SELF KNOWLEDGE IV

Our aim is liberation of consciousness.

We attain full liberation of consciousness, when we have realized the Self.

Pure consciousness Brahman or Transcendental Consciousness is untouched by any limitation of the phenomenal world. It cannot be expressed in words nor can it be realized by thought.

It is Ultimate Reality.

When the soul merges with Pure consciousness, we have what is called in Christian terms the ‘mystical marriage’. ‘The Father and I are one’.

Yet, when the soul identifies with the mind and the senses, it becomes deluded as it thinks itself to be separate and apart from Pure Consciousness.

Hence, it is necessary to be aware of right identification at all times.

Individual delusion associated with the soul, is not different from the collective delusion of human kind. Most people see themselves as body and mind entities apart from Ultimate Reality.

This leads to a sense of separation, fear and despair.

Pure consciousness is Atman, the true Self of man and all living beings.

Its nature is Truth, Knowledge and Infinity; Good and Beauty; Peace and Non Duality.

It is the indestructible and unchanging essence of man.

In our daily lives, we experience this consciousness in deep meditation; from it is derived intuition and grace, the power of the spirit.

We cannot will intuition and Grace, as it is a gift of Spirit.

Most people we meet experience confusion in this area. They are clear with body consciousness. However, they confuse the experience of the mind or psyche with that of spirit. They will things to happen. 

Spirit is beyond mind. It transcends mind.

Being in spirit means complete surrender of ego identity and full reliance on intuition and grace.

It means being God conscious. It means,

knowing that God walks in this body, thinks in this body, sees through these eyes, God is all there is.

There is only One and all happenings are a reflection of this one Reality.

The daily activities of an un-illumined person are carried out on the gross physical plane. His experiences are mainly confined to gross physical objects. What he considers to be his soul is Pure consciousness limited by the by identifying with mind and body.

The experience is through the organs of perception, objects of sound, touch, form. Taste and smell.

Through the organs of action man carries on activities of speaking, walking and so on.

Through the inner organs of the mind one experiences doubt, determination, memory, I – consciousness, perceptions and others.

These experiences constitute the daily practical life of the average person and he doubts the reality of anything that is beyond his grasp.

As long as he identifies himself with the outer world he cannot perceive any subtler world. It is said that man in his daily life deals only with shadows.

Mistaken things about the Self

Ignorant men identify the Self with external things, such as children, house and wealth.

When these are lost, they feel that they themselves are lost. Some who are very materialistic consider the body to be the Self and cherish the erroneous notion that the Self is endowed with such characteristics as youth and old age, birth and death.

Other materialists consider the sense organs to be the Self. And there are still others who as we said before, think that the Self is the mind and that the Self is hungry or thirsty.

According to the seers, all these notions of the Self belong to the non Self. The non Self has no power of its own, it has no independent existence.

It receives its power from the Self only.

More light on the path.

The five Koshas or Sheath

The Koshas give us a clearer understanding of what constitutes our organism.

The teachings categorize the koshas as follows. The gross physical sheath (anamaya kosha), the sheath of prana, or the vital force (pranamaya kosha).

The Vedic Mystics often speak of the four planes that men may follow after death of the body, which are determined by ones actions and thoughts while on earth.

First, Brahmaloka, these are the highly developed souls who lead an extremely righteous life, meditate with whole-hearted devotion on God, but have not yet attained Self Knowledge. This plain corresponds to the Christian Heaven.

Second, is Candraloka or lunar sphere – it is the destiny of the ritualists and philanthropists, who cherish a desire for the fruits of their actions. They will come back to earth as they still enjoy the desires for worldly happiness.

Third, are those who perform actions forbidden by religion and ethics. After death they have sub-human bodies and dwell in what is generally known as hell.

Forth, are those persons who perform extreme vile actions thus spending many births as insignificant creatures. However, they too, in the long run return to human bodies on earth.

These four planes do not apply to those who have attained Self Knowledge either while in the body, or the time of death.

To him no going or coming can be imagined,

In revelation:’ He will go out on more.’

                                                                KJV 3:12

There is no real break in the upward journey of the soul, although at time it takes a detour.

All souls will ultimately attain perfection.

Vedanta says, that dying may be compared to falling asleep, and the after death experience to dreams. The actions and thoughts of the waking state determine the nature of the dream.