consciousness Force; the Divine Conscious Force that dominates all existence and upholds the universe.
Outer being - see Being.

Prakriti (prakrti) - Nature; outer being composed of the outer physical, outer vital and outer mental.
prarabdha karma - mechanical action of Prakriti continuing by force of old impulsion and past habit and action.
Psychic Being - the individual soul; when the psyche, the soul-principle present in all life and matter, begins to develop an individuality in the course of evolution, that psychic individuality is called the psychic being; see also Being.
Purusha (purusa) - Conscious Being; conscious Soul; essential being supporting the play of Prakriti; the Purusha represents the true being on whatever plane it manifests - physical, vital, mental, psychic.
Rajasic - dominantly characterised by rajas, the quality of passion or drive of propensity; impelled by desire and instinct.
Rakshasa - giant; power of darkness, a [hostile] being of the vital plane.

Ramakrishna - Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-86), one of the foremost spiritual teachers of modern India.
Realisation - attainment of a spiritual goal; when an inner experience, such as that of spiritual Peace, Light, Force,

Love, Bliss, the Divine Presence, etc. becomes very positive or frequent or continuous or part of one's normal state of consciousness - instead of coming only in flashes, snatches or rare visitations - it is spoken of as a realisation.
Rejection - the inner refusal of movements (thoughts, feelings and actions) which are contrary to one's higher aspirations.
Rishi - seer; sage.

Sadhak - one who practises a spiritual discipline.

Sadhana - the practice of a spiritual discipline.

samata - equal-mindedness to all things and happenings; equanimity under all conditions.
Sattwic - dominantly characterised by sattwa, the quality of poise, peace, harmony, purity and knowledge.
Self, the - the original and essential nature of our existence; see also Being.
Siddhi - perfection; success, attainment of the goals of yoga.
Subconscient - the part of the being which is below the physical consciousness, close to the Inconscient; it meets the Inconscient and in it the Inconscient struggles into a half-consciousness; see also Being.
Surface consciousness - see Being.

svabhava - one's own essential or inborn temperament, nature or character.

Tamasic - dominantly characterised by tamas, the quality of inertia, ignorance, incapacity and inaction.
Tapaswi - one who practises Tapasya.

Tapasya (tapasya) - effort, energy or austerity of the personal will for self-control or self-transformation.

Titanic - of the nature of a Titan (hostile being of the vital plane).

Transformation - a radical change of consciousness, by the bringing down of the higher, divine consciousness and nature into the lower nature of mind, life and body, and the replacement of the lower by the higher.

Vairagya (vairagya) - disgust with the world; complete cessation

of desire and attachment.

Vital, the - the life-nature of the being, made up of life-energy, sensations, instincts, impulses, feelings and desires; see also Being.

Vivekananda, Swami - monastic name of Narendranath Dutta (1863-1902), the most famous disciple of Sri Ramakrishna and one of the great spiritual teachers of modern India.
Yoga - "joining", union; the discipline by which one seeks consciously and deliberately to realise the Divine or, more generally, to attain a higher consciousness.

yogin (Yogi) - one who practises yoga; one who is established in spiritual realisation.