Consciousness, Self Realisation

We are Consciousness Proof & Self-Realisation

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When Anand is awake, he is a Physicist. Let us call him Anand-P. One day he wakes up in the morning and remembers that he was singer in the dream and that he was giving a live performance but he does not remember when the book that he was reading at bed time fell from his hands and even from the bed. Let us call Anand the singer as Anand-S. On waking it is obviously Anand-P who is associated with, “I” and not Anand-S. When Anand-S was singing, he existed as, “I” who felt real and could see the audience and hear sounds and Anand-P did not exist as, “I”. In fact Anand-P at those moments did not even know that he existed at all. Then how does Anand-P as, “I” on waking know about Anand-S who was a different, “I”? If I do not exist as I then how can I remember witnessing something? This is different from memory of waking state where Anand-P alone exists as, “I” everything else being, “other” and experiences things and remembers some of them. Clearly, something is telling Anand-P about Anand-S. It means that there is a link connecting the two Anands. This connecting link is Self or consciousness which is the real I. This real, “I” is same for both Anands. “I” that is used generally is false “I” attached with ego. One way to realise your true nature is as follows:

Notice your immediate reaction when you suddenly wake up from your dream. Do you feel that it was the same you that was present in the dream at the very instant of waking up before body senses start taking over? If it is the same non-changing I associated with you during this transient state of observation, then the real you must be consciousness. To put it mathematically,

Let t be the instant at which you suddenly wake up while watching dream, if you find that:

{\lim }\limits_{\delta \to 0} {I_{t - \delta }} = {\lim }\limits_{\delta \to 0} {I_{t + \delta }}

Then it implies that,

{\lim }\limits_{\delta \to 0} {I_{t - \delta }} = {\lim }\limits_{\delta \to 0} {I_{t + \delta }} = I = {\rm{Constant = Consciousness}}

The above understanding* can open the door to Self-realisation.

*This is called Jnana Yoga, i.e. Self-realisation from knowledge.

Consciousness, Soul

What is Embodied Soul – A Modern Perspective*

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Jivatman, rooh, embodied soul etc. are different words used in different religions/cultures to speak of the localised divine presence.

Svetasvatara Upanishad – Chap 5 Mantra 9 is as follows:

vālāgraśatabhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca
bhāgo jīvaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ sa cānantyāya kalpate

The above means, “Know the embodied soul to be a part of the 100th part of the point of a hair divided a 100 times; and yet it is infinite.”

From modern perspective, there is nothing physical known within the body that can be called as, “subtle body” or embodied soul so if we do not take the above literally, the implied meaning of the above appears to be that if we try to discover embodied soul, it is apparently very difficult to discover it, so in that respect it is subtle. But, since it is reflection of Atman/Consciousness/Self, actually it has infinite presence. We know that mind is not a physical thing and it has the imagination to be anywhere. So, mind can broadly be called Jivatman**. Although consciousness is everywhere, when it is associated with the physical bodies, it gets individualised and one feels oneself separate from the Self. Just like in a room there are various radio signals that are detected by various radios to different degree, consciousness is detected by different bodies to different degree. Be it stone, plant, animal or human or empty space, consciousness is everywhere and is detected to a different degree by different things/beings.

One can think of mind as made of several layers. The outermost layer of mind is where we mostly live, that is waking conscious state, the next layer is subconscious state, the next is unconscious state. All these states happen on a screen or a background. Most of us are not aware of this background as we identify ourselves with body-mind. This background of the mind can be considered as consciousness. It can only be reached when there are no thoughts in the mind and the identification with body-mind ceases.

*Different religions may use different terms and explanations.
**Ramana Maharshi says, “What is called ‘mind’ is a wondrous power residing in the Self. It causes all thoughts to arise. Apart from thoughts, there is no such thing as mind. Therefore, thought is the nature of mind. Apart from thoughts, there is no independent entity called the world. In deep sleep there are no thoughts, and there is no world. In the states of waking and dream, there are thoughts, and there is a world also. Just as the spider emits the thread (of the web) out of itself and again withdraws it into itself, likewise the mind projects the world out of itself and again resolves it into itself. When the mind comes out of the Self, the world appears. Therefore, when the world appears (to be real), the Self does not appear; and when the Self appears (shines) the world does not appear. When one persistently inquires into the nature of the mind, the mind will end leaving the Self (as the residue). What is referred to as the Self is the Atman. The mind always exists only in dependence on something gross; it cannot stay alone. It is the mind that is called the subtle body or the soul (jiva).”
Meditation

