Tattva
Bodha
(Knowledge
of Truth)
By Shankaracharaya
Introduction
Vedanta refers to the texts at the
end of each Veda known as the Upanishads.
The subject of these ancient works is the Self. Why should we be interested in the
Self? Because it is the fundamental
desire of all people to be free from existential fear. The Upanishads contend that existential
fear is a consequence of the belief that the Self is limited, inadequate and
incomplete. But, they say, the Self is not limited, inadequate or
incomplete. It is perfect, whole,
complete and limitless. Therefore
by an investigation of the Self the belief in limitation can be dismissed. The dismissal of this belief results in
Self realization or liberation from fear.
Because the mantras that make up the
Upanishads are cryptic they need to be explained. A long time ago a great sage,
Badarayana, commented on them and his commentaries are also considered source
material. Although there is no need for additional source material people
continue to realize Truth and feel inclined to speak about it. In the Vedic tradition words that appear
later are considered to be legitimate if they do not contradict the fundamental
premise of the Upanishads. What is
that premise? That this is a
non-dual reality and therefore there is only one Self. In the Eighth Century the most important
‘modern’ link in the Vedic tradition, Sri Adi Shankaracharya,
appeared and wrote several important texts about the Self. He did not deviate from the ideas in the
Upanishads but presented them with exceptional clarity. Tattva Bodha was written by
Shankaracharya and is considered the definitive introductory text for the study
of Self.
Why should the teachings of Vedanta
be trusted? Because they are not
the philosophy of an individual nor are they the contentions of a particular
religion or a philosophical school of thought. Although they appeared in
Revealed truth usually needs
additional revelation because the people who hear it tend to interpret it
according to their own tastes. The notion that there is a ‘my truth' is
and a ‘your truth’ does not wash in the Vedanta world. The Self is
one and the knowledge of it can only be one. Is it possible to simply read these
texts and come away enlightened? It
may be possible but it is unlikely because truth, like anything else, is only
as good as one’s understanding of it. Therefore the teaching tradition of
Vedanta has evolved. It requires a
mature qualified mind seeking to know and a teacher established in non-duality
who can skillfully wield the means of knowledge. It is hoped that if your study of Tattva
Bodha awakens a desire to realize the Self you will approach someone established
in non-duality and request teaching.
Desire
Physical and biological needs are
natural; they are built into the body and shared by all members of the human
species. Others needs, however, are
cultivated on the basis predetermined ideas that arise from experience. The tendency of a dog to go towards a
man holding a bone is a cultivated instinct. It has previously been fed by hand and
remembers that the experience of chewing a bone is attractive. If its owner appears holding a stick it runs
away, having developed an aversion to beatings based on past experience.
In addition to the instinctual
choices which we share with animals humans have the ability to think. This allows them to consciously choose
between alternatives: good and bad, pleasure and pain, right and wrong,
etc. The ability to discriminate
makes another powerful psychic fact possible: the desire to seek improvement
and betterment.
Human beings are a work in
progress. Not only are they
imperfect and incomplete but, unlike animals, they are aware of it. This innate sense of incompleteness
gives rise to a strong urge to seek completeness and wholeness. This urge in turn appears as the desire
to be better or different from what one presently is and can be as important to
them, sometimes more important, than their instincts and natural bodily
urges.
The
Irony of Desire and Action
Common sense observation shows that
attempts to fulfill desires do not permanently remove desire. On the contrary the more one satisfies
one’s desires, the more desires appear. In spite of romantic notions fostered by
the culture about its desirability, desire is a big problem for human
beings. It is an uncomfortable and
often intensely painful state of mind that continually cries to be removed.
The natural response when one feels
the itching of desire or the aversion of fear is to do something. When I pursue the object of my desire I
believe that the attainment of the object will remove the desire and give me
peace of mind. It so happens that
this does happen. But alas, the
sense of satisfaction and relief felt is only temporary. And to make matters worse the attainment
of the desired object actually reinforces the original desire. So instead of ending up free of desire
when I act, which was my intention, I ultimately end up with more desire.
