Tag Archives: Awareness
Yoga
One Absolute Reality – Many Roles
There is only one absolute reality – the impersonal consciousness – playing many roles.
[Bhagavad Gita 13.22]
Implied Meaning: The Self located in this body is also called the Witness/Knower. It is also the Approver/Intellect, the Provider, the Enjoyer/Experiencer, the great Lord and the Supreme Self.
Comment: While the absolute reality is playing many primary roles, it is also playing many secondary roles via primary roles. For instance, while experiencer is a role played by absolute reality, this role also plays several other roles which eventually are the secondary roles played by the absolute reality only. Sometimes the experiencer becomes father, sometimes son, sometimes boss, sometimes husband and so on. Often, it is attachment to the role that causes suffering to the experiencer. If a particular role played by the experiencer is causing mental suffering then the experiencer should try to switch over to being just a detached witness.
Ornament is Gold but Gold is not the Ornament
From the perspective of the hand, fingers are part of the hand but hand is not the fingers.
From the perspective of the body, hands are part of the body but hands are not the body.
When you close your eyes, you are able to imagine a rose if you wish. This means that the rose is in your consciousness but the consciousness is not the rose.
As this view is expanded and Self Inquiry is done, finally there is a realisation that everything is in impersonal consciousness, but impersonal consciousness is not caught in any particular thing.
In Bhagavad Gita 9.4, Krishn says as impersonal consciousness,
Implied Meaning: All this world is pervaded by me in my unmanifest form. All beings exist in me, but I do not dwell in them.
Teachings As Pointers
It is somewhat easy to teach about an object. However, the absolute truth is not an object. So, it is not possible to show it. There are many methods that are developed to take the seeker towards the absolute truth. Since these are just methods to lead one towards the truth and these methods are trying to speak of something that cannot be objectified, they may have apparent contradictions. After the Self Realisation, the methods need to be dropped.
For example sake, let us consider the use of the word witness when talking about the Self. The word witness is a nice pointer, but strictly speaking there is an element of duality hidden in it. If there is a witness, there is something to witness, i.e. duality. Pure awareness means there is nothing else but it, no duality. The seer and the scenery merge. Thus, the word witness is a pointer helping a seeker to separate the Self from the non-Self (body & unsteady mind). This pointer becomes useless from the perspective of Self.
Body, Pseudo I & Real I
Body – The instrument of experience.
Owner of Experiences (Pseudo I) – The ego, the tuner that tunes awareness to shine at different places. Ego considers itself to be unique and special. Sometimes the tuning is automatic, for example the mind automatically goes towards an interesting event without conscious tuning but the ego still claims the experience.
Impersonal Awareness (Real I) – This is the absolute truth that alone takes every form. There is only one real I, so it is unique but is not special as there is nothing else but it.
Consciousness Playing Hide & Seek
