LAMP OF NON-DUAL KNOWLEDGE-4

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ADVAITA BODHA DEEPIKA

[LAMP OF NON-DUAL KNOWLEDGE]

 

91. D.: Now, master, the dream is but the reproduction of mental

impressions formed in the waking state and lying dormant before.

They reproduce past experiences. Therefore dream-visions are rightly

said to be only mental creations. Should the same be true of the

waking world, this must be the reproduction of some past

impressions. What are those impressions which give rise to these

waking experiences?

 

92. M.: Just as the experiences of the waking state give rise to the

dream world, so also the experiences of past lives give rise to this

world of the waking state, nonetheless illusory.

 

D.: If the present experience is the result of the preceding one,

what gave rise to its preceding one?

M.: That was from its preceding one and so on.

D.: This can extend back to the time of creation. In dissolution all

these impressions must have been resolved. What was left there to

start the new creation?

M.: Just as your impressions gathered one day lie dormant in deep

sleep and become manifest the following day, so also the impressions

of the preceding cycle (kalpa) reappear in the succeeding one. Thus

these impressions of Maya have no beginning, but appear over and

over again.

93. D.: Master, what was experienced on previous days can now be

remembered. Why do we not remember the experiences of past lives?

 

94-95. M.: This cannot be. See how the waking experiences repeat

themselves in the dream but are not apprehended in the same way as

in the waking state, but differently. Why? Because sleep makes all

the difference, in as much as it hides the original bearings and

distorts them, so that the same experience repeated in the dream is

differently set, often aberrant and wobbling. Similarly the

experiences of past lives have been affected by comas and deaths so

that the present setting is different from the past ones and the

same experience repeated in a different way cannot recall the past.

96. D.: Master, dream visions being only mental creations are

transient and are soon dismissed as unreal. So they are properly

said to be illusory. On the contrary the waking world is seen to be

lasting and all evidence goes to show that it is real. How can it

be classified with dreams as being illusory?

97-98. M.: In the dream itself, the visions are experienced as

proven and real; they are not at that time felt to be unreal.

Similarly at the time of experience, this waking world also seems to

be proven and real. But when you wake up to your true nature, this

will also pass off as unreal.

D.: What then is the difference between the dream and waking states?

99. M.: Both are only mental and illusory. There can be no doubt of

this. Only the waking world is a long drawn out illusion and the

dream a short one. This is the only difference and nothing more.

 

100. D.: Should waking be only a dream, who is the dreamer here?

M.: All this universe is the dream product of the non-dual,

untainted, Knowledge Bliss only.

D.: But a dream can happen only in sleep. Has the Supreme Self gone

to sleep in order to see this dream? M.: Our sleep corresponds to

Its Ignorance which hides Its real nature from time immemorial. So

It dreams the dream of this universe. Just as the dreamer is deluded

into thinking himself the experiencer of his dreams, so also the

unchanging Self is by illusion presented as a jiva experiencing this

samsara.

101. On seeing the dreamlike body, senses, etc., the jiva is deluded

into the belief that he is the body, senses, etc.; with them he

turns round and round through the waking, dream and deep sleep

states. This forms his samsara.

 

102-104. D.: What is jagrat (the waking state)?

M.: It is the phenomenon of the I-mode along with all the other

modes of mind and the related objects. Taking on I-ness in the gross

body of the waking state, the individual goes by the name of visva,

the experiencer of the waking state.

D.: What is dream?

M.: After the senses are withdrawn from external activities the

impressions formed by the mental modes of the waking state reproduce

themselves as visions in dreams. The experiencer of this subtle

state is known as the taijasa.

D.: What is deep sleep (sushupti)?

M.: When all the mental modes lie dormant in causal ignorance, it is

said to be deep sleep. Here the experiencer known as prajna has the

bliss of Self.

105. The jiva revolves in this merry-go-round owing to the operation

of his past karma according as it bestows waking, dream or deep

sleep experience. This is samsara. In the same way the jiva is

subject to births and deaths as a result of past karma.

 

106. Nevertheless they are merely appearances of the deluded mind

and not real. He seems to be born and to die.

D.: How can birth and death be illusory?

M.: Listen carefully to what I say.