Another way to formulate this
problem is to say that human beings are continually motivated to remove an
innate but unnatural sense of limitation.
Therefore they strive to feel limitless and free. For example, who doesn’t feel
limited by lack of money, time, power, or love? The thousands of things offered by the
culture all promise in some way to remove a perceived sense of limitation and
lack. But whether we see the
problem as a quest for completeness or a search for limitlessness why, in spite
of the ready availability of material objects, self improvement programs and
therapies both religious and secular, does every attempt to become pure and
perfect, limitless and complete fail?
Cause
and Effect
Because the desire to be complete
can only be satisfied if it is possible to achieve completeness. Unfortunately completeness cannot be
achieved because of the operation of the law of karma, cause and effect. Completeness/limitlessness/perfection
could only be achieved if it were possible to make an effort that would bring
an unlimited result. But actions,
which are always performed by finite entities, only produce limited results. Even the sum of tens of thousands of
limited actions does not equal limitlessness. Thousandaires become millionaires and
millionaires become billionaires and billionaires still strive more. Sadly, one is as far from infinite
wealth with one dollar as one is with a trillion. With reference to the state of limitless
bliss, ten thousand moments of emotional satisfaction are exactly the same as
one moment. Even in the realm of
knowledge, the more one knows the more one becomes aware of what is unknown. In spite of his great mathematical
knowledge Einstein was ignorant of many other things.
What to do? Understanding the limitations of action
some conclude that the way to completeness is to go limp, drop out and do
nothing. But it is impossible not
to act. Even non-performance of
certain activities produces consequences.
For instance, I don’t pay my taxes and I end up in trouble. If I don’t brush my teeth they rot
and fall out. Furthermore,
like all desire-prompted activities non-doing does not reduce craving so a
person who is not pursuing his or her desires is as emotionally discontented as
someone who is. At the same time
simple observation leads to the conclusion that in spite of appearances this is
a purposeful creation and that things here follow certain well known laws. Everything we do depends on this
fact. If water one day decided to
be dry and ice to be hot the whole cosmos would stop working. Because the desire to be whole
and complete, like other desires,
occurs in a purposeful creation it must serve a purpose. If this is true then there is a way to
satisfy it. Vedanta is such a
way. But it accomplishes completion
an unexpected way.
Accomplishment
of the Accomplished
Every act is performed to accomplish
something. Three factors are
involved in the process: what you want to be accomplished, the means employed
to accomplish it and the person who wants the accomplishment. By appropriate, timely and adequate
effort anything that is unaccomplished can be accomplished. However, no effort or action is required
to accomplish that which is already accomplished. One day a man asked God to give him a
head on his shoulders and the Lord was flummoxed. “I may be omnipotent but I cannot
grant your request,” He said, “I can give you a bigger head, a
smaller head. I can twist it up
like a pretzel or spread it out like a pizza but I cannot give you a head on
your shoulders.” “Why
not?” the man asked.
“Because, dummy, you already have a head on your shoulders.”
Completeness-perfection-limitlessness-freedom
falls into the category of the ‘already accomplished’ and no action
or effort is required to accomplish it.
VEDANTA
The Tenth Man
A group of ten men were on a trip in
the country when they came to a river that they needed to cross. To make sure they were all present and
accounted for after they swam across the leader lined them up and
counted…but the count revealed only nine. They became distressed and searched high
and low for the missing person.
When their efforts did not produce the tenth man then fell into a deep
depression. At this time an old man
approached and seeing their distress inquired as to its cause. The leader explained the situation and
the old man smiled. “Line up
with the rest,’ he said to the leader. Then the old man counted. ‘Eight, nine, ten!” he said
pointing to the leader…who had forgotten to include himself.
