Бесплатный фрагмент - Dive into Advaita

What is I?

What is I and what would the world be without I? Let us deeply explore this question. Imagine there is no I, no one at all, complete impersonality, no soul. What would that be? Pure matter, substance, but no one to know, to see, to enjoy. Just a lump of matter, meaningless to anyone, unknown to anyone. Death, cold, lifelessness, darkness. What if existence were a puppet without a soul? Would this puppet be aware of its impersonality? No, it would be total darkness, a plastic object without any trace of consciousness. Here it is! Consciousness. Consciousness is the key. Let there be Light! Of Consciousness. Everything was lit up. Everything is illuminated. Everything gained meaning. Now there is someone alive to know, to feel, to live! It is alive! Everything is life! Everything is Consciousness! Everything is I! What is I? Consciousness!

I urge you to reflect deeply on the meaning of the word I. It is not just a word. Not merely some illusion. It denotes something. We don’t call everything I or «you»; we reserve those terms for the living, the conscious, the perceiving. If an object is inanimate, we don’t call it «you»; we call it «it». If you were not there, would there be awareness of this world? To begin with, we must at least acknowledge that I is something alive and conscious, isn’t that natural? At some point, you realize that everything is alive and conscious in its entirety. I is consciousness. It’s so simple and natural! If there is no consciousness, there is no point in calling something animate, that is I or «you». I is not just a label; it is a statement of fact. «I am». This is a fact of the presence of consciousness. Nothing else can be called I. By denying I, we simply «kill» life, creating a concept of dead life. The heart cannot accept the idea I am the body. There is an intimate self-awareness I am. This is the starting point of the search. Ultimately, this sense of I am leads to the Absolute.

At a conceptual level, there may arise a desire to discard the term I altogether because there is no certainty in how to use this term. Then what remains is the Absolute, individual consciousness, and the body in its suchness. Such concepts as «bodily atman» (the body) and «inner atman» (consciousness) exist, but the primary place in Advaita is given to the «Supreme Atman» — the True Self, Absolute Consciousness. Only the Supreme Atman, the Absolute, is truly the I, eternal, immortal, and all-encompassing. Meanwhile, the body and soul are ephemeral and represent impersonal phenomena like mirages. In Advaita, there is also the idea of the immanence of the «individual I» in the Absolute (Brahman). But the term «individual I», referring to the ephemeral personality, has a mundane, conversational context, while knowledge of the True Self is Advaita in the fullest sense.

Unchanging Pure Consciousness

The Atman, the Supreme Reality, the Eternal Foundation is Unchanging Pure Consciousness. Here the word «Unchanging» is fundamental. Everything changeable is maya, a deceptive illusion, a play of energy. The Atman seems a changing world, but only because as if colored by maya. Like a glass sphere carried along some landscape! The sphere remains unchanging, but the reflections of the landscape in it create the impression that it becomes what is reflected. The entire meaning of classical Advaita is in discovering this Pure Foundation, which is only illusorily colored by the play of maya. Of This it is spoken as of Presence, Eternity, Perfect Radiance of Stillness. Shankara wrote in «The Jewel of Discrimination» that it is necessary to distinguish the Unchanging Purity from the play of matter coloring it. Cast aside changeable matter as non-Consciousness, this is the meaning of Shankara’s Teaching. It is necessary to discover That Unchanging and Pure that exists always regardless of the changes of matter. This is not the unchangeability of material, but precisely the monolith of Eternity, like glass in which reflections play. The mind must be established on the Unchanging, on Presence, and in the end this will lead to the discovery of Primordial Purity.