107-109. Just as when jiva is overcome by sleep, the bearings of the

waking state give place to new ones of dream in order to reproduce

past experiences, or there is total loss of all external things and

mental activities, so also when he is overpowered by coma before

death the present bearings are lost and the mind lies dormant. This

is death. When the mind resumes the reproduction of past experiences

in new settings, the phenomenon is called birth. The process of

birth starts with the man's imagining " Here is my mother; I lie in

her womb; my body has those limbs. " Then he imagines himself born

into the world, and later says " This is my father; I am his son; my

age is such and such; these are my relatives and friends; this fine

house is mine " and so on. This series of new illusions begin with

the loss of former illusions in the coma before death, and depends

upon the results of past actions.

110-113. The jiva overpowered by the unreal coma before death has

different illusions according to his different past actions. After

death, he believes " Here is heaven; it is very lovely, I am in it; I

am now a wonderful celestial being; so many charming celestial

damsels are at my service; I have nectar for drink, " or, " Here is

the region of Death; here is the God of Death; these are the

messengers of Death; oh! they are so cruel — they pitch me into

hell! " or, " Here is the region of the pitrs; or of Brahma; or of

Vishnu; or of Shiva " and so on. Thus according to their nature, the

latencies of past karma present themselves before the Self, who

remains always the unchanging Ether of Consciousness, as illusions

of birth, death, passage to heaven, hell or other regions. They are

only delusions of the mind and not real.

114. In the Self of the Ether of Consciousness, there is the

phenomenon of the universe, like a celestial city seen in mid air.

It is fancied to be real but is not indeed so. Names and forms make

it up and it is nothing more.

 

115. D.: Master, not only I but all others directly experience this

world of sentient beings and insentient things and take it as proven

and real. How is it said to be unreal?

 

116. M.: The world with all its contents is only superimposed upon

the Ether of Consciousness.

D.: By what is it superimposed?

M.: By Ignorance of the Self.

D.: How is it superimposed ?

M.: As a painting of sentient beings and insentient things presents

a scene upon a background.

117. D.: Whereas the scriptures declare that all this universe was

created by the will of Isvara, you say it is by one's own ignorance.

How can these two statements be reconciled?

118. M.: There is no contradiction. What the scriptures say that

Isvara, by means of Maya, created the five elements and mixed them

up in diverse ways to make the diversities of the universe, is all

false.

D.: How can the scriptures say what is false?

M.: They are guides to the ignorant and do not mean what appears on

the surface.

D.: How is that?

M.: Man having forgotten his true nature of being the all perfect

Ether of Consciousness, is deluded by Ignorance into identifying

himself with a body, etc., and regarding himself as an insignificant

individual of mean capacity. If to him it is told that he is the

creator of the whole universe, he will flout the idea and refuse to

be guided. So coming down to his level the scriptures posit an

Isvara as the creator of the universe. But it is not the truth.

However the scriptures reveal the truth to the competent seeker. You

are now mistaking the nursery tale for metaphysical truth. In this

connection you may remember the child's tale in Yoga Vasishta.

119-134. D.: What is it?

M.: It is a fine story to illustrate the emptiness of this universe.

On hearing it the false notions of the world being real and its

creation by Isvara, will all disappear. Briefly put, the story runs

as follows:-A child asked its nurse to tell an interesting story.

Accordingly she told the following:

Nurse: Once upon a time a most powerful king whose mother was

barren, ruled over all the three worlds. His word was law to all the

kings in these worlds. The barren mother's son had extraordinary

powers of illusion to make, foster and unmake worlds. At his will he

could take on any one of the three bodies, white, yellow or black.

When he took on the yellow body, he had an urge and would, like a

magician, create a city. Child: Where is that city?

Nurse: It hangs in mid air.

Child: What is it called?

Nurse: Total Unreality.

Child: How is it built up?

Nurse: It has fourteen royal roads, each divided into three sections

in which there are respectively many pleasure gardens, huge mansions

and seven luxurious tanks — adorned with strings of pearls. Two

lamps – one warm and the other cool —always light the city. In it

the barren mother's son built many fine houses, some on high, some

in the middle and others on low ground. Each of them has a black

velvety top, nine gateways, several windows to let in breeze, five

lamps, three white pillars, and walls plastered nicely. By his magic

he created fearsome phantoms, one to guard each house. As a bird

enters its nest, he enters any of these houses at his will and

sports at his pleasure.