No action produced the missing
person. He was produced when the
leader realized he failed to include himself in the count. In fact he was only searching for
himself…all the while believing he was looking for someone else. Vedanta says
freedom-perfection-wholeness-limitlessness is already
accomplished. It unequivocally states (and epiphanies
confirm it) that we are whole and complete by nature and that no action on our
or on the part of anyone else, including God, can complete us.
The
Teaching, the Teacher and the Taught
If I believe that the completeness I
seek is to be found in something other than myself, a ‘permanent
experience of enlightenment’ for example, I will be unable to realize my
innate perfection because wholeness and completeness only reside in my Self,
not in a particular experience.
Therefore this fact needs to be made known to me. It so happens that the knowledge that
the ‘I’ is whole and complete has been with us for as long as human
beings have been on the earth. The
teachings that remove Self ignorance have evolved out of successful attempts by
Self realized beings to reveal it and comprise the ancient teaching tradition
of Vedanta, a means of Self knowledge.
Vedanta also includes the scriptures of Yoga which are essential for
attaining the proper state of mind for receiving knowledge.
A teacher of Vedanta is someone who
has realized his or her limitless nature and can skillfully reveal the Self by
unfolding the true meaning of the teachings. It is often believed that an epiphany or
the transmission of energy from a ‘spiritual’ master will result in
Self realization but this is not true except in the exceedingly rare instance
that the knowledge ‘I am limitless awareness’ arises during the
experience and permanently remains in the mind when the experience
ends…destroying all subsequent thoughts of limitation. The so-called ‘spiritual’
world is little more than hundreds of thousands of people who have enjoyed the
experience of limitlessness and completeness but who persist in seeing
themselves as limited wanting creatures.
Therefore someone seeking Self knowledge needs to be prepared. The preparation essentially consists of
gaining a mind immune to the pull of fear and desire, one in which the Self can
be clearly apprehended and one that can retain the knowledge ‘I am the
Self.’
Knowledge
Two factors are required to gain the
knowledge of an object: the object itself and a valid means of knowledge. To gain dog knowledge a dog should be
present within the scope of perception and the eyes, backed by the attention of
the mind (because all knowledge takes place in the mind) should be
functioning. If the eyes alone are
functioning but the mind is not present knowledge cannot take place. In this case the eyes and the mind are
the means of knowledge.
Knowledge is either direct or
indirect. The knowledge of the dog
gained by looking at it is direct knowledge. However, if the dog is not present
within the sight of the individual the knowledge obtained by listening to its
description is indirect knowledge.
Even if the dog is present but the eyes are not functioning, the
knowledge gained through other senses is also indirect. For direct knowledge a valid means of
knowledge must be available. For
example, ears are not a valid means to gain the direct knowledge of the color
of an object. If the means of
knowledge and the object to be known are present knowledge takes place on its
own. No action is involved in the
process of knowledge. Only the
operation of the means of knowledge is required.
Ignorance deprives us of a means of
Self knowledge. We may have heard a
great deal about a person but have not seen her. Even if we happen to be in her presence
by chance we do not gain the knowledge of who she is until someone informs us
that the person we are looking for is in front of us. When this happens knowledge instantly
takes place. In this case the words
of the one who informed us constitute the means of knowledge.
Only direct knowledge is complete
and error free. The knowledge obtained through reading or hearing about an
object is subject to question because the picture formed in the mind depends
upon our past impressions and our beliefs and opinions. The picture formed in different minds
from the same object or description of an object is generally different.
Most of us are ignorant of the fact
that we are complete and perfect beings.
Just as the eyes cannot see themselves, the sense organs and the mind
cannot see the Self. Vedanta is a
direct and immediate means of Self knowledge. It can deliver Self knowledge because
the Self is always present. It is
not hidden away in the spiritual Heart or a transcendental state nor is it
covered by the physical body. If
you exist you are the Self.
