Some example to reflect upon…
- We are the experiencer of all that we experience.
- As the experiencer, we always experience ourselves as a person.
- As the experiencer, we perceive a world that is full of other people who are just like the person we seem to be.
- Since we the experiencer always experience ourself as a person, every other person seems to us, to be an experiencer just like us.
- All the other people and their experiences are no less real than the person we seem to be.
- So long as we seem to be a person, we experience suffering and every other person seems to us, to be experiencing suffering in the same way.
- So long as we are firmly convinced that this person whom we seem to be is what we actually are, then our suffering and the sufferings of all the other people will inevitably seem to be real.
- But are we this person? Or is this person what we actually are?
- If this person is not what we actually are, the experience of ourself as “I am this person!” is an illusion and hence unreal.
- Everything that we as the experiencer experience, is based upon our experience of ourselves as a person. Because, we experience things other than ourselves, only when we experience ourself to be a person i.e in the waking and dream state. (Refer to notes below)
- Therefore, if our experience of ourself as “I am this person!” is an illusion, our experience of everything else must be equally illusory.
- If our experience of everything else is illusory, the person we seem to be and all the other people, are part of that illusion and hence unreal.
We are “not” special, it implies person-ification. - If the person we seem to be and all the others are unreal, their suffering and everything else that they seem to experience must also be unreal.
- Therefore, since the appearance of multiple experiences exist in the view of ourself as an experiencer, who experiences itself as a person, if we are not this person, then the entire appearance of multiple experiences is an illusion and hence unreal.
- Since there can be no appearance without an experiencer of it, the root cause of the entire appearance of multiple experiences is the experiencer of it. I.e ourself.
- Therefore, before we can reliably judge the reality of the appearance of multiple experiences, we first need to investigate and find out the reality of ourself, in whose view that appearance of multiple experiences appears/seems to exist.
Notes:
The wise one’s have identified 3 states of our experience:
A. Waking (using our 5 senses to know interact with the so called world)
B. Dream (using our faculty of thoughts - projection and identifying with the character/persona)
C. Deep sleep (where the perception of the mind/body (soul), world and God ceases to exist, while we exist!
Upon waking from deep sleep, we say we slept “happily”.
Since we existed in sleep only can we infer upon waking that there is continuity in consciousness.
This “happiness” that we had experienced was without body/mind (soul), world and God.
The underlying current of consciousness (experiencer, not persona) that experiences these 3 states is what is being pointed at.
This underlying current (known as Turiya in Vedanta) or Absolute Consciousness cannot be classified as a separate state of experience. It is the experiencer in whom all the 3 states appear/disappear.
Our power of “attention” is our saving “Grace”. Whatever task we direct our attention to, it can be accomplished.
Since, we are the first person (soul), world and God being the second and third persons respectively, ideally our attention is directed towards an idea of ourself (persona) which is apparently connected to the second and third person i.e world and God.
Because there’s is a world, we say there is a creator i.e God.
If instead, we direct out attention towards the first person and can learn to remain as “That/being” (I am That “I AM”) we are able to realise overtime that happiness is our very nature and the trouble arises when we search for it outside our-Self.
The “idea” of body and mind (thoughts) only exist upon the waking and dream state and ceases to exist in deep sleep. That which appears and disappears cannot be real.
The experiencer in whom all these appear and disappear alone can be found to be real. The “I Am”.
Therefore, we need to investigate into our own nature or reality, the underlying current or Absolute Consciousness without whom nothing can possibly exist.
We are that intelligence “light of consciousness” and are able to “reflect” upon our own existence as “being - I Am”.
Learning to abide as “That” is salvation!
We don’t need to think to know we exist.
“I think, therefore I am” is misleading.
“We exist!” (the screen) and thoughts appear and disappear (upon that screen).
. We are the points. We are part of God ( the main body of the star) but separated from each other ( the points). God wanted companions so we were created. This “world” was made so that we can learn to be companions with each other and eventually become a companion ( co -creator) to God. The only thing that exists is MIND.
