Guest guest Posted August 31, 2001 Report Share Posted August 31, 2001 Namaste! One of the aspects of the Upanishads and Vedanta that most intrigues and puzzles me is the notion that during deep dreamless sleep we are closest to the non-dual bliss which is God. Try as I might, I can remember nothing of what happens between dreams. It seems to me that I was utterly unconscious. Does anyone claim to remember something from this state? Are you quite sure that your consciousness exists at all times, even in the deepest sleep or coma? Can you remember, or must you rely on scripture? Thank you for any ideas. -- Benjamin Root Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 1, 2001 Report Share Posted September 1, 2001 advaitin, Benjamin Root <benroot@r...> wrote: > > Namaste! > > One of the aspects of the Upanishads and Vedanta that most > intrigues and puzzles me is the notion that during deep dreamless > sleep we are closest to the non-dual bliss which is God. Try as I > might, I can remember nothing of what happens between dreams. It > seems to me that I was utterly unconscious. Does anyone claim to > remember something from this state? Are you quite sure that your > consciousness exists at all times, even in the deepest sleep or coma? > Can you remember, or must you rely on scripture? Thank you for any > ideas. > -- > Benjamin Root Dear Shree Benjamin, Welcome to the list. Indra also reflected on the same question for a few years in Chandogya Upanishad. "In the state of dreamless sleep one is not aware of oneself or any other. The state of dreamless sleep is very close to extinction. In this knowledge I see no value". Subsequently he got his answers from Prajapati. Refer advaitin/message/7294 With Love, Raghava Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 1, 2001 Report Share Posted September 1, 2001 advaitin, raghavakaluri wrote: > advaitin, Benjamin Root <benroot@r...> wrote: > > > > Namaste! > > > > One of the aspects of the Upanishads and Vedanta that most > > intrigues and puzzles me is the notion that during deep dreamless > > sleep we are closest to the non-dual bliss which is God. Try as I > > might, I can remember nothing of what happens between dreams. It > > seems to me that I was utterly unconscious. > Dear Shree Benjamin, > Welcome to the list. > > Indra also reflected on the same question for a few years in > Chandogya Upanishad. > "In the state of dreamless sleep one is not aware of oneself > or any other. The state of dreamless sleep is very close to > extinction. In this knowledge I see no value". Subsequently he got > his answers from Prajapati. > Refer advaitin/message/7294 > Namaste. After I posted my above thoughts, I discovered that there is more to it. Refer advaitin/message/7181 Ajatasatru to Gargya:'When this man was thus asleep, where was then the person, the intelligent? where was his consciousness gone; and when he awoke, wherefrom did it return ?' Gargya:'? ' Ajatasatru:When this man, who is a conscious, intelligent being, is thus in deep sleep, he enters into Brahman, within the lotus of the heart, having withdrawn into himself both his senses and his mind. When his senses and his mind are thus withdrawn, he is said to be absorbed in Brahman. In this state he knows nothing;he enters into the 72,000 nerves which go out from the lotus of the heart. Even as a young man, or as an emperor, or the best of seekers, when he has experienced the ecstacy of love, straightaway takes sweet repose, so does a man deep in sleep find rest. When he sleeps, ..... .... BrihadAranyaka Upanishad. === In the previous case, it was a question put by Indra. In the latter case, Ajatasatru's observation is shown. Seems this needs further discussion. With Love, Raghava Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 1, 2001 Report Share Posted September 1, 2001 Benjamin - I wrote couple of years ago an article on "who is the sleeper I" and it may be in the advaitin list if one can tap it. As Prof. V.K. pointed out, the mind is folded in the deep sleep state. The equipment functions as has been - by the very presence of life-principle - just as the heart, the digestive system, the circulatory system, the nerves system etc. The prakR^iti or nature takes care of it. >From the point of the mind, which constitutes the thoughts, it is folded or absent in the deep sleep state -All it means is that there is no identification with the mind at that time. When one gets up and makes a statement, it is the statement of the mind. Its absence is noted by itself - since there is no record of it - like the 18 and half minutes of the missing Nixon tape. Hence from the point of the mind - 'I slept well" is a statement based on the recollection of non-active or rested mind - "I did not know anything or I saw nothing etc or the statement of the recollection of the blank memory". If the mind is not there then who slept well is a puzzling question. Before I go into the exhastive detial which can put you to sleep, it may be good idea to read that article that I mentioned. Hari Om! Sadananda >Benjamin Root <benroot >advaitin >advaitin > Deep sleep state and consciousness >Fri, 31 Aug 2001 16:51:19 -0400 > > > Namaste! > > One of the aspects of the Upanishads and Vedanta that most >intrigues and puzzles me is the notion that during deep dreamless >sleep we are closest to the non-dual bliss which is God. Try as I >might, I can remember nothing of what happens between dreams. It >seems to me that I was utterly unconscious. Does anyone claim to >remember something from this state? Are you quite sure that your >consciousness exists at all times, even in the deepest sleep or coma? >Can you remember, or must you rely on scripture? Thank you for any >ideas. >-- > Benjamin Root _______________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 1, 2001 Report Share Posted September 1, 2001 Namaste: Earlier discussions on the same topic are available at: http://www.escribe.com/culture/advaitin/m224.html http://www.escribe.com/culture/advaitin/m4375.html http://www.escribe.com/culture/advaitin/m4376.html http://www.escribe.com/culture/advaitin/m9633.html The archives at http://www.escribe.com/culture/advaitin/ is searchable by author/title/keyword including any key advaitic concepts. I strongly recommend Sri Benjamin to visit that site and look for the previous discussions on this and other topics of his interest. New members should also visit the above site and they should read and look for answers to basic questions and terminologies. Please also note that members are always welcome to raise any questions again if they have been already discussed. We are likely to get more insights to some old questions and we are always eager to improve our understanding for ever! advaitin, "Kuntimaddi Sadananda" <k_sadananda@h...> wrote: > Benjamin - I wrote couple of years ago an article on "who is the sleeper I" > and it may be in the advaitin list if one can tap it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2001 Report Share Posted September 2, 2001 >"Ram Chandran" <rchandran > >The archives at http://www.escribe.com/culture/advaitin/ is searchable >by author/title/keyword including any key advaitic concepts. Ram - when I clicked the last reference it gave me an error message. Is the address correct? Sada _______________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 2, 2001 Report Share Posted September 2, 2001 Namaste: As for as I know, the address is correct and I didn't get any error message. Check again! Ram advaitin, "Kuntimaddi Sadananda" <k_sadananda@h...> wrote: > > >"Ram Chandran" <rchandran@c...> > > > >The archives at http://www.escribe.com/culture/advaitin/ is searchable > >by author/title/keyword including any key advaitic concepts. > > Ram - when I clicked the last reference it gave me an error message. Is the > address correct? > > Sada Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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