As the line made by a moving fire-brand appears to be straight, crooked, etc., so consciousness, when set in motion, appears as the perceiver, the perceived and the like.
As the fire-brand, when not in motion, is free from all appearances and remains changeless, so consciousness, when not in motion, is free from all appearances and remains Changeless.
When the fire—brand is set in motion, the appearances that are seen in it do not come from elsewhere. When it is still, the appearances do not leave the motionless fire—brand and go elsewhere, nor do they enter into the fire-brand itself.
The appearances do not emerge from the fire-brand, because their nature is not that of a substance. This applies likewise to consciousness, because of the similarity of the appearances.
When consciousness is associated with the idea of activity, as in the waking or dream, than the appearances that seem to arise do not come from anywhere else. When consciousness is non-active, as in deep sleep than the appearances do not leave the non-active consciousness and go elsewhere, nor do they merge in it. The appearances do not emerge from consciousness, for their nature is not that of a substance. They are incomprehensible, because they are not subject to the relation of cause and effect.
A substance may be the cause of another substance and a non- substance, the cause of another non-substance. But the individual cannot possibly be anything like a substance or a non-substance.
The three states are not caused by the mind, nor is the mind caused by them because they are mind itself. The mind is myth on the standpoint of the consciousness as self. Hence one has to hold to the principle of absolute non-creation.
In a dream one sees the whole variety of individual,. These entities, which are within the dream, do not exist apart from the witness of the dream. Likewise, the dream is an object to the formless witness or true self or consciousness.
Likewise the waking experience is also an object to the formless witness (soul or consciousness).
The dream man, wandering about in all the ten directions in his dream experience, sees the whole the variety of individuals are within the dream. Similarly there is variety of individual in the waking world. The waking also disappears as dream. The witness of the three states is within but it is apart from the three states. It is within because it is the formless clay of the three states and it is apart as the formless witness of the three states, it is apart because it is not an entity or identity within the waking or dream.
The waking or dream cannot exist independently without the formless witness/true self. There is no evidence of the existence of the one without the other; they are cognized only through each other.