Therefore you are always within the scope of your perception. When do you not experience
yourself? That you think that the
world you are experiencing is something other than you is due to lack of
understanding. That you don’t
realize who you are is due to a belief that you are something or someone other
than who you are. When this belief
is investigated and subsequently dismissed in light of the teachings of Vedanta
your sense of limitation dissolves… because the Self is limitless. Therefore if you want to realize your
God given freedom you need to expose yourself to a valid means of Self
knowledge.
The
Text
Tattva Bodha was written in Sanskrit
in the Eighth Century by Shankaracharya and means ‘knowledge of truth.’ It is an introductory text outlining the
fundamentals of Vedanta. After
explaining the qualifications necessary to realize the Self it deals with the
relationship between the individual, the world and the Self. It explains the technical terms that
form the basis of Vedanta. Without
understanding the meaning of these words the means of knowledge will not
operate.
INVOCATION
Salutations to the Self, the
bestower
of knowledge in the form of my
teacher. This treatise,
‘The
Knowledge of Truth’ is for the benefit
of qualified seekers of liberation.
At the beginning of most Vedantic
texts one usually finds a verse that tells the purpose of the text, who is it
is intended for and the benefit to be derived from understanding it. In this case it is for a qualified
seeker and its purpose is to explain the nature of reality. The benefit to be derived is freedom
from existential suffering. A
teacher is someone who helps remove Self ignorance.
Modern society is a veritable
supermarket of identities. But all
its identities are based on ignorance of our true identity. Though limited identities offer to solve
our existential problems they only provide limited relief. If I am gay I can’t be
straight. If I’m a man I
can’t be a woman. If
I’m a Republican I can’t be a Democrat. The teachings of Vedanta reveal an
identity that encompasses all identities and is not in conflict with any.
To realize
our true identity the process of discrimination (viveka) should be
employed. The knowledge of the Self
is mixed with Self ignorance.
Therefore a discriminative inquiry is needed. This inquiry will only
yield successful results if the student is qualified. A qualified person
possesses the following qualities.
Discrimination
(viveka)
What is meant by the discrimination between the impermanent and the
permanent? It is the conviction that the Self alone is permanent and that
everything experienced is impermanent.
People attracted to Self inquiry
have usually had experiences that convince them that there is a
‘spiritual’ something other than what they perceive with the
senses, emotions and the mind. But
they are always uncertain what it is. The fundamental method for Self
realization is the discrimination between what is permanent…the
Self…and what isn’t, the mind and the world. Although this is a non-dual reality and
everything that changes is also the Self, this fact is not known to the beginner. Even if it were known intellectually he
or she must go through the long and sometimes difficult introspective process
of separating the ‘I,’ the Self, from all its changing forms.
Dispassion
(viragya)
Dispassion
is the absence of desire for the enjoyment of the fruits of one’s actions
in this world.
This qualification basically
excludes ninety nine point nine percent of the human race from Self
realization. Why? Because it is precisely because of the
desire for the results of one’s actions that people undertake
action. A seeker of liberation,
however, has understood and accepted the painful fact that the results of
action do not permanently erase his or her sense of inadequacy, incompleteness
and limitation. Why? Because they are conditioned by
time. Dispassion should arise from
this understanding, not from despair.
It is common for people to become negative when they realize that
getting what they want and avoiding what they don’t does not solve the
happiness issue. A discriminating
person will be pleased to discover that the results of actions (what happens in
his or her life) are not permanently satisfying. Why? Because it frees him or her from the
compulsion to act and allows spontaneous creative non-goal oriented
activity. And it frees the
mind to seek happiness in the Self.
Control
of mind and the senses (sama
and dama)
Will power is helpful but not enough
to control a restless mind. Control of mind means that a person does not pander
to the fears and desires arising in the mind but lives according to a higher
principle. By subordinating oneself
to a higher principle the mind becomes calm.
