The individuality is mere illusion
Self - Knowledge is the most complicated path and even to achieve the
correct knowledge is hectic affair. Correct judgment is the first step
and even in this first step, lot of complications exist and people are
mislead even in this first step.
The whole complication lies only in one point i.e., one must rectify his
seeking base from form [physical/’I’] to formless [spiritual/soul] to
understand and assimilate self-knowledge.
One has to recognize the fact that the soul is the true self ,which is
beyond illusion of diversity. Soul/true self is possessor of the world
in which both good and bad exist. Soul/true self is not touched by the
world of duality and therefore ,experience of diversity does not touch
it. Soul/spirit can expose the unreal nature of the experience of
diversity but it is not touched by it.
The waking/dream is like a shirt, wore by the formless soul. The
waking/dream are like the different colours of shirts and without the
colour there is noting but formless soul/spirit. The shirt and it colour
is mere mirage created out the soul itself. Therefore, with all its
diversity, there is no second thing exists other then the soul/spirit.
The soul/self is within the experience of diversity, but it is beyond
the experience of diversity. It is within the experience of diversity as
its formless substance and it is beyond the experience of diversity as
its formless witness.
As an individual, one feels he is separate from the world. But this separation is within the illusion.
The individuality is mere illusion. The individual exits within the
mirage. Therefore, the individuality is reality within the illusion.
Therefore, analyzing through deeper inquiry and reasoning on the base of
the soul as self is necessary to understand and assimilate the
self-knowledge
Tags: SELF-KNOWLEDGE
-
Comment by Praveen Varma on January 25, 2010 at 9:04am
- Delete Comment Hi, Santosh, can you please explain how do we 'arrive' at the conclusion (maybe Truth, I am not denying it) that the individuality is mere illusion. ?
-
Comment by santthosh on January 25, 2010 at 11:28pm
- Delete Comment
The individuality is reality within the illusion. The
illusion appears as waking or dream or mind. The individuality exists
only in waking and dream. In deep sleep there is neither individuality
nor duality. The dream becomes falsehood when waking takes place. Same
way, the waking also becomes falsehood when one realizes the
Ataman/spirit, is the true self. Therefore, one has to wake up in
reality/truth to know the individuality is mere illusion.
The illusion is an object to the Self/Atman. The illusion is mere appearance and has no permanence, whereas the witness, which is the Atman, is formless eternal. Only when one drops all his preconceived ideas, and learns to view and judge the truth on the base of the Soul/Self. The truth starts revealing itself.
J. Krishnamurti said it best "Where there is division there must be conflict, which is disorder. This is not my law but universe law".
The division is within the waking or dream, thus the conflict is within the waking/duality. In deep sleep there is no division, therefore, there is no conflict. The one which is aware of the three states is formless soul. The nature of the Soul/Self is like deep sleep.
Thus, there is a need to know the formless witness of the three states in order to realize the individuality is falsehood. It takes a long time to grasp the witness since it is mental journey and takes time to change the base of reasoning from form to formless.
-
- Delete Comment
It takes a long time to grasp the witness since it is mental journey and takes time .....
Santosh, yes, but are you (or is one) not affected by worldly happenings, particularly if you are in such a situation, that is bringing suffering to oneself eg. if one's close one dies, or similar situation. Can we then take this view easily, I do not think so (?)
-
- Delete Comment
Dear Praveen,
Why limit the worldly happenings to suffering alone even pleasure and happiness is part of the happenings. All situations good or bad, suffering and happiness, negative or positive, good or evil are the happenings within the illusion/duality.
The suffering experienced in the dream becomes unreal when waking takes place. Same way the suffering experienced in waking becomes unreal when the wisdom dawns. Since the intoxication of illusion /duality is stronger then any drug and liquor it takes time dilute the intoxication with the power of wisdom. The one who thinks the life with in the waking is reality is in the grip of the illusion, and experiences the duality as reality, and lives moment to moment , and disappears along with moment with all his illusory baggage.
Since everyone bases their understanding on the waking entity they will permanently think on the base of the ego and they will never be able to cross the threshold of the duality/mind.
All the birth, life and death are happening within the waking experience. The birth, life and death within the dream becomes unreal when the waking takes place similarly when one becomes aware of the fact that the true self is the soul, whatever seen, known, believed and experienced as a person of the world is mere mirage. The waking also is created out of the same clay from which the dream is created. The substance and witness of the three states is the self/soul, which is in the form of consciousness or spirit. The self/spirit can stay with or without the waking or dream.