Maya

Ultimately, maya is an aspect of the Atman, however there is a fundamental difference between the ignorant perspective and the knowledge of the wise regarding it. The ignorant overlooks the unchanging basis of maya. Not realizing the basis, he considers maya absolute. He says all that exists is Brahman, but he means only maya, a set of material phenomena. Meanwhile, Pure Consciousness is overlooked. For the wise, the primary is the Unchanging Basis, in comparison with which maya is an ephemeral and insignificant play of energy. The ignorant thinks that his I is part of maya, an individual, the body, and individual consciousness. The wise knows that I is the Absolute, the basis of which is Unchanging Pure Consciousness. Moreover, considering that by I many wise people and even worldly individuals understand something unchanging, there arises the question whether to include maya in the concept of I. «I am That» in the words of Maharaja does not include maya at all, but only Unchanging Pure Consciousness. The seeker should not consider maya as the Atman, otherwise the Basis will not be discovered.

Ocean and Waves

The ocean in calm is Consciousness in its Primordial Rest. Waves are thoughts and phenomena of the world. Waves appear and disappear in the Primordial Rest, the Source. When the soul seeks its source, it returns to the Primordial Rest and dissolves in it. The body lives by inertia like a wave and subsides in death. Though All is Brahman, Primordial Bliss is inherent only in the Source, the Rest. Calming, fading, letting go, this is spoken of as Nirvana. Rest is not derived from the state of waves. Rest always remains Rest, but waves emanate from it, neither diminishing nor affecting it. The difference of this metaphor from an ordinary ocean is that the calm here is imperishable, as if frozen, like glass. Yet this glass embodies the bliss of the Source. Waves are the world, a play, but they also contain suffering. The soul that has had its fill of play returns to the Primordial Bliss of Rest. Waves are temporary, Rest is eternal. The ocean metaphor corresponds to the unchangeability of the Source, the calm, everything returns to Rest. And to the fact that the Atman shines not everywhere, but only in rest, the water in calm is free of disturbances, perfect. And to the fact that the Atman releases and absorbs the world like a spider its web, from calm arise and to calm return waves. And to the fact that the bliss of the Atman lies beneath layers, the calm of the Ocean is unchanging beneath waves, only calm is bliss. Thus, the metaphor explains why one must seek the Basis, the Calm, the Source, though All is the Ocean. Primordial Rest possesses knowledge and bliss. Primordial Rest is Knowledge, hidden by restless maya. Primordial Rest is Bliss, not found in the restless world. Primordial Rest is Knowledge, existing without false notions. Primordial Rest is Bliss, which all can enjoy.

Reality and Illusion

The very division into reality and the illusion concealing it is duality, and duality does not exist. The only path is the negation of the existence of the world, illusion, and those who dwell in illusion. Nothing multiple or changeable exists, this is the only logical conclusion if one is a consistent Advaitist. There is no world, no individuals, no illusion. There is only the Atman. The theory of maya, in my view, is not absolutely necessary for understanding Advaita. Seeming pertains to false notions about the Self. But there is no need to deny phenomenality. I think the illusion lies precisely in the context of the world: that it is a set of solid objects surpassing me. In reality, the world is an ephemeral manifestation in I. Existing, but fleeting and insignificant. I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am not individual consciousness, I am Brahman, All That Is. Clear Knowledge of This is inherent in the Source, the Primordial Unchanging Rest. There is no need to deny the world, simply shatter the imagined shackles in the Source.

Imagination of All-Encompassing Consciousness

Who was deluded? An imagined limited subject. But he did not awaken, he vanished. The Atman took the form of illusion, then the illusion disappeared, but in essence, the Atman neither sleeps nor awakens. Both the subject and his delusion are imagined! That is, neither one nor the other is real! The so-called «you» and your delusions are merely the fruit of Brahman’s imagination. The one who wishes to disidentify is himself a product of imagination. Brahman is all-encompassing, incomprehensible Consciousness. All that exists is its imagination. Any form, all that can be named, is His form. He Himself takes the forms of the ideas that arise in Him. He becomes «you», «me», all objects. He Himself is the Power of Imagination, inseparable from His imagined forms.

