Space, time, etc

[Guest guest]

Hello,

 

I had posted a long article in the form of Question and Answers to

advaitin . It might fit in here in the context of the current

discussions on space, time, mind, etc. The article is just an expression

of my view of things. Though the whole discussion is based on the ideas

from Yoga Vashishta and Sri Ramana Mahrishi, please do not attribute any

authority to them. It is just my humble understanding of the Truth.

 

With love,

Gomu.

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Q: If the Self alone exists, how do we see diversity ?

A: Where do you see diversity ? Everything is percieved in the mind alone.

There is no world outside the mind.

Q: Isn't the mind a function of the brain ?

A: The body and the rest of the world are in the mind only.

Q: This implies that you are assuming the mind exists independent of the

world.

A: The mind is non-different from the world. When the mind is there, the

world is also there. They arise and perish together.

Q: When did the mind arise ?

A: It is the mind which creates time. So the question is not valid.

Q: Does that mean the mind is always there ?

A: When the world is percieved, the mind is there.

Q: When is the world not percieved ?

A: Did you percieve the world in deep sleep ?

Q: But the world was there.

A: How do you say that ?

Q: I see a continuity in the world before I went to sleep and after I woke up.

So, it is but logical to assume that the world was there even when I was

asleep.

A: Continuity in time ?

Q: Of course, yes.

A: How do you know it ?

Q: I see the same world around me which I saw before going to sleep.

A: To put it in other words, you remember that you saw the same world before

you went to sleep. Right ?

Q: Yes.

A: So you rely on your memory.

Q: Of course, yes.

A: Memory is a part of the mind. Time is percieved only in memory.

Q: So, what are you coming to say ?

A: The present moment alone is true. The past is only in memory. The future

is only in imagination.

Q: But the present is fleeting and momentary.

A: As I told you, time is percieved only in memory. If memory is ignored,

you are left with the eternal present.

Q: So, you mean time itself is an illusion ?

A: I say that it exists only in the mind.

Q: Is the mind real ?

A: What do you mean by 'real' ?

Q: Is it beyond space and time ?

A: Yes. Space and time are percieved in the mind. So, mind itself must be

independant of space and time.

Q: So is it totally independant ?

A: It is dependant on Consciousness.

Q: What is Consciousness ?

A: The awareness of oneself as the subject.

Q: Is it ego ?

A: What is ego ?

Q: The knowledge that I am so and so.

A: No. Consciousness is not knowledge. Knowledge is in the mind only. And

it is not of that I am so and so. It is the awareness of oneself as the

subject. The moment you say " so and so " , you are objectifying. Consciousness

is the subject.

Q: Consciousness is eternal ?

A: There is no role of time here. So it can be considered eternal.

Time is created by memory. Memory is a part of the mind. Mind exists in

Consciousness.

Q: Is mind always present in Consciousness ?

A: Again you are talking about time. It is mind which creates time.

Q: Let me put it this way. Are mind and Consciousness inseparable ? Can there

be one without the other ?

A: They are identical and inseparable.

Q: Identical ? Then why do we refer them as different things ?

A: For the sake of understanding. Mind is the power of Consciousness to

manifest. Consciousness is the existential property of mind.

Q: Does mind exist in deep sleep ?

A: Deep sleep is known only in memory; not in the present. The question was

asked only to show that the world exists only in the mind. In reality,

there is nothing called 'deep sleep'.

Q: What happens to the mind when I die ?

A: Death is only in the mind and it is only of the body.

Q: What happens to the world ?

A: The world unfolds itself before the Consciousness afresh every moment.

Every moment it is created and destroyed. Birth is only in memory and

death is only in imagination.

Q: But, I see others dying.

A: It is seen only in the mind. But before death can come to you, this world

itself might not be there. It would have been replaced by a different world.

You will not have this body too. In that world you might be older or

younger, a beggar or a king. Anything can be the case.

Q: What about the concept of karma, rebirth, etc ?

A: They are all valid. Just that I say it is not you who dies and takes

rebirth, but the world which vanishes and another one takes its place.

Every moment a new world is created around you in accordance to your

karma. Your role in the world also depends on your karma. You may be a

king in one world, in the next you may be a beggar. In one world

you may be a just born infant, in another you may be a old man on his

death bed. It is memory which makes you think you are so and so, so

many years old, born in some place, etc.

Q: What does the nature of the world depend on ?

A: It depends on karma, which is created by desire. You become what you desire

to be. You face what you want to face. Here 'you' includes you and everyone

in your world. If you want your neighbour to be prosperous, it is as good

as you wanting to be prosperous. If you mean harm to your neighbour, it is

as good as you meaning harm to yourself. Everyone in your world is none

but projections of the same mind, and so non-different from you. Whatever

you see in the world is the result of your own previous desires.

Q: What happens if a person does not desire ?

A: The world continues for sometime based on the previous desires. When all

of them are exhausted, perception of the world ceases. What happens after

that cannot be described.

Q: You do not know it ?

A: It can be put that way. Knowledge is in the mind. What happens beyond that,

no one can 'know'.

Q: Who is God ?

A: The Consciousness-mind principle is God.

Q: What is the role of personal God ?

A: Consciousness principle is refered to as Siva; Mind principle as Sakti.

They are refered variedly as Brahman-Maya, Purusha-Prakriti, Krishna-Radha,

Rama-Sita, etc. Other references to Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Indra, Varuna,

Agni, Ganesha, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Hanuman, etc are all various roles in

the world. But when it comes to the Ishta devata or Guru, it the combined

Consciousness-mind principle that is refered to. By grace or coincidence,

in the world we see god-realised souls, incarnations, devotees, scriptures,

places of pilgrimage, etc which are aids to the truth.

Q: Can one realise the truth by devotion to God ?

A: Of course, yes. All that is needed is the eye to see the truth. By devotion

to God, one becomes free from attachment to one's own personality. Once

this obstruction is removed, the devotee naturally sees the truth. The

exact words used to describe the truth depends on the meaning the person

attaches to those words.

Q: Can one realise the truth by grace of God or Guru ?

A: It IS the only way. There is no other way. Everything else is only a

part of the preparations for grace to dawn.

 

PS:

Q: Why is the 'C' in Consciousness always in capital ?

A: The same reason as why 'I' is always capital. It is first person.

 

 

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