Consciousness Pervades The Real And Unreal

Ramesh S Balsekar

What is Consciousness?

Consciousness is the One without the second; the Source of everything. The totality of manifestation, and everything therein, is Consciousness Itself. All there is, is Consciousness, not aware of Itself in Its noumenal subjectivity, but perceived by Itself as phenomenal manifestation in Its objective expression. There is no individual entity as insubstantial shadow, whereas what we really and truly are, is Consciousness Itself, the formless Brahmn. Whether the manifested universe exists or not, Consciousness is there as the subjective Absolute... There is no relationship between Consciousness and the universe. The truth is that Consciousness alone exists and is immanent in what appears as the universe. The appearance of the universe exists in infinite Consciousness, just as the notion of distance or emptiness exists in space... Consciousness alone exists. It creates the illusion of the world appearance and the ego-sense, and perceives the illusion of diversity in what is truly pure Oneness. Consciousness cannot but be immanent in everything that appears to exist. And yet no phenomenal manifestation can have any kind of relationship with Consciousness because a relationship can exist only between two different entities. It is in this sense that Consciousness is transcendental to the manifested universe. The universe exists in Consciousness like future waves in a calm sea — only apparently different in potentiality. What appears within Consciousness as its own reflection — the manifestation of the universe — is not separate or different from Consciousness. While the shadow, by itself, has no existence and is therefore unreal, the shadow is not different from the substance when seen together. When there is no mind in operation, when there is no conceptualising, it is clearly known, felt experienced, that phenomenality is only the objective expression of the subjective noumenon... God is that formless subjectivity, pure Potential, the infinite, universal Consciousness which alone exists even after the cosmic dissolution. It is only within this pure, infinite Consciousness, the Potential Plenum, that phenomenal manifestation arose as a mere reflection of that Potentiality, as a mere objective expression of that pure subjectivity. The phenomenal objectivisation of this pure subjectivity appears and functions in our outer world of consciousness in the waking state, precisely like sentient and insentient objects seem to exist and function in the inner world of consciousness in the dream state. Nothing really happens. The final truth, as Ramana Maharishi, Nisargadutta Maharaj and sages before them have clearly stated, is that there is neither creation nor destruction, neither birth nor death, neither destiny nor free will, neither any path nor any achievement. Consciousness-at-rest, Consciousness-in-action, I Am. In that original state — call it reality, Absolute, or Nothingness — there is no reason to be aware of anything. So Consciousness-at-rest is not aware of Itself. It becomes aware of Itself only when this sudden feeling, ‘I Am’, arises. I Am is the impersonal sense of being aware. And that is when Consciousness-at-rest becomes Consciousness-in-movement, when Potential Energy becomes actual energy.

Practice Makes Perfect: It Means Hard Work

Acharya Mahaprajna
What kind of sadhana is it that does not result in the abatement of all passion? The whole system of spirituality and all religious tales are designed to subdue passion. According to Mahavira, eating is the greatest obstacle to selfcontrol; it gives rise to indolence. How can he who is not moderate in eating, ever conquer sloth? How can a person who does not get rid of lethargy, indolence and negligence, ever achieve self-control? Begin the practice of selfcontrol with fasting. Eat less. This is the first principle of self-control. The second relates to the body. It is necessary for us to exercise control over the body, to train it. Start by contemplating upon and practising good habits, and by inhibiting bad habits. Our nerves and muscles are accustomed to function in a particular way and if we do not effect a change, we go on mechanically as before. We have a longing for sweets on certain occasions, because the tongue is accustomed to a particular taste. The nerves and muscles come to demand something, which they are accustomed to having on a particular occasion. In the matter of eating, thinking or doing any other work, our sinews habitually function in the manner we have accustomed them to function. Those who live in a lofty building, are at first extremely careful while descending the stairs. Gradually, they become accustomed to the act and after some time they do it mechanically. To begin with, the novicetypists look at each letter before they type it, but with practice, their fingers move freely without the necessity of looking at the keyboard since the fingers have grown accustomed to it. Similarly, in any undertaking, our sinews start working in the manner we have accustomed them to function, and the task stands fulfilled without any conscious effort on our part. One practises meditation today, gives the sinews a taste of meditation and accustoms them to it. Next day, however, he does no meditation, nor the day after. On the fourth day, he sits down to meditate again. Practising by fits and starts does not help in the cultivation of habit. Do not be remiss. Keep practising daily. Irregular practice is not conducive to the confirmation of the habit of retrospection. You practise forgiveness today, show tolerance, but quarrel and fight the next day, forgive again and yet again quarrel and fight — this will not confirm in you the habit of forgiveness. If you want to cultivate a habit, do it without any reservation, without any remissness till it is firmly established. That is the second principle of body training, of accustoming the body to bear pain and discomfort. This state of indifference is achieved through the practice of asanas, pranayama and kayotsarga. The body is so trained as to perform any task you command. The third principle of selfcontrol is living in seclusion. It means not to allow the present moment to continue but to reverse it. There are two orders — the order of nature and the order of sadhana. All our sexual impulses originate from the Centre of Energy and it is with the help of this centre that man fulfils his sexual desire. It is a centre provided by nature for gratification of sexual urge. By living in seclusion, we can change it.