Nisargadatta's I AM THAT Session 13 - The Mind Part 1

Listen to Ektaji talk about Nisargadatta Maharaj's book I Am That. Nisargadatta Maharaj was a teacher who did not propound any ideology or religion, but gently unwrapped the mystery of the self. I Am That preserves his dialogs with the followers who came from around the world seeking guidance in destroying false identities.

Transcript

I am That,

Chapter 7,

The Mind.

This is a higher level chapter.

The first process of Advaita Vedanta is to move from Kartabhav to Drishtabhav,

From the doer to the witness.

The second step is to move from Drishtabhav to Kevaldarshan,

To move from the witness to pure awareness,

Pure consciousness,

Primordial awareness.

This chapter is pertaining to the second level.

Not all of us are there yet,

But some of us might be there.

So Maharaj never discounts anybody.

Maybe you get a glimpse of it.

Maybe you are ready.

This is the second leg,

From Drishta to Kevaldarshan,

From the witness to pure consciousness.

Questioner,

There are very interesting books written by apparently very competent people in which the illusoriness of the world is denied,

Though not its transitoriness.

According to them,

There exists a hierarchy of beings,

From the lowest to the highest.

On each level,

The complexity of the organism enables and reflects the depth,

Breadth,

And intensity of consciousness without any visible or knowable culmination.

One law supreme rules throughout,

Evolution of forms for the growth and enrichment of consciousness and manifestation of its infinite potentialities.

So what is he talking about?

Let's first understand the question.

He is talking about the regular scientific view of this world.

How does science see everything?

First,

There is an external body.

Inside that,

There is a smaller mind.

And inside that,

There is one little dot of consciousness.

That is the way science looks at the world.

So for science,

Matter is the most important.

In that matter,

There is something called the mind,

Which is the energy that runs it,

That which imparts the room for it to contain the amount of consciousness.

And starting from the lowest to the highest,

Means lowest means microorganisms and plants and those kinds of beings,

To humans,

Where the consciousness is at the highest level.

So that's the way science sees everything.

And the questioner is asking that there are so many books written about this.

They see that the matter contains the consciousness and it goes from the lowest being to the highest being.

The potentiality goes on changing with evolution.

That's what the questioner is asking.

His main question is that there is a single law that rules everything.

And what is that?

Evolution.

Evolution of forms for the growth and enrichment of consciousness.

So what is he saying?

The consciousness is getting enriched going through the evolution process.

Do you see the view of science?

It's exact opposite of what our scriptures say.

It gives more importance to matter.

It says the smaller the organism,

The smaller the physical body,

Means the potentiality of that to contain consciousness is less.

And as it grows into a bigger and smarter organism,

The capacity of holding consciousness increases.

Very clear?

Maharaj says,

This may or may not be so.

Even if it is,

It is only so from the mind's point of view.

But in fact,

The entire universe,

Which is Mahadakash,

Exists only in consciousness,

Which is Chidakash.

While I have my stand in the Absolute,

Paramakash.

In pure being,

Pure being is again Paramakash.

In pure being,

Consciousness arises.

In consciousness,

The world appears and disappears.

All there is,

Is me.

All there is,

Is mine.

Before all beginnings,

After all endings,

I am.

All has its being in me.

In the I am.

That shines in every living being.

Even not being is unthinkable without me.

Whatever happens,

I must be there to witness it.

So Maharaj has taken him completely at a 180 degree angle because he is looking at matter being the biggest and consciousness being a small little dot in matter.

How did Maharaj turn him exactly to 180 degrees?

Maharaj says,

Everything is consciousness.

In that space of consciousness,

If you want to say it that way,

There is the existence of the different,

Different living beings.

In that consciousness,

Everything appears.

So he's going exact opposite.

Science says matter is big,

Mind is smaller,

And very small is consciousness.

Exact opposite.

Everything is in this big space of consciousness.

In this consciousness,

There is the mind.

Inside that is the body of the living being.

So I'll explain the Sanskrit terms used by Maharaj here.

So he uses three terms.

Mahadakash.

You also know Mahadakash as Bhutakash.

Those who've studied the scriptures before.

All the living beings,

All the matter is Mahadakash.

Basically the entire world.

Chidakash is consciousness.

Here consciousness means witness consciousness.

So the Sanskrit term for witness is Sakshi.

It is also known by the word knowingness,

Which the Sanskrit term is Pramatha.

It is also known as awareness.

The Sanskrit term is Chaitanya or Jagruti.

Maharaj uses consciousness again and again.

Whenever he says consciousness,

It means the witness consciousness.

He doesn't use the full word witness consciousness.

You just understand that is what is meant by consciousness when Maharaj uses it.

Paramakash.

This is the stand where Nisargadatta Maharaj is always.

What is his stand?

In the absolute or in the pure being or in the primordial awareness.

Now these are different terms used in the same book.

That is why I have given you all these words.

You will come across them in the same book.

So what is science?

Science says Mahadakash is the biggest.

