Part XXXVIII - Witnessing consciousness and reflected consciousness
Since the problem of suffering arises with
the identification of the total consciousness
with the reflected consciousness, the problem
can be eliminated when this identification ceases.
This solution sounds very simple, but the difficulty arises
in the execution, since this identification that ‘I am
the body, mind or intellect’ is very intense, reinforced
perhaps by several lives.
The problem is compounded, since any efforts
to dis-identify only crystallizes the ego further.
Who is trying to dis-identify? Is it pure consciousness?
Pure consciousness is always pure and one without
a second. Reflected consciousness exists as long
as the reflecting medium exists i.e. as long
as the BMI complex exists. Neither one has any
problem. Only the by-product of these two – a
notional I that arise in the mind as the ego;
as ‘I am this’ – is the false
guy and has to realize that he is not the true
self but a false one. No ego can realize that
he is a false guy and still exist – since
the very realization involves its own destruction.
He only adopts a new language, e.g. ‘I
am now a spiritual seeker and want to meditate
and realize who I am’. There is still that
wanting mind or longing mind, now wanting to
realize. The wanting mind therefore remains in
the process, which is nothing but another expression
of the ego.
The ego wants to have but it is never satisfied
with what it has. Hence Vedanta suggests that
once one recognizes the problem, the best method
to solve the problem is just to be an observer
of the operation of the ego. It is then no more
a wanting mind but an observing mind or a conscious
observer of the wanting mind. This is the ‘witnessing
mind’ which does not do or want but is
a non-interacting witness of the very operation
of the egoic mind. Thus, during the sAdhanA stage,
we have the witnessing consciousness ‘I’,
which is not involved in any action or in any
enjoyment, and the egoic mind which wants to
enjoy or act to fulfil its wants. This is illustrated
in the muNDaka upaniShad as the two birds sitting
on the same branch of a tree, one enjoying the
fruits (fruits of the actions) while the other
is just observing as the witness (dvA suparNA
sayujA sakhAya...). Krishna puts this in a different
way: “I am the all pervading consciousness
and all beings are in me. However, I am not affected
by their modifications - look at my glory, Arjuna”.
This duality is only notional as long as the
identification is there. The notional duality
is taken as real due to this identification.
The problem can only solved by detaching oneself
from all these identifications. But this detachment
cannot involve another action or another process,
since any process will only reinforce the attachment,
providing further reality to the false. The falseness
arises only because there is no substantive for
BMI complex as well as the world of objects around.
BMI is part of the world since it is this body,
this mind and this intellect and this world of
objects. Hence all ‘this’ constitutes
inert objects. Krishna states emphatically that ‘this
body and this world provides a field of experience’ or
kShetra (idam sharIram kaunteya kShetram ityabhidhIyate)
and gives exhaustive details of what constitutes
the ‘this’ or idam. Since all this
is pervaded by me, the knower of the field, kShetra,
I am that total consciousness that enlivens all
these fields of experiences. Hence, the recognition
that ‘I am not this’ should involve
shifting myself from the notional ‘I’ or
reflected consciousness to the witnessing consciousness
with the clear understanding that ‘I am
neither a doer nor an enjoyer – akartAham
abhoktAham’.
Proceed to the next
essay.
|