Strict
observance of one’s duty (uparama)
Duty is a higher principle than
desire prompted action based on a belief in rights. When one fulfills one’s duty
toward oneself, one’s family, community, and religion the mind becomes
controlled.
Forebearance
(titiksha)
Sticking to one’s chosen path
with a happy frame of mind no matter what obstacles are encountered is called
titiksha.
Faith
(shraddha)
Faith is the belief that what the
scripture and the teacher say is true.
Faith is not blind belief. On the contrary one should independently
reflect and analyze what is being taught to see if it jibes with common sense
and reason. Faith is the belief
that an honest attempt to enquire will lead to understanding.
Single
Pointedness of Mind (samadhana)
Single
pointedness of mind is the ability to keep the mind absorbed in a
particular train of thought on a
given topic.
Everyone has the ability to
concentrate on things that particularly interest them. The student of reality keeps his or her
mind constantly at work reflecting on the teachings of Vedanta.
Burning
desire for liberation (mumukshutva)
A burning desire for liberation
means that the person has completely ruled out the possibility that anything
that could happen in life would make him or her permanently happy. As a result all the desire that formerly
went into making the world work now goes into the search for the Self. If this factor is operating intensely
all the other qualities develop quickly.
And conversely a discriminating, dispassionate person with a clear mind
will not realize the Self unless he or she develops an abiding interest in it.
These are the qualifications for making the discriminative inquiry into
the Self. No other factors are necessary.
Inquiry
into the Self
The text now discusses
the nature of the inquiry (discrimination) that leads to the truth of
one’s Self.
The Self alone is real. Everything else is unreal. This is the firm
conviction
of the
inquirer and is called inquiry.
Reality,
The Self
is that
which remains unchanged in the past, present and future. It exists before and
after time. It pervades and transcends all states of consciousness. It is
called satyam…what is.
Unreality
That which
does not exist, like the antlers of a fish, is called asat, unreality.
Apparent Reality
That which exists but undergoes change is called mithya, apparent
reality. All things in the subjective and objective worlds change.
Existence
existence can be divided into two categories: (1) the ‘I’ which is
called aham and (2) the rest of the world which is called ‘This’
(idam).
Due to ignorance of the nature of
the Self a human being is always identified with what is changing and apparent:
the body, emotions or intellect.
Belief that I am my body, feelings or thoughts constitutes a false
notion of the Self. It is called
ego.
If a person can clearly distinguish
the Self from the apparent and changing ‘not Self,’ the ‘not
Self’ can be negated as the primary identity and the real Self be
recognized and appreciated.
Inquiry into one’s real nature
by first identifying what is ‘not I’ (anatma) and
subsequently asserting that one is the unchanging Self is called inquiry (tattva
viveka). The way to do this
is to understand that what one knows about oneself is different from the one
who knows.
The
following analysis shows how the ‘I’, the knower, is different from
the body with which it is falsely identified.
THE
INDIVIDUAL
What
are the three bodies (sharira traya)?
The Self is apparently clothed in
thee bodies and enjoys three corresponding states. The food body is called the Gross Body (sthula
sharira). The physiological systems, the emotions, the intellect and the
self image (ego) are called the Subtle Body. The seeds of one’s past
experience are called the Causal Body because they cause one to think, feel and
act.
The Gross, Subtle and Causal bodies
are witnessed by the atman, the Self. If the Self identifies with the Gross
Body it seems to be a waking entity.
When it identifies with the Subtle Body it seems to be a dreamer or
thinker. When it identifies with
the Causal Body it appears to be a sleeper. This process is similar to an actor
playing different characters in a drama or a clear crystal that assumes the
color of an object near it. But
like an actor the Self is distinct from the roles it appears to assume. The Self is therefore called the witness
(sakshi) of the three bodies and their respective states. The Self is ‘I’ and the
bodies are ‘this.’
What
is the Gross Body?
