Isvara in Not a Big Jiva
Pranam Sundari didi,
In one of your satsang’s that I read, you had beautifully explained how when the Jiva is in the dreaming state, the Jiva dreams of having siblings and once that Jiva is in the waking state, the siblings vanish, hence the proof that the dreaming and waking state both are only apparently real as objects keep appearing and vanishing all the time.
Sundari: Yes, correct. The Mandukya Upanishad is a prakriya or proof that investigates the only three states the jiva experiences, waking, dream, and deep sleep. Using the simple logic of eliminating all the non-essential variables, it proves that all three states can be negated because none of them are permanent or not subject to change. But the one non-negatable and invariable factor in all three states that never changes or conditions to any state is Awareness, the knower of all three states. Therefore, we can take our true identity to be the Self/Awareness, and not the waker/dreamer/sleeper, i.e., the experiencing entity or jiva.
The saying ‘the world is there because I see it” is true from the point of view of the Self, not the jiva. The jiva, which is actually Awareness, the Self, can’t perceive a world unless Isvara has already done its job as a creator. The jiva is seemingly responsible for its creation as far as it doesn’t exist (for it) unless it perceives it. However, it should be clear from the example of deep sleep that the jiva doesn’t create the world because there is no world for it when it is asleep. Yet the world is there for other waking jivas. That shows that some other factor, and we call it Isvara, is the creator.
Kumai: My question – Are all the Jivas / this earth / entire universe/cosmos only an Isvara’s dream and if so, is the waking up of Isvara similar to a jiva realising the ultimate truth that I am Awareness?
Sundari: The whole creation is Isvara’s dream in that it is only apparently real, it is mithya, that which is not always present and always changing. Satya, that which is real, is defined as that which is always present and unchanging. But Isvara does not dream or wake up because Isvara is actually pure Awareness, Satya, and as such, does not begin or end. Isvara in the role of creator, meaning Awareness in association with Maya, is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent and, thus, by definition must be the cosmic source of everything in existence. But as both Isvara and Jiva have the same identity as the Self, there is essentially no difference between them except in their capacity to create. Isvara creates all objects, subtle and gross and the jiva only knows the objects it has contact with. It cannot create a flower, the sun, the moon, and the stars. Isvara is conscious because it is the Self plus Maya, the creator of jiva. The jiva appears to be conscious because Consciousness shines on the Subtle body.
Isvara creates the objective world and Jiva creates its subjective world, its world of thoughts and feelings—which also come from Isvara, the gunas. Isvara wields Maya, i.e., the gunas, but is never affected by Maya because Isvara is not ‘in’ the creation. The creation apparently arises from Isvara/Awareness, but if Isvara conditioned to it (as in waking from the dream as you propose) that would mean that Isvara was under the spell of Maya. In which case, ignorance would be beginningless and endless. Lucky for us, ignorance is beginningless but not endless because Self-knowledge removes personal ignorance, avidya. assuming qualifications and the teachings are correctly unfolded and assimilated.
There are two types of changes (parinama) that take place, one when something changes state from one thing to another, such as when milk becomes cheese. This process cannot be reversed and is permanent. Of course, in the bigger picture nothing in mithya is permanent because mithya is not real, but for the purpose of understanding how this reality functions, it is important to understand the difference between this change and vivarta parinama, apparent change.
The second change is an apparent change, where Consciousness seems to appear as the material creation, the world of name and form. But the material creation is a projection, it is only apparently real, as explained above. Awareness, being non-dual and therefore incapable of change, never actually becomes the creation because if it did, its nature as Awareness would no longer be non-dual and there would thus be no way out of duality.
Isvara whose nature is Awareness and not under the spell of Maya. Isvara is not a person with likes and dislikes like the Jiva, who is under the spell of Maya (beginningless ignorance). Neither Isvara’s creation nor jiva’s creation hides the Self. It is always present prior to the creation and prior to the birth of individuals. You can’t have a macrocosmic creation without Awareness. Something had to exist before Isvara could ‘bang’ the creation into existence. That something we call Paramatma, ‘Pure Awareness’, free of both Isvara/Maya and Jiva.
If this is true, which we know it is, then we can eliminate both Jiva and Isvara as real and take ourselves to be the Self. As the Self, I am never affected by Isvara’s creation or by jiva’s creation. I am the knower of both. I am unborn and cannot die. I do not sleep, dream, or wake up. I am ever-present, unchanging, whole, and complete, ordinary Awareness. Both Isvara and Jiva are objects known to me.
Om and prem
Sundari