Presence

The pointer of presence is very powerful. Try to realize the following vision. Everything happening, including your character, exists as if on a screen. Pictures change, but the basis always remains unchanging. This presence is like a background or space. Try to focus on the unchanging, the basis on which all the pictures of your life exist. I live in the moment now. I have no goal. I have no path to achievement. There is always only now. A vivid, vibrant moment. I do not engage in self-discipline. My being is natural. Intentional meditation can lead to this, but the need for it vanishes with the understanding of goallessness. Then it is not you seeking rest, but rest itself envelops you without your effort. When you live in Presence, you feel this majestic Presence in everything. In travels, you deeply feel the places you contemplate, becoming one with them. It is astonishing how most people, caught up in mundane affairs, pay no attention to the quiet grandeur of natural places where they live. They seem not to see the sea, mountains, forests. Not only nature but also the city is immersed in Presence. Seeing this is an entirely different dimension of life. Only in it is the grandeur of Being visible.

Disidentification

Many have heard of disidentification, but for them, it ended at the level of individual consciousness. That is, the mind accepted «I am not the body», but did not accept «I am Brahman». Such a mind is stuck halfway, and its resistance is precisely due to strong identification with the individual soul. But it is limited, and as long as you are limited, there is fear and the possibility of death. Identification is equation. Equation of Brahman (I) and the body. This equation exists in the mind. That is, identification is a mental notion. Disidentification is not the separation of one «pure» part of Brahman from another «impure». It is simply the elimination of a false notion. You start with I = personality. And you think, how can Brahman be a personality! No! Clear the mind and start with a new definition of I. I = Absolute. It is not about what the I-personality is! But about what I is in fact! In ordinary understanding, I am personal by default. Identification of I with personality exists at the conceptual level. Advaita does not assign personality to I. Thus, Absolute I does not mean «Absolute Personality». Disidentification is not the extraction of the I-personality beyond the body as a seer (individual consciousness, jiva). Disidentification is the elimination of personality from the very concept of I.

Buddhism and Advaita

In Buddhism, the stream of impermanence includes all objects, phenomena, and, most interestingly, consciousness. Nothing limited, individual, or multiple is permanent. This corresponds to the illusoriness of the multiplicity of souls in Advaita. Individual consciousness (vijnana) in Buddhism is impermanent, ephemeral, like a flame that changes form. The analogue in Advaita: the jiva (vijnanamayakosha), which is also ephemeral, declared an illusion. The path of Advaita includes philosophy and self-inquiry. The path of Buddhism emphasizes not philosophy but the cessation of suffering. When I see someone confused by concepts, not understanding what the I of Advaita is, I simply eliminate all terminology and shift to impersonal teaching. But if someone excessively indulges in denying I, I remind them of the true meaning of Advaita’s teaching.

Impersonal I

Either impersonality or I Am Absolute. No intermediate compromises are needed. They take impersonality but still declare the personality I, thereby erring. Impersonality means the non-existence of a «personal I», whether limited or absolute. I Am Absolute means that the impersonal I is Absolute. If you think impersonally, there is no need to engage with the topic of I at all. Just meditation aimed at extinguishing the structures of suffering. But if you undertake to find out what I is, then acknowledge that I Am Absolute. To understand the meaning Advaita assigns to the word I, shift to impersonality, use the word I in the third person. A question may arise: what kind of I is it if it is impersonal? Yes, I has no relation to personality. This is the revolution of Advaita. I is not someone. Maya teaches that I is someone. But Advaita teaches that I is no one. I Am Brahman, but Brahman is impersonal, Brahman is not a who.

Spirituality

Spirituality is absolutely real! This is what many constantly overlook. Enlightenment is good, but spirituality works at ALL stages. Any progress on the spiritual path bears fruit. Meditate, and you will see that your inner life will change, and this will reflect in your outer life. Rest, bliss, letting go will increase. Enlightenment may happen someday, but spirituality can bring benefits even now. Spirituality exists for those who have had their fill of the world, who have realized its vanity, for whom the world is cramped, stifling, full of suffering. They withdraw from the world, immerse themselves in the primordial, and dissolve in bliss. And this is the answer to why people who seriously engage in spirituality «hide», disappear from the information space, and so on. They have simply found this path of introversion and dissolution, realized its value, and essentially need no one and nothing anymore. They could, of course, remain accessible out of compassion, but often they see no demand for true spirituality and completely withdraw into themselves. And then only God knows could someone benefit from their knowledge and their grace, could someone meet them before they depart into parinirvana.

