Who am I?--

[Guest guest]

Greetings:

 

Nanda's questions regarding "SELF" and "Consciousness" is not new and he

has raised these questions in Advaita-L and Shri Sadananda has given his

explanations before. I have reposted that article here for the benefit

of Nanda, Gummuluru and others. This article can greatly help us to

understand the distinctions!

 

 

Ram Chandran

Burke, VA

 

Wed, 31 Dec 1997 11:08:43 -0500

"Advaita (non-duality) with reverence" <ADVAITA-L

 

Chandran, Nanda wrote:

>Sadananda wrote :

>>What we are searching far we are searching with.

>

>I think this is the perennial question! Are we searching for the Self with

>the Self? Then is the intellect (buddhi) coupled with the mind (manas), when

>purified, the Self?

 

First, let us analyze this so called perennial problem in steps. If we

say

we are searching - who is searching? To do the search the searcher has

to

be an existent entity -is it not? If I am searching then I am sat.

 

Second to do that search, the searcher also has to be a conscious entity

-

is it not, since unconscious entity cannot search. That means I am chit

too. That chit that I am, must be existent entity, since there cannot be

non-existent conscious entity. Hence cit is sat and sat I am. These are

not

qualities of mine as gunaas. It is like saying H2O and water as one and

the same. H2O is not a guna of water.

 

Now we know who is searching - it is sat chit entity.

 

What are we searching for? Are we searching for Brahman?. Why do I

want

Brahman for - is He going to do something or give something. Hopefully

He

will give me happiness. If he is going to give me sorrow who wants that

Brahman? Hence what I am searching for is only happiness, not Brahman,

not Iswara, not this not that.

 

Scriptures point out that I am that happiness that I am searching for -.

tat twam asi. Hence the declarations by the scriptures that not only I

am

sat, I am chit, but I am ananda too.

 

Logic confirms that. Whatever happiness that I get by fulfilling desires

is

not from the objects but from myself, when my mind is free from

agitations.

 

If I am that happiness that I am searching for then why should I search?

It like having glasses on my head and still searching for glasses.

Seeker

of the glasses is already the possessor of the glasses. The problem is

I

donot know that I am already a possesser of the glasses. Ignorance is

the

problem.

 

It is interesting - whenever the seeker and sought are one and the same,

any seeking on the part of the seeker is likely to fail since he has

resolved that sought is not there where it has to be found.

 

That is why we need a proper teacher (sampradaaya) who knows how to

teach -

why I should stop the search but to realize that I am already the

possesser

of what I am searching - This is what self realization in a nut shell!

 

The so called perennial problem is due to lack of understanding of who I

am. I identify myself as the body, mind and intellect that is jeeva or

small self or ego. Since the body mind and intellect are limited, I

super

impose those limitation of my equipments as my limitations. I

continuously

search to solve this problem that arose because of my misunderstanding

as I

am this and therefore I want that to complete myself. There can never

be a

solution to the problem, since problem is not real. Only solution to

the

problem is to recognize that the problem is an invalid problem. All

seeking stops once I recognize that there is no need to seek since I am

what I am seeking. I am sat chit and ananda and I am searching for sat

chit

ananda - tat twam asi. Hence the statement - what we are searching for

we

are searching with. A conscious entity is searching for consciousness.

A

existent entity is searching for existence an happiness is searching for

happiness. The search itself is a problem and arose because of

ignorance.

The search ceases when I realize that I am the solution that I am

seeking.

 

It is so simple yet appears to be so difficult, since we do not stop

searching. We donot stop searching since we have resolved in our minds

that we are mortal, we are ignorant and we are unhappy. Everyone is

seeking

to solve these three fundamental problems one way or the other. No one

will find the solution to these problems until the root cause for the

problem, that is the notions that the problem is real, is removed. This

is

where scriptures come to our rescue. to point that our notions about

ourselves is wrong. Scriptures need to be understood correctly since it

has to describe that which cannot be described with words. Hence proper

teacher is also necessary to lovingly guide the student out of his

confusion arising form wrong notions about himself.