Inside that there is Chidakash and forget about Paramakash.

Science has no idea about it.

According to science Chidakash is just that amount of consciousness and microorganism has less consciousness compared to a living being who has more consciousness.

Exact opposite.

Maharaj says everything is in Paramakash.

Inside this Paramakash the witness arises along with the object to be known.

The object to be known belongs to Mahadakash.

The witness consciousness is Chidakash.

Till the time there is something to know the witness consciousness is there.

And when there is nothing to know witness consciousness rests along with the object to be known and there is only the Paramakash.

So where is Maharaj's stand?

Always in Paramakash.

So till the time you are stuck in body and mind there is Kartabhau.

When you start moving towards witnessing then you have come to Dristabhau or Sakshibhau.

Maharaj says there's one more step beyond.

Keep going beyond.

I am there.

So Maharaj is inviting you to move from Sakshibhau or Dristabhau to Keval Darshan.

Keval Darshan happens at Paramakash.

Very clear?

The rest of the chapter is about Paramakash because the questioner obviously got intrigued by Maharaj's stand in Paramakash.

That's why I said this is a level 2 kind of Jnana of this particular chapter.

So now let's pay attention.

In pure being,

I'm reading from the middle of the same paragraph again,

In pure being in pure being consciousness arises.

In consciousness the world appears and disappears.

So he's saying in Paramakash Chidakash arises.

In Chidakash Mahadakasha appears and disappears.

In pure consciousness witness consciousness arises.

In witness consciousness the world which is body and mind appear and disappear.

All there is,

Is me.

All there is,

Is mine.

Remember his stand is what?

Paramakash.

So all there is,

Is me.

Everything is Paramakash.

All there is,

Is mine.

Before all beginnings,

After all endings,

I am.

All has its being in me.

In the,

I am.

Why is he saying this?

Because the person who has come from the scientific background thinks that the human has more consciousness compared to a plant.

A plant has less consciousness.

Yes?

So Maharaj is pointing out to him that all these plants,

Animals,

Mountains,

Living as well as non-living,

Everything is Mahadakasha.

Everything is the world.

And all that is in me only.

All the world is in the witness consciousness.

And where is that witness consciousness?

In the pure consciousness.

In Paramakash.

So everything is in me.

Nothing is outside of me.

How will you see this experientially?

Is it possible for you to experience this world when you are not?

For example,

When are you not?

In deep sleep,

You are not.

Can you experience the world?

Can you experience Ekta talking to you in deep sleep?

No.

So only when you are,

Ekta exists.

Ekta exists.

This knowledge session exists.

People exist.

Things exist.

When you are not,

There is nothing.

Is this clear?

Experientially start recognizing this.

Every morning when I wake up,

That's when the world appears.

Where did that world appear?

It appeared in me.

So when I was asleep in deep sleep,

There was no world.

First,

When I arose out of the deep sleep,

Came the sense of I am.

In that sense of I am,

Came the sense of I am this body.

And then it moved to I am this body in this room.

And then you saw the world,

Your family members,

Your people.

You got up,

You went out,

You saw things.

Do you see what I'm saying?

So the world appears in me.

First,

I am.

Is it possible that the world comes first and I am comes later?

Is it possible anytime,

Ever,

In your entire lifetime that the world came first and then the I am happened in the morning?

Not possible.

The sense of I am arises first.

First is the sense of I am,

The hone ka aisaas,

The awareness,

The sense of being conscious,

The sense of being alive.

Then comes the sense of oh I am this body and this body and mind.

Then the world happens.

Then I open my eyes to the world.

I cannot even open my eyes to the world till the time I come from the sense of I am to the sense of I am,

The body-mind.

Not possible.

So where is the world?

The world is in me.

Very clear?

Yes.

All there is,

Is me.

All there is,

Is mine.

Before all beginnings,

After all endings,

I am.

Before all beginnings is in the morning.

Before the world begins,

There is I am.

After all endings,

Is in the night.

After the world ends,

I close my eyes,

I lie down in bed.

The world has shut off.

Then the thoughts go on,

The dreams go on.

So the thoughts,

Dreams,

Ideas,

Images also belong to the world.

Slowly,

Slowly they shut off.

That is called the ending.

After all endings,

What is there?

There is the sense of I am.

Then the I am also collapses and then you go into deep sleep.

So before all beginnings and after all endings.

Before all beginnings is in the morning when I arise and after all endings is in the night after I say bye-bye to the world.

All has its being in me,

In the I am.

That shines in every living being.

Even not being is unthinkable without me.

Is it possible to think of anything without the sense of I am first?

Can you think?

Forget thinking of not being.

Can you even think before the sense of I am arises?

Not possible.

First there is the sense of I am.

Then comes the sense of I am the mind.

Then only can you become the thinker.

So no thought is even possible before the sense of I am.

Whatever happens,

I must be there to witness it.

The questioner,

Obviously he is a newbie.

He has not practiced the sense of I am like you all have practiced.

