VII-2: Role of the mind...by Acharya Sadanandaji (Part 2/2)

[Sunil]

tat tvam asi – VII...by Acharya Sadanandaji (Part 2/2)

I, the conscious entity, who has no knowledge of my true nature, identify with the mind and through the mind gain the knowledge (pramaa) of the unknown (prameya) using a well-defined means of knowledge, pramaaNa. In addition, I, the conscious entity indentify with the mind as ego or ahankaara, owns up the knowledge as an agent as I am the knower, pramaataa. That I am the knower is also a thought in the mind. Hence when the mind is awake, the jnaana prakriya or process of knowledge takes place. According advaita, knowledge is said to occur when the light of consciousness illumines the object of knowledge – just as I perceive the objects in a pitch dark room as I focus flash light on them. Flash light only reveals the objects that are there. It does not create the objects for me to see. Without the flash light no knowledge of the objects can occur, since objects being inert and are not self-shining to reveal themselves. In the same way, for knowledge to
 occur, advaita says, the light of consciousness must illumine the object of knowledge. Now we will discuss how this process occurs during perception. More details are discussed in the knowledge series.

Perception is the direct means of knowledge (or PramaaNa) – as soon as I open my eyes and if all other secondary causes are conducive (my sense organs functioning and there is enough light for me to see) I cannot but perceive the objects.  Senses perceive the attributes only not the substantive, since according to Vedanta substantive for all the objects in the universe is Brahman which is imperceptible. Thus eyes can see colors and forms, ears the sounds etc. To see the forms, the external reflected light from the object in front enters through eyes and forms an image on the retina. This image is transmitted to the brain via optical nerve system as an electrical signal which is now translated into an image of the object in the mind in the form of a vRitti or a thought. The last step is like a programming language translating the electrical inputs into machine language software. Thus brain acts like hardware while mind acts like software memory. The
 stereographic image is formed due to presence of two eyes displaced by about 7 degrees. The current scientific knowledge is limited to un-code this process language. Traditionally, this mechanics is explained in advaita (Vedanta Paribhasha) as mind going out with sense organs and engulfing the object sensing the attributes of the object thus forming the vRitti in the mind.. This is also does not explain how attributive knowledge is translated into vRitti. For the sense of smell, we know that the fragrant molecules have to reach the nose and for the sense of touch, the object has to come into contact with the skin. The sound waves have to reach the ears for cognition. In essence the processes are similar to image formation in a mirror where the attributive qualities of color and form are imaged by the mirror. In the image formation the attributes of the object (the original) are inseparable from their locus yet an image is formed reflecting the qualities
 of the object. The substantive of the object remains with the original. Hence we can define the vRitti as the image transformation of perceptual attributive content of the object on to the mind via sense organs. Quality of the image depends on both the mind and the senses transmitting the image.  As the vRitti rises in the mind the reflected light of consciousness from the mind illumines the vRitti as it forms and by the illumination the knowledge of the vRitti takes place. The contents of the vRitti are the attributes of the object that the senses have gathered starting from form and colors. From the attributes, the mind infers that there is an object out there with the attributes as imaged in the mind. A person who is color blind will only see what he has imaged based on his sense input. Up to this is mechanics.. Vedanta paribhaasha discusses the perceptuality condition, the contribution from advaita.

Perceptuality condition: The essence of perception involves the following as per advaita. We have discussed before any object is nothing but substantive Brahman expressed as existence with the attributes characteristic of the object. Thus object is nothing but existence plus the attributive content of the object that includes form, color, etc. Sense can only image the attributes on to the mind. Existence is all-pervading. Hence vRitti that is image of the object is now existence with superimposed attributes as gathered by in the individual senses and projected on the mind screen. Thus vRitti is existence with imaged attributes in contrast to the outside object which is existence with original attributes. With the reflected light of consciousness from the mind, the vRitti or thought is now known. The knowing process is completed when the perceptuality condition is met. The perceptuality condition is met when the existence of the object in the form of the
 vRitti unites with the consciousness of the subject (i.e. reflected light of consciousness via the mind). That means existence expressed as the image of the object out there (the SAT part) unites with the consciousness (the chit part) of the subject (knower) then I will become conscious of the existence of the object out there. That is the essence of the perceptual knowledge.  For anumaana or inferential knowledge one can extend the principle where there is no direct object out there but inferred based on vyaatpi or concomitant relation.  Even during perception which is direct and immediate, there is some inference involved but not via a vyaapti. For example we see only the frontal image of the object that is visible to us and mind infers by extrapolation the rest of the object. When I see a cow I see the frontal image of the cow but I infer the rest of the cow based on prior image of the generic cow. Like wise the other part of inference during
 perception is the assumption that there is an object out there based on the attributes that my senses have gathered. The existence of the object is generally confirmed by further transactions involving karmendriayas. Otherwise the perceived object will become hallucination.

Most interesting aspect of the perceptual process is the Brahman expressed as existence in the inert objects is combined with consciousness of the perceiver subject for one to be conscious of the existence of the objects. Without uniting with consciousness, the existence of the object cannot be established.  That means world, being inert, cannot be established independent of a conscious entity.  On the other hand the conscious entity can exist independent of the inert as in deep sleep state – however, its existence cannot be established without the mind, which is inert, reflecting that consciousness.  It is not that mind is creating the world but mind supported by conscious entity is required to have the knowledge of the world. Otherwise the world remains as indeterminate – that is its existence or non-existence cannot be established.

In essence – I need the mind to recognize that I am not the mind but I am that light of consciousness that is getting reflected by the mind because of which I can recognize both the mind as well as the light of consciousness that I am, that is getting reflected by the mind. It is like seeing the object in room light. As the all pervading light gets reflected by the object, I recognize both the object and more importantly the light that is getting reflected by the object. In fact what I see is only the light of reflection and not the object per sec, just like the way I see myself in the mirror. In the same way every thought or vRitti that rises in the mind is seen by the reflection of the light of consciousness. The mind of jnaani shifts its attention to that light that is getting reflected by the thoughts and from that recognizes that I am not the mind but the light of consciousness that is getting reflected. Hence realization is not elimination of the
 thoughts but shifting the attention from the attributive content of the thoughts to the light of consciousness that is getting reflected and because of which the thought itself is known. Here is where vigilant observation is required without getting lost in the attributive (qualities) content of the thoughts but to the light of consciousness that I am.

With this we have completed the analysis of self-realization process. We will discuss next the jiivan mukta status.

Hari Om!
Sadananda