08/08/2024
Following some of the questions on previous posts, I thought I’d share some of the basic terminology based on the Vedic philosophy, all taken from the Bhagavad Gita book of A. Parthasarathy.
The Self is Pure Consciousness.
But we do not experience the Self in our regular experience because we are always in a state of conditioned consciousness.
Pure Consciousness expresses Itself through our causal, subtle, and gross bodies as deep-sleeper; dreamer and waker. All our lives revolve around these 3 states.
Our causal body constitutes of vasanas, the seeds of our personality,
Our subtle body that makes up our emotions and thoughts, and
Our gross body, which is our physical body.
As a waker we experience the world of objects and beings, emotions and thoughts in the waking state of consciousness.
The entire waking world folds back when we enter a dream and become a dreamer. As a dreamer we experience the world of objects and beings, emotions and thoughts in the dream state of consciousness.
In deep-sleep we experience a blankness or nothingness.
These are conditioned states.
We are always in a state of conditioned consciousness and, therefore, do not realize that there’s a level above, or below whatever you want to see, which is the substratum of the three states. This is the Self, as addressed by all the Vedic scriptures.
That’s what they mean when they say this world is an illusion. A sage, that acquires Self-knowledge becomes instantly liberated from the waking world.
The fire of Self-knowledge burns all his actions in the sense that he has no craving for performing any action, nor has he any clinging attachment to the fruits of action.
Just FYI, we are all very far from this state... and we remove all desires to get there:)