So he asks,

Why do you deny being to the world?

Maharaj says,

I am not denying the world.

Maharaj says,

I do not negate the world.

I see it as appearing in consciousness which is the totality of the known in the immensity of the unknown.

In your notebook draw a big circle.

Draw a big circle and label that circle as the unknown.

Immensity.

Immensity means very large.

So it has to be a large circle.

The unknown is very large.

And in that draw a very small tiny dot.

Black dot.

And label that as known.

Now we read the sentence again.

I do not negate the world.

I see it as appearing in consciousness.

So that little black dot is the world.

It is appearing in consciousness which is the totality of the known in the immensity of the unknown.

Only this much is known.

Only this much.

This is our waking state.

That is what is the known.

I feel that the waking state is so big.

Today Maharaj will tell me why I have this illusion that this waking state which is the known state for me feels so big and the deep sleep state which is unknown.

I don't know anything there.

Why does it feel as if it does not exist or it is very very short?

What begins and ends is mere appearance.

The world can be said to appear but not to be.

The appearance may last very long on some scale of time and be very short on another.

But ultimately it comes to the same.

Whatever is time bound is momentary and has no reality.

So what begins and ends is mere appearance.

I'll read it out to you from the Marathi book.

ज्याला आधी अन्त अस्तो ते केवर द्रिश्य अस्ते What begins and ends is mere appearance.

This is Hindi also Sanskrit also.

So you understand केवर द्रिश्य.

Only image,

Only appearance,

Only that which is seen.

जग दिस्ते असे मंता येते पण आहे असे मंता येत नहीं जग दिस्ते असे मंता येते पण आहे असे मंता येत नहीं This world appears.

You can say that it appears and it disappears.

You cannot say that it really exists.

You cannot say that it really is that which appears and disappears.

How can that be real?

How can that be permanent?

How can that be the truth?

He's saying instead of focusing on that which is appearing and disappearing and catching your attention change your focus to the container,

The holder of this.

There is more.

The holder is permanent.

So like the sky is the permanent background.

It is there during the day.

It is there during the night.

Different things appear and disappear in the sky.

The clouds,

The stars,

They come,

Appear,

Disappear,

Appear,

Disappear.

You focus on the background.

Why are you looking at that which appears and disappears?

Because that which appears and disappears is not permanent.

So again,

What begins and ends,

Basically what appears and disappears is mere appearance,

Is mere drishya,

Keval drishya,

You should know the Sanskrit word.

The world can be said to appear but not to be.

You can say that it appears and disappears but you cannot say it is always existent,

Always there.

The appearance may last very long in some scale of time.

How long?

My waking state,

My morning 6 a.

M to 11 p.

M.

It lasts very long in some scale of time and very short on another which is the dream state also.

The world is there.

Though it is the thoughts,

Feelings,

Sensations,

Perceptions,

What do they belong to?

They belong to this world.

So it lasts a very short amount of time in the dream but ultimately it comes to the same.

Whatever is time-bound is momentary and has no reality.

So both waking state and dream state are time-bound and momentary and they have no reality.

What is world?

World is only that which appears in the morning and disappears in the night.

It is momentary,

It is temporary,

It is time-bound and that is why it has no reality.

Are you seeing at the level that Maharaj is speaking?

He is speaking from Paramakash.

If this is still not very clear,

Draw another big circle,

New page,

New circle,

Another big circle.

This is,

You label it as Paramakash.

This big circle,

Inside draw a smaller circle,

Very small circle,

Which is the witness consciousness or Chidakash in Sanskrit.

And inside that you draw the world,

Which is small black dot.

Which is small black dot.

That is Mahadakash.

So he's saying,

When do you notice this black dot?

When does it appear and disappear?

It appears at 6 a.

M.

Maybe you wake up at 6,

6.

30,

7 a.

M.

In the morning.

That is the time the black dot appears.

It lasts a very short while,

Though it may seem very long to you because you're completely consumed by it.

That black dot lasts till whatever 10 p.

M,

11 p.

M in the night.

Few minutes,

Maybe an hour into the dream state,

It is still there.

It is blurry,

But it is still there.

And then along with the world vanishing,

The witness consciousness circle also vanishes.

You yourself are in Paramakash after that.

Again next morning,

The witness consciousness circle appears,

Which is the Chidakasha circle appears.

And that is the sense of I am.

Inside that only the black dot of the world appears.

The black dot cannot appear without the witness consciousness,

The sense of I am appearing first.

Similarly,

In the night,

The black dot disappears first,

Then the witness consciousness collapses or disappears and you are in Paramakash.

Are you clear?

So,

I'll read that again with this understanding.

What begins and ends is mere appearance.

The world can be said to appear,

But not to be.

Why not to be?

Because it is not constant.

The black dot vanishes.

The appearance may last very long on some scale of time,

Which is waking state,

And be very short on another,

Which is dream state.

But ultimately,

It comes to the same.

What same?

It is time bound,

Momentary and has no reality.

Clear?

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