It is that
which is composed of the five elements (mahabhutas) …space, air, fire, water, and
earth… after they have undergone the process of splitting and combining (panchikarana).
It is born
as a result of meritorious actions of the past and is the vehicle by which one
gains experience in the world. It is born, grows, sustains itself, decays and
finally dies.
What
is the Subtle Body?
It is
composed of the subtle aspect of the five elements (tanmatras)before they undergo the process of splitting and recombining. It is a
result of good actions in the past and is an instrument for subtle experience. It is comprised of seventeen parts: the
five perceptive senses (jnanendriyas), the five organs of action (karmendriyas), the five vital airs: respiration (prana), evacuation (apana), circulation (vyana), digestion and assimilation (samana) and the power in the body to reject
unwanted objects (udana).
Udana is also active at the time of death and is responsible for expelling the Subtle
Body from the gross body. The Subtle Body also contains the mind and intellect.
The mind (manas) is the
psychic location of one’s feelings, moods, and emotions. The intellect (buddhi) is the
deciding faculty and the source of the sense of doership (ahamkara). The Self identified with the intellect
results in the feeling that “I am a doer. I am a knower.” The mind and the intellect are really
two functional aspects the Subtle Body.
When the Subtle Body is feeling volitional, emotional or vascillating it
is called the mind. When it is
involved in the cognitive process of determining, deciding and discriminating
it is called intellect.
The Gross Body, the external material sheath, is kept alive by the Subtle
Body which operates the organs of perception and action and the pranas,
the physiological systems. When the Gross body dies the Subtle Body departs.
The Subtle Body varies from one person to the next. The identification of the
Self with the emotional aspect of the Subtle Body results in the feelings like
“I am happy. I am unhappy. I am angry.” Etc.
The organs of perception are called the jnana indriyas, knowledge organs.They are eyes, ears,
nose, tongue and skin. The elements that give rise to the perceptive organs are
as follows: Space for the ear. Air
for the skin. Fire (light) for the
eyes. Water for taste and earth for the nose. The field of experience for the
ear is space which makes sound possible. The field of experience for the skin
is air which makes touch possible. Fire (light) makes the perception of forms
possible. Perception of forms is the function of the eyes. The tongue operates
because water makes taste possible. The purpose of the nose is to cognize earth
elements.
The organs of action are called karma indriyas. They are: speech, hands, legs, anus, and
the genitals. The element responsible for speech is fire.
For the
hands, air. For the feet, space.
For the anus, earth and for the genitals, water.
What
is the mind? (antahkarana)
The mind
receives the stimuli from the perceptive senses and unifies or assimilates the
information into one
experience. The mind is thoughts.
Thoughts can be divided into four
categories based on their functions.
When the
mind is in a state of volition, vascillation or doubt it is called manas,
emotion. When the mind is involved
in the analysis of a situation with the idea of making a determination,
discrimination or judgement it is called buddhi, intellect. When the mind considers itself to be the
author of action or the enjoyer of pleasure and pain it is called ego or
ahamkara. The part of the mind that
recalls memories and stores subconscious impressions is called chitta. The mind
responds in the mode that is appropriate to the situations that occur in
life. It is another way of
conceiving of the Subtle Body.
What
is the Causal Body?
That which is inexplicable (anirvachaniya) and beginningless (anaadi). It
is free of division and the source of Self ignorance. It is cause of the Subtle
and Gross Bodies. It is called the karana sharira.
If we are whole and complete, pure
and perfect by nature there is no reason to enter a body to experience the
world since the world is simply a place to garner experience that is aimed at
removing the universal feeling of incompleteness. The verse says that the ignorance that
causes us to be born is inexplicable.
This means that it is prior to the formation of the Subtle Body (the
mind) and therefore cannot be rationally explained.
