Self Enquiry
An article by Shri Lakshminarayan Aithal
(Shri
Lakshminarayan Aithal has served for over 3 decades in Swami’s institution and
is the former Principal of the Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Institutions at
Muddenahalli. Inspired by Swami’s direct message to study the Upanishads, he
first learnt Sanskrit and then studied the direct works of Adi Shankaracharya
and Swami. Sincere perseverance led him to the reality of Aham Brahmasmi and He
realized and experienced Swami’s words: “I am God and so are you”. He shares
the import of the Upanishadic teachings with us in this series of articles.)
(In the last edition, we had discussed about the need to
deliberate on all the three states of wakefulness, dream and deep sleep. We had
concluded that the Self is the dearest of all for everyone. We carry forward this discussion to
understand the nature of the Self further).
21. Q: The wakeful state contains
real objects, real body, real organs of sense, etc... In this state, the Self
knows the real objects through the real mind, and through the real organs of
sense. The Self remains the same in the Form of Awareness; and the love of all
is directed towards their Self. Therefore, we have a chance to know the Self
who is of the Form of Existence-Awareness-Bliss in the wakeful-state. How do we
know the Self who is of same Form in the dream where everything is false?
A: What is real, and what is false? Nature
of every object is the same. All these objects are known and they never know
themselves. Those objects that appear to exist either in the wakeful or in the
dream states –cannot transfer themselves from one state to another one. A
plenty of such objects exist unitedly for the use of someone and those objects
don’t remain for themselves .But, the Self exists in all these states. We
cannot imagine His non-existence anywhere. His Form of Awareness remains
undisturbed. None hates this Form of the Self; He is eternally the most beloved
of all. Therefore, the Self is always of the Form of Existence-Awareness-Bliss.
22. Q: If the Self remains
eternally in His Form, why does He obtain dream and wakeful states? Because the
Self is having these two states we hesitate to tell that He always remains in
the Form Not only that, we are forced to tell that the Awareness is the main
Form. It is because all other forms of His vary differently and this Self
exists in the form of awareness; therefore, as you have shown earlier, because
of this form alone He is of the Form of Existence. And on the basis of this Form of
Awareness ( Chid-Roopa ) , we can prove
the Bliss of the Self; and this
is because , by whose awareness we
like everything, that Awareness is the dearest of all. Therefore,
the Self is proved that He is the Form of Bliss. Hence, if the Awareness Form
of the Self remains constantly, then only Existence-Awareness-Bliss-Form of the
Self is known. But in the deep-sleep
state such form doesn’t exist at
all; because, there, the Self knows
nothing thus, when the
Self has this Awareness –Form, He gets wakeful and dream
states. In the deep-sleep, the Self loses this Form of Awareness. Therefore, it
is not reasonable to tell that the Self is always in the Form of
Existence-Awareness-Bliss!
A: We have never told the Self who is of the
Form of Existence-Awareness-Bliss obtains the wakeful and dream states. For the
question, who does get the
wakeful-state? We have answered that one who experiences the state alone has
it.
Q: What is this? Have I not agreed
that I experience the wakeful state?
A: Yes. If you agree to experience the
state, let it be so.
Q: Sir, am I not the experiencer
of the state?
A: Yes. Existence-Awareness-Bliss is the
real Form of the experiencer, and the ‘I ‘feeling (ego) is not the real form.
Q: It means that the
Existence-Awareness-Bliss-Form itself takes ego-form.
A: No. I-feeling itself is the form of ego.
The Self of Existence-Awareness-Bliss –Form
doesn’t have the ego-form.
Q: I don’t understand this. At
first you told that I was of the form of Existence-Awareness-Bliss Self. Now ,
you tell that I-feeling is the
ego-form and the Self
doesn’t have the
ego !
A:
Your real Form is
Existence-Awareness-Bliss and the
I-feeling appears in you is the ego-form . This ego-form is called as
egoism (Ahamkaara). The states appear in the egoism but your
Existence-Awareness-Bliss-Form doesn’t have the states. I have not given
contrary statements. This is because egoism is not your real form.
23. Q: Why not? Whenever I engage in
activities then this I-feeling appears isn’t it? If this I-feeling is not my
real form, then it should be seen by me as the organs of sense are seen, isn’t
it?
24. Q: Then, this awareness form
also is not my real one. This is because; in the deep-sleep we don’t have any
type of awareness. Thus, in the deep-sleep, neither egoism nor for m of
awareness is found. Therefore, I find
that I
don’t have any form of
awareness at all.
A: This is not right. Similarly, a few
Buddhists deliberated and found that
they did not have any form. That
dispute is called the Void Disputation (Shoonya Vaada).
The void means nothing exists.
Q: If this void disputation
becomes fit to the experience; why should we not accept this theory? Have you
not told the
experience that comes
out of examining
the states completely
is the truth?
A: True. But
the theory that
you accept doesn’t
become fit to
the experience ; and this
decision of yours
has not come
after the complete
deliberation of the
states .
Q: How is it?
A:
It is
because ; there is no
supportive statement that
tells that there
is no form
of awareness in
the deep-sleep.
Q: Why not? If that form exists, it should appear to me.
I have
never seen either
this form of
awareness or any
other form. Is this experience of
mine not enough?
A: You have told that you have seen nothing. The very
experience of yours
clearly declares that you
have the form
of awareness. This is
because, you reject all
the objects that
are seen here; and
you have not
rejected your Real
Form of Awareness.
Q: In the
deep-sleep that form
of awareness is
also never seen !
A: If
that form of
awareness is not
seen , that doesn’t matter. We
have not told
that this Form
of Awareness is
an object that
could be seen. We
have told that
the awareness is
Form, that is not
an object, and that
illumines by itself
always independently . You too
have agreed to this!
 |
Q: Have I agreed to this? Have I
not told that
the awareness-form doesn’t
appear to me?
A: Yes. That
is why , you are
the form of
awareness to whom
the awareness-form is
not seen. You tell
that if any
object existed it
could have been
seen and you
have not seen
such objects in
the deep-sleep; then you
have had the
form of awareness
to tell that
the absence of
the objects. Therefore, it is
proved that the Form of Existence-Awareness-Bliss always exists.
Q: Sir, I have a doubt. You have
told that the
egoism is found
in the wakeful
and dream states; and
Existence-Awareness-Bliss-Form
doesn’t have these
three states. And, you have
shown that there
is no egoism
in the deep-sleep. By this, it is told that the
Existence-Awareness-Bliss-Form has deep-sleep!
A: What is the deep-sleep? Nothing is seen
there, isn’t it? Then how can it be a state? ‘ A patient
without any disease ‘- is
a meaningless statement; similarly, the statement : ‘Nothing is seen
in the Self; and
this is a
change in the
Self ‘
Q: Why the above statement is
meaningless? The Self sees
something or else
in the wakeful
and dream states. In the deep-sleep state He doesn’t
see. Are seeing and not seeing the nature
of the Self?
A: No. Suppose, if a
few objects are
placed in front
of a burning
lamp , it illumines them; if
the objects are
removed , the lamp continues
to burn. In both
the cases there
is no difference
in the illumination
of the lamp. Similarly, the Self
knows the non-self-objects either
in the wakeful
or in the
dream states, and the
Self doesn’t know
anything in the
deep-sleep; there is no
special change in
the awareness of
the Self. Therefore, knowing and
not knowing are
not two natures
of the Self.
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