Awareness

[Guest guest]

Continued from post 21055

 

Nisargadatta/message/21055

 

**********************

 

Michael:

 

Hi Lewis,

Thanks for the amplification. I could perhaps

quibble over - " The body, for example, would be an

upadhi housing the Atman and veiling its appearance,

acting as a limiting adjunct to/of it. " The

individual mind as a form of limitation of pure

consciousness is the witness so awareness as such is a

form of

limitation.(In advaita the mind is inert) The Atman is

not housed being nondual with Brahman.

 

Lewis: Housing is too much like a jack in the box is

it not? And it is commonly used that way in some

circles. Scratch it.

 

Atman=Brahman

 

Michael: What I wanted to do was give a short account

of the Advaitic view and propose the already latent

difference in English of 'awareness' and

'consciousness' as an expression of the core idea. I

assumed that the story of the Tenth Man was familiar

but perhaps it's not. Lewis are you pulling our legs

with your Buddhist version?

 

Lewis: I know the tenth man story and do not who does

know so I provided it. There are two versions

available. I did not make up the Buddhist one. Wei Wu

Wei authored that. Not being of either persuasion, I

thought both would do.

 

Michael: The tenth Man is a type of the error of not

noticing that which is always on. Tat tvam asi is

also used in the Chandogya Upanisad in the analogy of

the salt solution:Ch.Up.VI.13.1:

 

After keeping this salt in the water, then come to me

in the morning'. He did accordingly. To him he said,

'O dear one, fetch that salt which you kept in the

water at night'. He could not find it after

searching.

 

'O dear one (you do not perceive it), remaining

dissolved as it does. (Now, if you wan to perceive

it) sip from its top. How (does it taste)? 'It is

salty'.

Sip from the middle. How does it taste? It is salty.

Sip from the bottom. How does it taste? It is salty.

Throwing this away come to me. With regard to that, he

acted in that way (and said), 'That (salt) exists

always.'

 

To him, he (the father) said, 'O good-looking one, you

cannot perceive Existence though it is verily present

here itself. Surely it is here.

 

That which is this subtle essence, all this has got

That as the Self. That is truth. That is the Self.

Thou art that, O Svetaketu.

 

Michael

 

Lewis: Would that Self as Nirguna Brahman be without

second and formless and attributeless? Thou art that,

which is formless and attributeless?