Sleep is identification with the
Causal Body. In deep sleep everyone
experiences a limitless happiness or bliss (ananda) that results from an
absence of identification with the body and the mind. During this state, one is free from the
dualities created by the Gross and the Subtle Bodies and therefore this state
is devoid of qualifications (nirvikalpa). During this state, we are completely
ignorant of everything; we experience nothing in particular. The Causal Body is
inexplicable because the state of ignorance is neither real, that is to say
existent, nor unreal, meaning it cannot be said not to exist because it is
experienced. The ignorance that
makes it up is opposed to Self knowledge and is called avidyarupam. Ignorance of the real Self results in
identification with the Gross and Subtle Bodies and the erroneous notion that
one is incomplete and inadequate…since the bodies are limited.
The
Experience of Bliss
The Causal Body is responsible for
the bliss an individual feels in the waking state. There are three subtle energies (vrittis)
that operate in it. The first is priya
vritti. It is the joy felt
at the thought of an object that one likes. Moda vritti is the joy
felt when the object of one’s desire is about to be possessed. Pramoda
vritti is the joy of experiencing the desired object.
What
are the five Sheaths? (pancha koshas)
The word ‘sheath’ (kosha)
does not indicate an actual covering because the all pervading ever-present
Self cannot be hidden by gross or subtle matter. A ‘sheath’ is to be
understood as a universal error that stems from Self ignorance and results in
identification with some aspect of one of the three bodies. The five sheaths are just a different
way of describing the Gross, Subtle and Causal bodies.
The first
sheath or covering of the Self is the body. It is composed of food and is
called the food sheath (annamaya
kosha).
The second
sheath is comprised of the
body’s physiological functions: digestion, respiration,
absorption, circulation and excretion. This is called the energy sheath (pranamaya kosha).
The third
sheath is made up of emotional projections, moods and feelings. It is called the mind sheath (manomaya
kosha).
Intellect,
the faculty by which one is conscious of one's knowledge and accomplishments is
the forth sheath and is known as the vijnanamaya kosa.
In the
waking state an individual knows certain things and is ignorant of others. In the deep sleep state every individual
experiences the state of bliss. Because the mind and intellect are not
functioning in deep sleep there are no problems. The deep sleep state is called
anandamaya kosha.
The fact that the ‘I’ is aware of the five sheaths means that
it cannot be any one of them.
Just as one’s material
possessions are distinguished from one’s self, the Self has no connection
with the three bodies or the five sheaths. The knower is always different from
the known. Therefore the Self, the
knower, is said to be beyond the bodies and sheaths (panchakoshatita).
The
Three States (avasha traya)
The three states of experience are the waking, dream and deep-sleep
states and correspond to the three bodies.
What
is the waking state? (jagat avastha)
The state
of experience in which the sense objects are perceived through the sense organs
is the waking state. When the Self
identifies with the gross body it is called vishwa, the waker. The subtle and causal bodies are also
functioning in the waking state.
What
is the dream state? (swapna avastha)
The dream
state is the world projected by the Subtle Body in the sleep state from
impressions (vasanas) garnered in the waking state. When the Self identifies with the Subtle
Body it is called taijasa, the shining one. It is a state luminous
with thought and feeling but it has no objective reality.
What is the deep sleep state? (sushupti
avastha)
That state
about which one says later "I did not know anything. I enjoyed
limitlessness.” is the deep sleep state. The Self identified with the
causal body is called prajna.
Prajna means ‘almost
ignorant.’ Even though the Subtle Body is absent and therefore no
knowledge is available in the sleep state, the Self, awareness, is present and
therefore it is ‘almost ignorant.’
In the waking and dream states we
gain discrete experiences but the experience in deep sleep is universal. We know nothing because the mind, the
instrument of knowledge, is absent.
We are also free of limitation in deep sleep. Freedom from limitation is bliss. This is why people cherish sleep. The Self, Awareness, is present in deep
sleep so that when the sleeper becomes the waker the memory of the experience
of sleep does not disappear.
