Upanishads declare:-
“Neti, Neti — not this, not this,
not that.”
This does not mean that consciousness,
which is ultimate truth or Brahman is a negative concept, or a metaphysical
abstraction, or a nonentity, or a void.
Consciousness is second to none.
Consciousness is not another. Consciousness is all-full, infinite, changeless,
self-existent, self-delight, self-knowledge and Awareness. Consciousness is essence.
Consciousness is the formless knower of all that is known. Consciousness is the
formless Seer and the Seen. Consciousness is transcendent and formless Witness.
Consciousness is impersonal and without attributes, formless, without special
characteristics, immutable, eternal and non-agent. Consciousness is above all
needs and desires. It is always the Witnessing Subject. It can never become an
object as it is beyond the reach of from, time and space. Consciousness is
non-dual, one without a second. It has no second thing beside it. Consciousness
is destitute of difference, either external or internal. Consciousness cannot
be described, because description implies distinction. Consciousness cannot be
distinguished from any other than it. In consciousness, there is not the
distinction of substance and attribute. Awareness is the very essence of consciousness,
is ultimate truth or Brahman.
The attributeless consciousness is
impersonal and pure. Consciousness becomes a personal or attributed consciousness
only through its association with illusion, which appears in the form of mind
or universe or waking or dream.
Attributed consciousness and attributeless
consciousness are not two different consciousnesses. Attributeless consciousness
is not the contrast, antithesis or opposite of attributed consciousness. The
same attribute-less consciousness appears as attributed consciousness. The mind
and the soul are one in essence. The essence
is consciousness. Thus consciousness is
second to none.
The attributed consciousness appears
in the form of mind. Mind is in the form of
universe. And universe appears as waking or dream. Thus Mind, universe, waking
or dream are one and the same thing.
The universe is reality on the
standpoint of the waking entity. The universe
is unreal on the standpoint of the Atman, which is attribute-less consciousness.
The practical life within the practical
world is reality on the standpoint of the waking entity, which is attributed consciousness.
It is the same consciousness from two different points of view.
Attribute-less consciousness is real
and eternal, the ultimate truth from the transcendental stand point; attributed
consciousness is the illusory consciousness which appears as universe, is reality
within the illusory waking experience.
The universe is an illusion on
the standpoint of the Atman or consciousness, is the true self. The practical life
within the practical world is reality within the illusory waking experience. The
three states are product of ignorance. Ignorance is cause of experiencing the
illusion as reality. When ignorance vanishes through wisdom than consciousness
alone will prevail as ultimate reality or Brahman. Thus Consciousness is
absolutely real and eternal.
The illusion or mind or universe, which appears
as waking or dream is the product of ignorance. The unchanging consciousness appears
as the changing mind through illusion. Illusion or mind is a mysterious
indescribable power of the consciousness which hides the real and manifests
itself as the unreal: mind or illusion is not real, because it becomes unreal when
one attains self- knowledge. The mind or waking remains as reality till ignorance
is there. When non-dual wisdom dawns then the waking experience becomes unreal.
The superimposition of the illusion on consciousness is due to ignorance.