When one mentally focuses his attention on the formless witness of the three states then conviction becomes firmer grows the burden and bondage of the duality will start fading and one becomes free from experiencing duality as reality. It is called awaken sleep. That is awareness of seeing all the objects as spirit in the midst of duality. Because everything [mirage] is created out of spirit, sustained by spirit finally dissolves as spirit.
The purpose of the self- knowledge is to overcome the ignorance, because the ignorance is the cause of experiencing duality as reality. By experiencing the duality as reality the birth, life and death and pain and pleasure experienced as reality.
On the stand point of the soul/self there is no me or you, or others and the world. No seeker, no seeking and no guru. There is no pain or pleasure, no path or purpose, and nothing that has to be achieved.
All appearance is soul/spirit. All that has appeared as the birth, life and death and the world is mere mirage created out of the soul/spirit/consciousness. There is no separate intelligence weaving a destiny and no choice functioning at any level. Nothing is happening, nothing has ever happened and nothing is going to happen. The seeker of truth has to discover that which is the abiding, uncaused, unchanging, impersonal source from which the mirage /duality arises and subsides. The true self is ever unaffected and ever apart.
Santthosh
-
- Delete Comment
The true self is ever unaffected ....
Dear Santosh, I agree with your views ; however I require to know from your personal viewpoint; are you convinced factually (not what the scriptures say) that everything is illusion ?
If yes, why are you trying to put this forth ; as every person you are communicating with is only an illusion. What is the point ? :)
-
- Delete Comment
Dear Praveen,
The point is:-
It is difficult accept the birth, life and death as illusion, just because I am saying or by reading some books, because the subconscious is not receptive. By repeatedly highlighting on the subject, that is everything is an illusion and the soul is the true self, then the subconscious gradually starts accepting it. Once it accepts it then stops reasoning on the base of ego, and starts reasoning on the base of the spirit/true self/soul.
Once the reasoning base is changed then it has a yardstick to judge what is truth and what is not truth and it will be able to reject the untruth. It is the subconscious/soul, which has to accept and reject what is truth and what is not truth, not the body.
On the physical base the subconscious ,which decides what is good and what is bad. If the reasoning base of subconscious rectified from form [ego/physical] to formless [spirit/soul] then it will be able to reject all the accumulated knowledge based on the form, and finally nothing prevails other then the true self /spirit, which is ultimate truth.
Once this self-knowledge is gained then one becomes aware in the midst of duality no second thing exists other then the spirit/self, all diversity is created out of spirit. The illusion/diversity [matter/mind] and the true self/spirit are one in essence. There is no diversity in the realm of truth.
Since, everyone bases themselves on their individual experience and trying to find solution for their individual problem through spirituality, and searching the truth for their individual peace. But the individual experiences are happening within the waking/dream. Man is not the doer. Until man thinks himself as a doer, he will not be able to understand and assimilate the self-knowledge. The truth is hidden within the three states, because the self/soul pervades all the three states. Deeper analysis is required to dismantle physical structure. Therefore, constant reflecting on the subject is very much necessary in pursuit of truth.
We are communicating and understanding and trying to assimilate within the illusion to overcome the illusory reality , but still we have not able to come out the grip of the illusory reality. The purpose of spiritual path is to realize the fact that, misery and suffering experienced in the life is mere illusion. Since everyone thinks illusion as reality the suffering and pleasure become reality. Only when one becomes aware of our true identity is not physical but the formless spirit, then the illusion becomes an object and he will be able to witness on the base of the subject, which is the spirit/soul.
A well directed inquiry, analysis and reasoning will lead any serious seekers to realize the fact that, the subject is formless [soul/self/spirit] and object is form [body and the world].
Santthosh
-
- Delete Comment
Thank-you, Santosh.
By repeatedly highlighting on the subject, that is everything is an illusion and the soul is the true self, then the subconscious gradually starts accepting it.
I do not think we should be repeating something which we are not very sure of ....
Even if something false is repeated over and over, we will feel it is the truth eventually.
How do you see that? :)
-
- Delete Comment
Dear Praveen,
The falsehood is based on imagination. We are discussing about the ultimate truth within the falsehood to know how to overcome the falsehood. Until and unless we overcome the physicality, we will not be able assimilate the nondual truth. Thus being judgmental on the base of physicality will keeps us in the grip of duality. Until we think duality as reality the ultimate truth becomes distant dream.
If one thinks on the base of physicality it will lead him towards physicality/intellectuality. If one thinks on the base of the spirit/self it will lead him towards the spirit. Thus physical based understanding has no scope in the realm of the spirit, which is the true self.