THE
SELF (ATMA)
The three states of consciousness pertaining to the individual have been
described. From the description it is clear that the Self is given a different
name in each state because it is identified with a different
‘body.’ However, the Self is always the same and ever present in
each state. It is the knower of the states and is therefore called sakshi or
the witness.
It is not enough to know what the
Self isn’t. To realize it
directly and retain the knowledge the seeker needs to know what it is. The text now explains what the Self
is. Although one commonly hears
that the Self cannot be known, only the Self can be know with certainty since
it is the only thing that is always existent, always present and never
changes. The objects, subtle and
gross, that one knows enjoy a peculiar ontological status: they are neither
real nor are they unreal. Any
knowledge of them is subject to error and correction because they never remain
the same.
The
Nature of the Self (satchitananda swarupa).
If the Self is neither the five sheaths nor the three bodies, then what
is it? It is the awareness of them.
This Awareness is called chit. Because of chit things are known. Therefore it is called
the knower.
The Self does not change when the three bodies and their respective
states change. It is beyond time and therefore is called ‘that which
always exists (sat).’
The
limitations suffered by the bodies do not affect the Self. It is limitless. It is self effulgent,
sees space as an object within it and pervades every atom of the cosmos. It is
limitless and complete (purna). It is a partless whole.
It is the nature of every living and
non-living thing but is not known because all our attention is caught up (1)
trying to ward off death. Death,
however, is a non-issue for the Self.
Attempts to prevent it show lack of discrimination. (2) attempting to
gain freedom from a perceived sense of limitation. This endeavor is futile because the Self
is already complete. The apparent
problems humans suffer stem from an unnecessary identification with what
changes. (3) attempting to erase ignorance by the pursuit of objective
knowledge. The Self, however, is beyond knowledge and ignorance. It is that because of which I know what
I know and know what I don’t know.
Time is a projection of the mind, a
relative, not an absolute concept.
Identification with time causes worry about birth and death. That it is relative is proved by the
common experience that when one is enjoying oneself time seems to move very
quickly but when one is suffering time seems to move very slowly. Or the fact that what makes a child
happy loses its value in adulthood. The Self is timeless or eternal. Happiness
as human beings define it is merely a temporary state of mind.
Real
happiness happens when knows one is the Self. Objects cannot supply happiness. In the deep sleep state there are no
objects, no body or mind, yet one experiences limitless bliss, the Self.
The
Universe (jagat)
What
is the cosmos and how did it evolve?
We shall now explain the cosmos and the evolution of the cosmic
principles.
The universe which is born of Maya depends on the Self, awareness,
for its existence. This awareness is called Brahman and is identical with Atman, the Self. The word ‘Brahman’ means infinite or limitless.
The question then arises: how does
the objective world, which is finite, come from the infinite? Because the infinite cannot change into
the finite the presence of a temporal reality poses a problem.
MAYA
A created object can come about either as a change or modification of the
substance from which it is made or by an error that makes the real substance
seem to be something else.
An example of the first type of
creation would be a pot that is created
from a lump of clay.
To understand creation from an error
in perception consider this situation.
In the twilight a thirsty traveler approached a village well. Reaching down, she recoiled in fear when
she saw a big snake coiled next to the bucket. Unable to move for fear of being bitten,
she imagined terrible things, including her own death. At that time an old man coming to the
well noticed her standing there petrified with fear.
"What's
the problem?" he asked kindly.
"Snake!
Snake! Get a stick before it strikes!" she whispered frantically.
The
old man burst out laughing. "Hey!" he said, "Take it easy. That's no snake. It's the well rope coiled up. It just looks like a snake in the
darkness."
In
this case the snake was created by the woman’s ignorance of the
rope. This power of projection is
universal and applies moment to moment to almost everything experienced. It is the cause of most social
conflict. The process of Self
inquiry basically involves becoming aware of one’s projections and
dismissing the part of the Self, the mind, that makes them.
Who or
What is God?