Part XLII
- Viewpoints of reality
The other main reference point with
which we are concerned is called vyAvahArika
satyam or transactional reality. From this reference
we can look at the situation on a micro scale,
i.e. the individual’s point of view or on a macro scale,
from the collective totality viewpoint. Somehow we need to
connect all of this (at least conceptually) to the absolute
reference.
From the individual’s viewpoint, the
existent-consciousness that advaita tells me
I am, i.e. one without a second, appears to be
associated with varieties of individual bodies,
minds and intellects. How can one 'I am' become
many? We gave a dream example before: how I,
a waker, create a dream world consisting of varieties
of objects as well as beings with their own bodies,
minds and intellects (BMI) as well as myself
with my own BMI. That power by which one appears
to become many we have defined as mAyA.
At an individual or micro level, the consciousness-existence
that I am appears to be limited by my BMI and
I become a jIva or individual soul. We use the
phrase ‘appears to be’ since consciousness-existence
cannot be limited, just as space cannot be limited.
Even though space is limitless, we divide this
indivisible space into compartments as with different
countries, states, cities and even different
houses. Within the house we have different rooms
where the bath room is different from bed room
and kitchen, etc. Even the dividers that divide
the space are within the space only. But these
divisions are valid for transactional purposes
or for our vyavahAra. Therefore transactional
reality need not be absolute reality, although
it is inherently absolute reality, just as indivisible
space is inherent in the all divisions that we
have made for our convenience or transactional
purposes.
The situation is identical. All pervading consciousness
appears to be divided into multitudes of things
and beings just as in the dream. We have both
insentient as well as sentient things and beings.
In the dream, the differences (three types of
differences stated above - sajAti, vijAti and
svagata) appear to be real, as long as I am dreaming.
However once I am awakened, all things and beings
resolve into me, the waker. In the same way,
the plurality of things and beings appears to
be real in this waking world, and only when I
am awakened to the absolute state of reality
or pAramArthika satyam do all differences resolve
into me, the absolute existence-consciousness.
Just as the dream is due to projection of suppressions
and oppressions of the waking mind, an exactly
identical situation occurs for the waking world.
The total vAsanA-s become the root cause for
the projection of the total world and individual
vAsanA-s become the cause for the individual
BMI. At the individual level, the total consciousness
is reflected in the intellect as the ego - or
individual I, which transacts with the individual
BMI, without realizing that I am the pure existence-consciousness.
Likes and dislikes or vAsanA-s of the individual
manifest as desires in the individual intellect,
agitations in the individual mind level, and
actions in the individual body.
The jIva or individual I, or soul, ‘appears’ when
the reflected consciousness in the BMI takes
itself to be real, transacts as if it is real,
and takes responsibility for the actions that
go on in the BMI. It is like the villager who
is sitting in the train but carries his luggage
on his head so as to relieve the burden on the
train. I, as an individual ego (as ‘I am
this’), take the responsibility for the
actions that are being performed. These ego-centric
actions will leave vAsanA-s and the rest of the
repercussions follow. I, the reflected consciousness
(chidAbhAsa), move from birth to birth, from
one field of experience to another, along with
my subtle body and causal body in order to exhaust
my vAsanA account.
Just as I go into deep sleep everyday (called
nidrA or laya), folding everything into myself
without any identification with BMI, so the totality
(consisting of all jIva-s and things) goes into
a ‘deep sleep state’ called pralaya.
Similarly when I get up in the morning, all the
things that were there before I went to sleep
are projected again. And, in exactly in the same
way after pralaya, when the Lord or totality
gets up (his sleep is called yoga nidrA), the
whole universe which was in the subtle form during
sleep is projected back into grosser form.
This transformation from subtle to grosser
form is called ‘creation’ in Vedanta.
The totality or macrocosm supported by the consciousness-existence
'I am' is called Ishvara or the Lord or the creator.
The same existence-consciousness reflected in
the individual intellect is called jIva or soul.
It is important to recognize that we are not
equating the individual soul or jIva with totality
or God. What we are equating is the essence -
the existence-consciousness that I am. This existence-consciousness
is the same, whether reflected in the microcosm
or in the macrocosm. As long as I think I am
only an individual with local equipments of BMI,
then the world I see or with which I transact
is different from the creator of the whole universe;
God is different. Hence, if and when I view the
creation or the world as different from me, then
there is a creator or the father in heaven, who
is different and who is omniscient and omnipresent.
The dream world of plurality is real for the
dreamer. The material that the dreamer sees appears
to be very real. It is difficult to convince
him that the building that is on fire, together
with the fireman that is trying to put out the
fire, the water and the hose that are being used,
and the spectators that are all watching are
not really real. The reality of the dream is
only for that particular dreamer, since it is
projected by a single waker's mind. The other
beings have their own dreams to deal with. This
reality at the subjective level is called 'prAtibhAsika
satyam', subjective objectification.
When a dreamer wakes up, all the dream world
of things and beings resolve into the waker's
mind. Only then will he realize that all the
dream world is only subjective - not really objective
and therefore not really real. However for that
waker, the waking world of things and beings
are real and have objective or transactional
reality. He would not accept that this is also
like a dream. He looks for some scientific proofs,
without realizing one cannot prove to a dreamer
that the dream world is not real. He forgets
that even the dream world was objective from
the point of view of his mind in the dream, as
with the fireman who was trying to put out the
fire in the dream. The analogy is exact. We classify
the waking world as objective reality, while
the dream world we think is subjective reality.
But that is only the waker's notion. From the
point of view of absolute reality, both worlds
are only different degrees of reality but neither
is really real.
We can now go one step further. I consider
myself to be an individual different from others.
I have to deal with the world around me, from
birth to death. I do not know where I came from,
nor where I am heading. I am forced to deal with
the world around me - things that I like and
things that I do not like. I came into a world
that is already here, wondering why I am here,
what is this world and who created it, and why
I have to deal with it. All these questions were
posed in the first post - Analysis of the Mind
part I. Now we have a better idea of who I am
and what is this world.
We posed a question in the second post as to
whether the mind is matter or not. It is like
the dreamer asking the question “is the
dreamer's mind made of matter similar to that
of his gross body?” The dreamer can learn
about different theories – Dream-Kantian
philosophy or Dream-Descartes' theory or Dream-Freud's
analysis of the mind, etc., all about the nature
of the dreamer's mind (remember that he does
not know that he is dreamer and, as far as he
is concerned, he is a waker and the world and
the matter in front of him is real). But when
he awakens from this dream, what will be his
attitude to all these questions and answers about
the mind and the matter of the dream body and
dream mind?
Vedanta points out that any theory that is
based on partial data is inconclusive. Hence,
all western theories about the mind are based
on partial data of the waker's mind and therefore
they are speculative at best. Vedanta says that
any analysis can only be complete and full if
all the data pertaining to human experience is
considered. Hence, not only the waking state
but the dream state and deep sleep states have
to be analyzed in order to arrive at a correct
conclusion. Such a scientific analysis is done
by Vedanta in the Mandukya Upanishad, considering
all the three states of human experience - waking
state, dream state and deep sleep state. It concludes
that I am none of the three states. I am there
as a waker, I am there as a dreamer and I am
there as a deep sleeper. I am there in all the
three states and yet I am beyond all the three
states. I am that limitless existent-consciousness,
since there is nothing other than ‘I am’.
That is the pAramArthika satyam - the absolute
reality, independent of any religious doctrines,
philosophies or theories.
This is the final essay in this section.
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