The World Has No Independent Existence
According to Ramana Maharshi, an exponent of the path of Selfenquiry, the thought, 'The body is is the fundamental error. The body best not say 'i am'; it is the individual ho says 'i am the body'. Similarly, the world never proclaims its existence by yang 'Here i am, the world'; if it did so, would be constantly experienced in e three states of consciousness king, dream and deep sleep. Since the world is not cognized in deep sleep, the continuity of its extended is broken which effectually eans that the world has no absolute or dependent existence. The world has ly relative existence because it only cists in relation to the ego or i-thought, e 'perceiver'. For the world to exist, there has to be e perceiver or the ego to experience e world and talk about it. The world is perceived both in the waking and dream states, though at different levels. While in the former, the physical world is experienced through the physical body, in the latter, the subtle dream world is experienced through the astral body. In the deep sleep state, the perceiver is missing; therefore the world does not appear in this state. What differentiates the waking state from the deep sleep state is the emergence of body consciousness. While the body is experienced in the waking state, the deep sleep state is devoid of body-consciousness. It is only because 'i-am-the-body' thought is predominant in the waking state, that the external world of myriad diversities is perceived. Since thebody is experienced in one state -waking-and not in the other, that is, deep sleep, one can say that the body arose at a particular time with both an origin and an end. Both body and body-consciousness emerge and sink simultaneously. While no limitations are experienced in deep sleep, the waking state is the state of bondage characterised by limitations. It becomes clear that the physical body was not in existence before it was born; is made up of five ele ments; does not appear inthe deep sleep state; has both a beginning and an end; and is reduced to a corpse when prana, life-force, departs from it. So the inert, perishable body cannot shine as the eternal I-Consciousness' that body. There is continuity of the the speaking both preexistsand survives the tree Being, the eternal Self, in all three states, while the body and the worlds that appear in the wakingand dream states are ephemeral. The question is: How to realise or get connected with eternal I-consciousness? Ramana Maharshi emphasisthat realisation consists in eradicatthe idea that one is not realised; it issomething that is to be attained ane is only the elimination of ego, the fa'i', through constant Self-enquiry. Иan earnest inquiry is made into the ego’s identity and source, it vanishemaking the eternal Self shine forthby itself. The janani who succeeds in elimitingthe 'i-am-the-body thought' thresustained inquiry, remains firmly acontinually entrenched in the lofty of natural samadhi wherein he perceives the ephemeral world as a blissplay of the eternal Self -which deriits reality from pure awareness, theground of Being. Therefore the wor has no independent existence apartfrom the Self. (The writer is a consulwith ICHR).
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Anup Taneja kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy : Anup Taneja Speaking Tree,Times of India
The World Has No Independent Existence
According to Ramana Maharshi, an exponent of the path of Selfenquiry, the thought, 'The body is is the fundamental error. The body best not say 'i am'; it is the individual ho says 'i am the body'. Similarly, the world never proclaims its existence by yang 'Here i am, the world'; if it did so, would be constantly experienced in e three states of consciousness king, dream and deep sleep. Since the world is not cognized in deep sleep, the continuity of its extended is broken which effectually eans that the world has no absolute or dependent existence. The world has ly relative existence because it only cists in relation to the ego or i-thought, e 'perceiver'. For the world to exist, there has to be e perceiver or the ego to experience e world and talk about it. The world is perceived both in the waking and dream states, though at different levels. While in the former, the physical world is experienced through the physical body, in the latter, the subtle dream world is experienced through the astral body. In the deep sleep state, the perceiver is missing; therefore the world does not appear in this state. What differentiates the waking state from the deep sleep state is the emergence of body consciousness. While the body is experienced in the waking state, the deep sleep state is devoid of body-consciousness. It is only because 'i-am-the-body' thought is predominant in the waking state, that the external world of myriad diversities is perceived. Since thebody is experienced in one state -waking-and not in the other, that is, deep sleep, one can say that the body arose at a particular time with both an origin and an end. Both body and body-consciousness emerge and sink simultaneously. While no limitations are experienced in deep sleep, the waking state is the state of bondage characterised by limitations. It becomes clear that the physical body was not in existence before it was born; is made up of five ele ments; does not appear inthe deep sleep state; has both a beginning and an end; and is reduced to a corpse when prana, life-force, departs from it. So the inert, perishable body cannot shine as the eternal I-Consciousness' that body. There is continuity of the the speaking both preexistsand survives the tree Being, the eternal Self, in all three states, while the body and the worlds that appear in the wakingand dream states are ephemeral. The question is: How to realise or get connected with eternal I-consciousness? Ramana Maharshi emphasisthat realisation consists in eradicatthe idea that one is not realised; it issomething that is to be attained ane is only the elimination of ego, the fa'i', through constant Self-enquiry. Иan earnest inquiry is made into the ego’s identity and source, it vanishemaking the eternal Self shine forthby itself. The janani who succeeds in elimitingthe 'i-am-the-body thought' thresustained inquiry, remains firmly acontinually entrenched in the lofty of natural samadhi wherein he perceives the ephemeral world as a blissplay of the eternal Self -which deriits reality from pure awareness, theground of Being. Therefore the wor has no independent existence apartfrom the Self. (The writer is a consulwith ICHR).
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Anup Taneja kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy : Anup Taneja Speaking Tree,Times of India