>In the Chandogya Upanishad the sage Uddhakala while explaining to his

>disciple Svetaketu the concept of creation and creator winds up with the

>statement, "Tat tvam asi" - "That thou art", meaning that he, Svetaketu is

>the creator. So what does the "thou" refer to - the Soul or the mind? One

>has to remember that at that point in time, Svetaketu is at the vyavahaarika

>level. So why, when Svetaketu is obviously not realized, would the sage have

>made such a statement? Or was he referring to the mind itself? I'm aware

>that it can be explained that Uddhakala was referring to the Soul inside

>etc.

>

>I'm also confused when reading Mandukya karika where Gaudapada refers to the

>mind as the Supreme Self. I'm also aware that the standard Vedantic teaching

>goes from the lower to the higher truth etc.

>

>But can the mind itself be totally negated with regards to the Self?

>Sometimes I can't but wonder whether the seers had any psychological motive

>(with regards to the sadhaka) in the creation of the elusive Self?

 

Mind and intellect which are thoughts are like thought waves in the sea

of

consciousness. Since every thought is known that means every thought is

in

my consciousness. Otherwise I will not be conscious of the thought.

Since

the world is nothing but objects which are thoughts in the mind, the

consciousness engulfs all the thoughts, and hence the whole world -

otherwise I can not say this is the world - That is I am conscious of

the

world - implies that the world is in my consciousness. Hence the body,

mind and intellect are all in my consciousness.

 

Neti and neti has to be understood correctly- It is negation of my

notions

that I am the mind or I am the intellect or I am the body. I am the

consciousness that illumines this body, mind and intellect. They are in

me

and I am not in them, in the sense their modifications etc. do not

belong

to me. Just as Gold declaring I am not the ring not the necklace not

the

bangle, they are forms - naama, ruupa and Guna projected on me. I

support

all of them since they are in me but I am not in them in the sense the

limitations of the ring, bangle etc. do not belong to me.

 

Hence it is not total negation of the mind, intellect or body or even

the

world. What is negated is the names and forms projected as not real -

The

substratum that supports all that is the sat chit ananda that I am.

Hence

the Goudapaada's statement.

 

It like sea declaring I am not this small wave or that big wave. I am

that

water that pervades all the waves, yet different from the waves. Water

does not become a wave. Creation is not a parinaama or transformation.

It

is adhyaasa or superimposition. Just as Gold it was, gold it is even

when

we call it as a ring or necklace or bangle and gold it shall be even the

ring etc. are melted. Gold does not become ring. The names and forms

are

superimposition on the gold.

 

Same way the creation is superimposition on Brahman which is sat and

chit

and ananda. Neti and neti is only negation of the notions in the mind

that

names and forms are real. It is to realize that I am the total

consciousness that supports all these names and forms including these

notions. Yet I am beyond the names, forms and the notions. I am in

them

but they are not in me.

 

Please refer to BG 9th ch. slokas 4 and 5 - I think. Krishna explains

this

beautifully. I pervade this entire universe, all beings are in me but I

am

not in them.

 

There is no total negation of the mind. Mind with notions is negated.

What remains is the pure consciousness. Just as if I look at a wave,

and

forgetting it is nothing but water, I can get carried away with the

names

and forms. If I shift my attention from the wave to the contents of the

wave, I realize it is nothing but water. From water the waves raise, by

water they are sustained and into water they merge.

 

Yatova imaani bhuttaani jaayante, yena jaataani jeevanti, yat

prayamtyabhisham vishanti -e iti brahma - is the Sruti - That from

which

the whole universe raises, by which it is sustained and into which it

goes

back is the Brahman.

 

I am that consciousness from which the threes states - waking, dream and

deep sleep states raise. I am in all of them yet I am different from

all

of them - turiiya state. I am plus a waker, I am plus dreamer, I am

plus a

deep sleeper. If I negate waker, dreamer and deep sleeper as I am not

that, I am the consciousness that pervades all the three states yet

different from the three states.

 

All problems are resolved if one understand correctly the

misunderstanding

of the jeeva versus the true state that scriptures indicate. Most of the

confusion gets resolved if one examines the problem correctly from the

correct perspective with proper reference.

 

My last mail for this year.

Greetings again.

 

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda