In most of the spiritual group or
discussion forums, there are no discussions on the subject matter, but most of
the people indulge in making point or getting their point across to be heard
and making observations from their own limited viewpoint from their accumulated
knowledge based on the false self. There is a need for lots of homework the
bookish knowledge borrowed from books will not transport the seeker to his non-dual
destination. Many dwelling in ignorance, thinking themselves wise and erudite, go
round and round, by various tortuous paths. Consciousness is not different from mind or universe. The substance and witness
of the mind or universe or waking is consciousness.
When universe (mind) is considered not
different from the consciousness (soul), which is the innermost self, then
there is the division of form, time and space.
When form, time and space are one in essence than where is the universe
(mind).
The universe (waking) is both real and unreal.
It is real because it is a manifestation of consciousness, but is unreal, in
the sense, that it is not absolute and eternal like consciousness itself.
Many thinkers approach is more practical, and
they are stuck with the reality of the universe (waking), they take it as real.
Thus they are stuck to the reality of the illusory experience of the birth,
life, death and the world as reality. Thus
it is necessary to realize the man and the world confronts him are one in essence
in order to realize the form, time and space are one in essence.
One cannot live
without the physical world; it is the basis of one’s life, but the physical
world one lives is within the waking experience. The same way the dream world and dream
entity exists within the dream. The
dream entity and dream world are reality within the dream. Similarly the waking
entity and waking world are reality within the waking experience. The dream becomes unreal when waking takes
place and waking remains as reality till the ignorance is there. The ignorance
will prevails till the waking entity remains unaware of the existence of the
formless witness. Thus one has to trace
the formless witness of the three states in order to realize the self is
neither the waking entity nor the self is dream entity but the self is that
which witnesses the coming and going of the three states without the physical
apparatus.
So it is the starting
point of his pursuit of truth. Proof, not imaginations, must be the seekers’
material.
There is a controversy as to the meaning of Maya /illusion in
Advaitic schools. One Advaitic School says it is a Shakti of Brahman whereby
both illusion and creation are brought about. But question is, how do one know
what he knows is the ultimate truth? One cannot blindly accept on the sayings
of sages and saints. Even granting that
they honestly believed in their experiences, there is still the query with what
basis they have arrived at that conclusion, and on what standpoint they say it
is illusion, because on the physical point of view the world is reality. Therefore, it is for the seeker to find out by
deeper thinking and reasoning to unfold the mystery of the mind/duality on his
own, without the pondering into scriptures.
Only deeper reasoning will help one to ascertain the truth of dual
and nondual experiences, which appear and disappear as waking, dream and deep
sleep.
The duality
is present in the form of ‘I’. ‘I’ is present in the form of mind. Mind is
present in the form of universe. Universe appears as waking or dream (duality)
and disappears as deep sleep (non-duality). The formless substance and witness
of the appearance and disappearance of the Mind is the formless soul. The soul
is present in the form of consciousness.
Consciousness is ultimate truth
because the mind or universe ceases to exist without the consciousness. Thus
consciousness is ultimate truth or Brahman.
"Consciousness”
is the only reality and there is no second thing exist other than consciousness.
That consciousness through its illusory nature
appears as the whole universe.
But this is just the play of consciousness, even as an actor in a drama remains
unchanged throughout although consciousness plays different roles.
The seemingly obvious duality between consciousness
(soul) and universe (mind) does not actually exist because both are one in
essence. If only one transcend this phenomenal illusion and experience of
duality with consciousness, he would then be not the individual with his
experience of the world but one with it--the Absolute, infinite Reality.
When the soul is in its formless true nature, misery, suffering, fear, desire and hatred --none of these would bind it. If it is in ignorance, then of course he is bound by shackles of experiencing, the illusory “birth, life, death and the world as reality "but actually there is nothing other than the soul or consciousness, the innermost "SELF'.
So in
absence of any such thing as dual, who binds whom and what is this bondage
itself? When one is delivered from this bondage he attains self-awareness.
In self-awareness is complete freedom from experiencing illusory duality as
reality.