Meditation Kriya

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There are 4 steps as follows in this meditation kriya*:

  1. Since you need to be able to sit in excess of 10 minutes in one position, you can do some stretching and neck exercise in the beginning for a few minutes. After stretching/neck exercise, sit in cross-legged position# facing east with spine erect, hands in front with their back resting on thighs, palms open facing up, head slightly tilted up having mild concentration towards the middle of the eyebrows; keep eyes closed for all the three steps below.
  2. With deep slow inhalation mentally say (refer https://vedanta.manishverma.site/i-am-not-body-mind-proof/ & https://vedanta.manishverma.site/what-is-meditation/ first), “I am not body-mind” and with deep slow exhalation mentally say, “I am pure awareness”. The two thoughts should remain throughout the inhalation and exhalation processes as applicable. Do this for 7-11 minutes. If you find it hard to tell yourself that you are not the body or the mind initially and that you are awareness as you find this hard to believe, then with inhalation you can say, “So” and with exhalation you can say, “Ham” and continue to go through more articles/videos in this blog addressing this issue from various angles till you feel comfortable telling yourself that you are not body-mind and that you are awareness.
  3. Inhale deeply and say AAAAAA……. with full mouth open in sufficiently low pitch such that the vibrations come from just below the naval and pay attention to the vibrations in the region just below your naval. The loudness of voice should be just sufficient enough to feel the vibrations. Do this for 7 times.
  4. Just sit in silence (oral and mental) for 5-6 minutes. Finally, open your eyes slowly.

The above Kriya can be done multiple times in a day. If it is done more than once a day, the stretching/neck exercise may not be required every time. Since this kriya is not physically demanding, it can be done almost any time** in the day but you need to listen to your body, for example doing it after a heavy meal may not be a good idea if you need to do some stretching exercise. Also, the time when there is a tendency to fall asleep is not suggested.

*If you have any health problem please consult your doctor before practicing this.
#As you become more accustomed to this Kriya, you can try Padmasana (lotus pose) in place of sitting in cross-legged pose.
**Midnight time may be avoided. Please refer to FAQs which are applicable to this kriya which are applicable here also.

Autobiography of a Yogi

Autobiography of a Yogi eBook

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In my post https://vedanta.manishverma.site/living-without-eating/ I had mentioned about the book “Autobiography of a Yogi” written by Shri Paramhansa Yogananda. The contents of the original edition of this book are available in .pdf form at this link. This eBook should be useful to a spiritual seeker or to someone facing questions like “Who am I?” or “What is the purpose of life?”.

Spirituality

Living Without Eating

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The tests on Shri Prahlad Jani brought this seemingly impossible thing and something that could be brushed aside considering it as a quackery into mainstream discussion a few years ago. Please check this (or alternate link here) for a report on DIPAS (DRDO) study. Shri Prahlad Jani is said to be living without eating, consuming liquid and excreting.

In the book, “Autobiography of a Yogi”, Shri Paramhansa Yogananda writes about Smt. Giri Bala who was considered as a yogi who did not eat and who was tested by Maharaja of Burdwan for this ability. From the book it appears that she did not consume liquid also and would not have bodily excretions.

While Shri Prahlad Jani is not seen too much himself in the media teaching people about the technique, there is Shri Hira Ratan Manek who is actively sharing a technique for the same. Shri Manek himself has been reported to have fasted for long periods by surviving on just sun energy and water.

Going by the ancient texts pertaining to the variants of, “Tratak” and third eye meditation techniques, and with the above case studies, the possibility of living without eating can be explored.

Music

Seeking Infinity

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We always want more. Since more never ends, it seems that what we want is infinity. It is said by many saints that the source is within us. Kabir said this nicely in, “Moko kahan dhoondhe re bande” (My Vocals + Guitar version for the same is embedded below. For vocals only version, please refer this. ).

Kabir has said the same thing in different ways. For example the following essentially mean the same:

ज्यों नैनों में पुतली, त्यों मालिक घट माहीं
मूरख लोग न जानहिं बाहिर ढूंढ्न जाहीं

पानी में मीन प्यासी, मोहे सुन सुन आवे हासी
आत्मज्ञान बिना नर भटके, कोई मथुरा कोई काशी
जैसे मृग नाभी कस्तूरी, बन-बन फिरत उदासी
कहत कबीर सुनो भाई साधो, सहज मिले अविनासी

Jesus has also said that the kingdom of heaven is within you. Instead of looking outside for it, one needs to look inside.

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