August 1 - August 8, 2010: What is viveka?

The foundation of vedānta-śāstra is what is known as the prasthāna-traya: the upaniṣad's, bhagavad-gītā, and brahma-sūtra. Over the generations, as these texts have been passed down and taught through the sampradāya, individual ācarya's have written their own works to complement these basic three. Such works are called prakaraṇa-grantha's, because they either expand one particular topic, or prakaraṇa of vedānta, or summarize the vision as a whole. Being later additions to the teaching tradition, they are often more explicit and methodical in their approach. One such prakaraṇa-grantha is 'Vivekacuḍāmani', which means either the cuḍāmaṇi (jewel worn at the top of the forehead) of all viveka, or viveka that is a cuḍāmaṇi. In general, viveka is the capacity to distinguish one thing from another, especially when they are mixed up or confused. In the context of vedanta, some particular kinds of viveka are very important.

Our entire life is made up of choices. From what clothes to wear to which career to pursue, whether small or big, at every moment we must choose out of the many options we are presented. Looking back on our lives, we can say that in many situations we made 'good' choices, but in some cases we made 'bad' choices as well. What makes a choice 'good', and what do we make choices based on in our lives?

Interestingly, our choices are really only based on two things: our idea about our goal, and our idea about the means to reach that goal. If we aren't really sure what we want, or if we are incorrect about the means, we make bad choices. If, on the other hand, we are clear about what our goal is, and if we have correctly concluded the means to achieve it, we make good choices, and we usually end up getting what we want. The capacity to discern both our goal and the correct way to reach it is called viveka. Once this viveka is complete, other kinds of viveka - between truth and untruth, permanent and impermanent, cause and effect - also become relevant. As we will see, this viveka is what truly defines a person and their life, which is why it is the cuḍāmaṇi in an individual.