Dimension of Reality

In the teachings of Shankara and Ramana, there is the concept of a higher dimension of Reality. It has roughly the same relation to everyday life as a dream has to waking. A dream is absorbed by waking, and waking by Reality. What relation does a dream have to waking? We understand that the dream existed, but its content was imagined, ephemeral. For example, in a dream, events of waking may appear in a distorted light. In waking, we understand that all this, at our level, was merely a play of the sleeping brain. At the level of Reality spoken of by the Sages, our current reality is an ephemeral play in Consciousness or Brahman. But these terms are incomprehensible to us, just as we are unaware of waking while dreaming. The Sages tell us that Brahman is the Reality «encompassing» the states of dream and waking, including them. Since the goal is to reach the higher dimension, one must understand that all lower dimensions are creations of the mind; thus, by eliminating the mind, all its dimensions are eliminated, leaving only the dimension of Reality. A question may arise: who transitions to another dimension? No one transitions anywhere. It is the dissolution of imagined dimensions in the Reality of I.

Liberation from Time

Tendencies make present life a continuation of the past. Samskaras create a kind of continuity. With the dissolution of samskaras, the connection vanishes. The present becomes absolutely new, needing neither prehistory nor continuation. As long as tendencies (samskaras) exist, life is a continuation of the past, it has continuity and direction. When you live in presence, tendencies disappear, the past disappears, the life story moving from past to future disappears. There is nothing to continue. You find yourself torn out of the context of time. This is related to impressions. If old impressions are dissolved and new ones do not accumulate due to an ascetic meditative life, liberation from time occurs.

Everything Remains, but the Perspective Changes

Individual consciousness remains, but it becomes clear that Reality surpasses and includes it. The sense of separateness and fear for the form vanishes. For only the Whole is Real. The form of the body remains, you, consciousness, remain. But you understand that everything is made of the Absolute, and only the Absolute is real. There is only the Absolute, and the significance of its forms is negligible. You do not fear for the form of the body or the form of yourself, consciousness. Only the ego disappears, the notion of the independent reality of the limited. The ego attributes reality to the limited: for it, the body and consciousness are real and significant, while God does not exist at all. With the death of the ego, everything turns upside down. The body and consciousness fade in the True Divine Reality. Selfhood absorbs independence. The subject becomes an aspect. Everything remains, but the perspective changes. A set of independent objects becomes Unity in diversity. If only Unity exists, there is no death.

I and Subject

So, I am the Atman, but identified, that is, limited by the body? Being limited, does the Atman become souls, individual consciousnesses? Why did I become this particular soul? The thought I is the first division. This occurred even before the formation of the body. Subjects appeared, capable of perceiving objects. They were given bodies through which they perceive. The subject is a form of the Atman, individual consciousness. According to Advaita, I am not the subject, I am the Atman. That is, in Western interpretation, I am not I. So, I am a form of That. That True I. God, the True I, became souls and bodies, God became the entire world. Only God is real, while souls (individual consciousnesses) are merely ephemeral forms that He formed from Himself. You, as an individual, exist as a form of God. But you are unreal, ephemeral. In reality, this is not even You. You are only Brahman, God. My limited subjective state is not, in reality, I. It is simply a form, a dream, where I am a subject perceiving objects. We speak as subject to subject. Remarkably, there is a difference between the subject and I. I is one, while subjects are many. The so-called «you» is a subject, but all subjects are contained in I.

Absolute and Individual

«Who knows this, penetrates [his] Atman into [the Supreme] Atman.»

Mandukya Upanishad