The nondual truth is based on the formless source, from where the whole falsehood rises and subsides. Thus, one has to view and judge on the base of the source, not on the physical self, which is limited to the waking experience alone. The formless source [soul/spirit] is aware of the three states, which comes and goes in succession.
The absolute truth cannot be contained in words and concepts. Thus, merely believing in words and concepts is not the truth.
Nothing has to be accepted as truth without verifying through deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning, since your present views and judgment is based on the physical self/ego. Thus the reasoning based on the ego will yield only physical truth. Only reasoning based on the formless base/spirit base will reveal the universal truth.
One has to indulge in deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning on the base of the soul, which is the true self, in order to realize the fact that, the “Self “is not subject to birth, life and death. If self is not the birth entity then whatever is based on the birth entity has no value. Thus, it is erroneous to view and judge on the birth entity. Thus, it is necessary to investigate:-
With what this birth entity [body] with name functions itself as a person and perceives the world?
With what one knows himself and the world?
If body is not the self, then what is self without the body?
The body cannot function itself as a person and perceive the world without the self, the body and the world are insentient without the self/spirit, which is gives sentient to the body and the world. Without the self/spirit the body and the world are non-existent. Thus, the sprit is the subject and the body and the world are mere object. When the subject is formless then it is erroneous to judge on the base of object as subject. What is the benefit of exerting mental effort the wrong way?
Since, we are conditioned to view and judge on the base of object [body] as subject, this conditioning has to be dismantled. Therefore, repeatedly highlighting on the subject, that is everything is an illusion and the soul is the true self, the subconscious gradually becomes receptive and starts dismantling the physical base and the spirit/self/soul alone will prevail as ultimate truth.
Santthosh
-
Comment by M.Sriram on Thursday
- Delete Comment This is very interesting topic where everything is an illusion and self is formless actuality , within the subconscious area where we understand and put this in words. because there can be no consciousness without something existing to perceive. Existence is independent and individual , makes possible, for the consciousness to understand this - Consciousness is not responsible for creating reality - it is completely dependent upon reality which we do on a daily basis.it only function when it gets the data. But has the object presist or not is not known to the consciousness - surely it is delusion. Therefore, it is logically absurd to assume persons are always does correct about their own mental states and judgements about the nature of the mind itself. There is no other go than to be self awareness to understand .
-
- Delete Comment The Atman ,which is in the form of Consciousness [nonduality] becomes the mind, which is in the form of universe and appears as waking or dream [duality] and disappears as deep sleep [nonduality]. Thus the appearance as waking or dream and disappearance as deep sleep is consciousness. The one that becomes duality and nonduality is single formless stuff that is consciousness. By knowing that stuff in the midst of duality [waking] by tracing its source, the waking entity, which is seeking the truth of its true existence, will realize the fact that, it is not the true self but the formless substance and witness of the three states is the true self. The formless substance and witness of the three states are one in essence. And that essence is consciousness. Thus consciousness is the true self and ultimate truth or Brahman. When the self, which is in the form of consciousness becomes aware of its formless nondual true nature in the midst of duality it is self-awareness. In self-awareness the self is fully aware of the fact that, the body, ego and the world [waking] are mere mirage created out of itself. Thus in self-awareness the waking experience [our practical life within the practical world] becomes unreal. Same way as the dream becomes unreal when waking takes place. Until one is stuck with the reality of the waking experience the self-awareness is impossibility. Thus until one realizes the three states are mere mirage by tracing the formless substance and witness of the three states, and the formless substance and witness are one in essence, and that essence is consciousness, and consciousness is the true self , the wisdom will not dawn. Without wisdom self-awareness is impossibility.If our judgement is based on waking entity than it leads us to intellectuality and intellectuality is individuality. The self, which is formless consciousness, is not an individual because it pervades all the three states as its formless substance and witness. Thus there is necessary to realize the fact that, the self is neither the waking entity not the dream entity but the formless substance and witness of all the three states.Thus our understanding and realization has to be based on deeper self-search without any yardstick of any teaching or teachers or path. When one learns to view the worldview on the based on the source from where the mind rises and subsides the truth will start revealing itself, which leads to self-awareness.
M.Sriram commented on santthosh's blog post 'The individuality is mere illusion'
Dear Santthosh , Today morning u made further happy - Great there is nothing more than Self awareness that to without any yardstick , we understand this with our body and mind process very clearly . There is a formless consiciouness which cannot be…
