Consciousness is the substance and witness of the duality. The duality is present in the form of mind.
Mind is present in the form of universe. The universe appears as waking or
dream and diapers as deep sleep. The one which is aware of the coming and going
of the three states is neither the waking entity nor the dream entity but the
formless soul, which is present in the form of consciousness.The formless soul is the innermost self. When the soul becomes aware of its formless non-dual true nature in the midst of duality it is called self –awareness. It is
foolish to limit the consciousness only to the waking entity because the consciousness pervades all the
three states
The purpose of pursuit of truth is the destruction of primal ignorance, which leads to the attainment of the ultimate truth or Brahman. Man and his experience of the world exits within the waking or dream. Waking contains waking entity and waking universe. Similarly the dream contains dream entity and dream universe. And deep in sleep has neither the waking entity nor waking universe nor dream entity nor dream universe.
One experiences innumerable objects in this world through the physical apparatus within the waking or dream. One is not aware of the fact that he and his experience of the world exist within the waking or dream. Thus, the one which witnesses the three states is neither the waking entity nor the dream entity.
When One thinks he is an individual separate from the world within the waking or dream, he is ignorant of the fact that he is world appeared along with him. He has the strong conviction that the world existed prior to him and he is born in it afterwards. He thinks that all the objects are different from one another. He is ignorant of the fact that, this separation is only limited to the mind which appears as waking or dream.
One has to become aware of the consciousness, which is the formless substance and witness of the three states, which is different from the objects experienced, is only one. The consciousness of waking is not different from that of dream or deep sleep. Since consciousness by itself has no distinguishing features, it cannot vary from person to person. The same is the case with the dream state.
The objects experienced in dream are transient and disappear when waking takes place, but the objects experienced in the waking experience seems permanent. But only when one becomes aware of the fact that, the self is not physical but self is consciousness. Consciousness is formless in its nature.
The consciousness in waking and dream is the same. When waking takes place a person remembers that he had a good sleep.
This is the exercise that examines waking, dream and sleep – as dual [waking or dream] and non-dual (deep sleep) experiences which everyone commonly experience. These experiences are here examined naturally and simply, as everyday experiences that show a self, which is conscious of these coming and going of dual and non-dual experiences from which they are known.
In the waking experience, the waking entity is identified as an individual separate from the waking world and in the dream experience; the dream entity is identified as an individual separate from the dream world. The self is neither the waking self nor it is the dream self, because it is always apart, formless and it is only conscious of all the three states which comes and goes in succession.
In the dream experience, all bodies and all objects seen are mere mirage. The one which witnesses the dream as a whole without the physical apparatus is not the form but formless consciousness. This shows that the one which is aware of the three states is within the three states but it is apart from these three states. It is within the three states as their formless substance and it is without the three states as their formless witness.
The three states are reality on the base of waking entity and they become unreal on the standpoint of the soul, which is in the form of consciousness. Therefore there is a need to know and realize the fact that the self is not physical but it is consciousness in order to realize the three states are mere mirage.
Thoughts and feelings are present only in waking or dream. The waking or dream is present only when the mind is present. Absent of mind is absent of waking or dream. Absent of waking or dream (duality) is deep sleep. In the experience of deep sleep, there is neither the waking nor the dream experience. The one which witnesses the three states which come and go in succession is neither the waking entity not the dream but is without the physical apparatus ,which is consciousness and which conscious of all the three states ,which comes and goes in succession.
The ignorance exists only in waking or dream. Deep sleep is an experience of blank emptiness, where there is no second thing to know anything. When waking disappears deep sleep appears, when deep sleep disappears and the dream appears this cycle goes on and on.
If our experience of deep sleep is thus taken seriously, it raises a profound question. How deep sleep is experienced, when there is neither waking entity nor the dream entity to experience it. Then what is it that is aware of the three states which comes and goes in succession. Then the self has to be without the physical apparatus with thinking or feeling.
The one which is aware of the three states, which comes and goes is always apart. All changing actions of perception, thoughts and feelings are within the waking or dream. The waking is parallel dream and dream is parallel waking experience. Consciousness, which is true Self, is apart from the three states, it is even aware even when they disappear because it pervades all the three states as their formless substance.
One seeks truth in the Realm of duality. Non-duality is seekers destination when all contradictions are dissolved the truth will start revealing on its own. Consciousness is always present in all the three states. In deep sleep, it is conscious of itself, when it is not conscious of itself it witnesses the waking or dream. Until one thinks on the base of birth entity he will not be able to understand and assimilate Self- knowledge because he has accepted the birth entity as self. On the base of birth entity the universe is reality. When universe is accepted as reality one has accepted the illusion as reality. Once one accepts the universe as reality then he has accepted the birth, life and death as reality.
The only factor found present in deep sleep is consciousness in its formless non-dual true nature. Consciousness is objectless and can never be objectified because it is the subject. Consciousness alone is the subject. These three states are object to the subject. In waking or dream is the state of ignorance. Due to ignorance the object is identified as subject thus the illusion is experienced as reality.
Analysis based on the soul or consciousness as subject reveals the fact that, the three states are mere mirage created out of consciousness. The true state of the consciousness is like deep sleep. Thus mentally holding the deep sleep as real self, and learn to view and judge the waking and dream on the stand point of the real self, one becomes aware of the fact that, the waking or dream are mere mirage, which comes and goes and the real self is mere witness of the mirage. Only due to ignorance one calls the real self as deep sleep. When consciousness becomes aware of itself then there is neither waking nor dream nor deep sleep. There is only oneness. That is unity in diversity. Therefore, it is necessary to become conscious of consciousness in the midst waking experience to realize the mind is mere mirage created out of consciousness, then only the ignorance dissolves and reality appears.
