You Are That – Quote
Category Archives: Awareness
Consciousness and Enlightenment
The following line from Patanjali Yoga Sutra [4.19] speaks about the dependence of what people call consciousness in common language on something else:
The above implies that individual consciousness does not have an independent existence, it exists due to the impersonal consciousness. In Vedanta individual consciousness is called reflected consciousness. Many times when you say, “I” you mean individual consciousness.
When light ray strikes a mirror it gets reflected and we speak of incident and reflected rays. For observer there are two rays. However, light just knows that it is light and not as incident and reflected rays separately. After bouncing, instead of saying, “I am reflected light” the light still says that I am just the light. Water says I am water whether it is inside a cup or inside a bucket. When you realise this deeply, the identification with individual consciousness goes. You realise that one consciousness is expressing through various things and you are that.
When you are absolutely comfortable in saying this to yourself that I am pure impersonal consciousness and Jiva is reflecting it but I am not Jiva, you are enlightened. Also, the understanding that because Jiva appears in me, Jiva is me but I am not Jiva becomes firm.
If you are looking for mystical experiences and epiphanies to attain enlightenment, you may have a tough road ahead as maya is very strong. All these experiences are made possible by maya. Consciousness is beyond maya and one needs to remove the veil of maya to know the truth. Experiences come and go but you remain.
Deep Sleep Awareness
Q: I do not seem to be aware at all in deep sleep. If awareness never goes then where does my awareness go in deep sleep?
A: When you say, “my” awareness you are referring to the reflected/personal awareness. A stone may have no reflected/personal awareness at all but stone is within the impersonal/pure awareness which never goes. Stone is an expression of pure awareness. When we say awareness never goes, we refer to the pure awareness, not the reflected one. Incidentally, even “your” awareness does exist in dormant form in deep sleep. Had it not been the case then nobody would get up from the deep sleep after hearing a loud noise or nobody would get up from deep sleep due to mosquito bite. Also, consider the following verse:
[Panchadasi, Chapter 11, Verse 39]
Implied Meaning: If there is no comfort in deep sleep then why great effort is made to set up soft bedding and other conveniences?
Personal to Impersonal Sense of Consciousness
Q: How does the individual sense of awareness/consciousness dissolve?
A: When you say, “my awareness” there is an individual sense. This is different from saying, “I am awareness” where the individual sense is lost. Awareness, like love, is a quality (abstract noun). When we say, “Love is blind”, it is not about X’s love or Y’s love. There is nothing personal attached to the quality love when used in this way. So, when you say that you are awareness, so is everybody else. There is no individual sense attached to the quality awareness here. The individual sense of awareness dissolves when the understanding that you are awareness gets deep rooted. You feel comfortable saying, “Aham Brahmasmi” (Translation: I am Brahman, Meaning: I pervade everything).
PS: Awareness and consciousness words have been considered to mean the same.
Attention & Awareness
Q: What is the difference between attention and awareness?
A: Awareness is something due to which perception is possible, without awareness everything is insentient. Paying attention on something means concentrating on that thing. It is an act by which mind channelises awareness to shine on something of interest. Object of attention simply means focus of awareness. The following figure illustrates this with an analogy of convex lens:
