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Worship and Contemplation in the Ramakrishna order

2011-05-10T17:52:40Z

Sandy Bharat: some line spaces

<small>By Swami Sarvadevananda</small>

The scriptures glorify meditation, holding absorption in God in the highest regard:‘''dhyānam vāva cittād-bhūyo dhyāyatīva prthivīdhyāyatīvāntariksam … tasmād-ya iha manusyānām mahattām prāpnuvanti dhyānāpādāmśā ivaiva tebhavanti'' …. Meditation is indeed greater than intelligence. The earth is meditating as it were. The atmosphere is meditating as it were. [The heavens… the waters … the mountains … the gods and human beings are meditating as it were.] Therefore, those among human beings who attain greatness here, they verily appear to have acquired a portion of the result of meditation.’<ref>''Chhandogya Upanishad'', 7.6.1.</ref>

Calmness, serenity, and inwardness alone can bring peace, harmony, and joy in life. These can be attained through contemplation. Contemplation is defined as ‘''tatra pratyayaikatānatā dhyānam''; an uninterrupted flow of the mind towards the truth’. But thousands of thoughts move through our minds every minute: the mind runs like a drunken monkey that has been bitten by a scorpion, as Swami Vivekananda says.

The Upanishad declares: ‘''Ekam-evādvyayam brahma neha nānāsti kiñcana''; there is no many at all, there is only the one nondual Brahman.’<ref>''Adhyatma Upanishad'', 63.</ref>Everything is pervaded by that one consciousness: ‘''Sarvam khalvidam brahma''.’<ref>''Chhandogya Upanishad'', 3.14.1.</ref> To maintain a life of absorption in or contemplation on the Absolute, a pure, steady mind is needed. Sri Ramakrishna states that even the grace of the guru, the grace of Lord Krishna, and the grace of a Vaishnava, a holy man, cannot help the spiritual seeker without the grace of his or her own mind.

The human mind, at the beginning of spiritual life, is incapable of grasping, through the untrained intellect, the absolute Truth, the nondual Brahman. The Gita says: ‘''Klesho’dhikataras-tesāmavyaktāsakta-cetasām, avyaktā hi gatir-duhkham dehavadbhir-avāpyate''; Greater is their trouble whose minds are set on the Unmanifested, for the goal of the Unmanifested is very difficult for the embodied to reach.’<ref>Bhagavadgita, 12.5.</ref>

The rishis, saints, and seers of all religions offer instructions for the beginner by which the mind, still moving on the plane of the senses, can be directed towards God. The senses and sense objects which ordinarily stand as obstacles before us can, through the rituals of worship, help us to go quickly and quietly into the heart in our inward journey. Swami Vivekananda explains, ‘The counting of beads, meditation, worship, offering oblations in the sacred fire, all these and such other things are the limbs of religion; they are but the means; and to attain to supreme devotion (''para-bhakti'') or to the highest realization of Brahman is the preeminent end.’<ref>''The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda'', 9 vols. (Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1–8, 1989; 9, 1997), 5.386.</ref>

Worship can help a novice develop a contemplative nature; worship performed by an advanced spiritual soul helps him or her to go into a deeper absorption or even samadhi. Sri Ramakrishna’s life proves that worship, if done with the proper faith, love, and spirit, can lead one to the vision of the Divine and to the realization of that which is beyond body and mind.

Most people have a great need to worship symbols, icons, and forms of gods and goddesses through rituals. In worship, we can adore the beautiful forms of God. Because the mind is absorbed in the various details of the ritual, it stops roaming about, and gradually feels more and more attraction for God. We develop a unique relationshipwith our Chosen Ideal, expressed through one or more of the five moods of ''śānta, dāsya, sakhya,vātsalya, or madhura''—worshipping God in everyone; worshipping God as his servant, friend, parent, or beloved. When bhakti matures, the mind develops a great attachment for the Chosen Ideal. Just as a lover’s mind is carried away from all other thoughts and stays ever fixed on the form of his or her beloved, the mind of such a devotee stays fixed on the ista, and spontaneous meditation occurs. In the contemplative life, an undercurrent of thought ever pulls the aspirant’s mind towards God; the practice of worship helps foster this undercurrent.

== Worship ==

Worship is reverent love and honour accorded to the Deity, often as manifested in or represented by an image or sacred object. It is the ceremony or prayer by which the worshipper’s immense love for the ''ista'' is expressed—an immersion resulting in full participation in the religious life. It is ''upāsanā''—sitting close to God, waiting upon God, contemplating on him, as an expression of our reverence and homage. The sincere worshipper becomes lost in this contemplation, and surrenders body and mind to God. Worship does not mean merely chanting mantras with the tongue and forming mudras with the hands. It includes a full spectrum of practices which, as the mind becomes absorbed, directly connect us with God. Such rituals include chanting hymns, singing bhajans (devotional songs), listening to readings about God, going on pilgrimages, visiting places associated with the divine sport of Lord, and being in holy company. The principle of loving God through rituals and relationship is found in all of the dualistic religions of the world.

== The Science of Worship ==

The Hindu tradition has developed ritualistic worship into a science which, if followed, can lead one from external forms of worship to the depths of contemplation, and ultimately, to perfect union with Brahman. This progression leads to the experience of ''sarvam khalvidam brahma'', and ultimately to samadhi. Because this progression is not generally well
understood, many look down on ritualistic worship. But sincere practice of ritualistic worship has brought many saints to realization. Sri Ramakrishna’s life proves to the doubting and sceptical modern mind the value of such worship, and how sincere love for God leads to the highest goal of God-realization.

== Puja: Preparation ==

We shall now focus on worship, or puja, in the Hindu tradition, and how preparation for and performance of puja help all the senses and their master, the mind, to become engaged with and absorbed in God. Spiritual aspirants develop attraction for a specific form of the Divine as their ''ista deva'', or Chosen Ideal—Durga, Shiva, Kali, Krishna, or Rama—whichever form appeals most to their hearts. Being distracted by the business and stress of daily life, beginners cannot ordinarily keep their minds on their Ideals for long during meditation. But the activities of puja involve the body and mind in such a way that the mind is naturally drawn to the Chosen Ideal, and is brought gradually to contemplation.

First, we must prepare and collect the materials for worship. While collecting flowers and leaves, fruits and sweets, while stringing garlands and making sandalwood paste, and while cooking special food items, our minds naturally think about our ''ista'', for whom these things are being prepared. The contemplative mood begins to arise in our hearts. We contemplate offering to God those things that we love most. We busy ourselves in making sandalwood paste, cleaning the shrine, decorating the altar, adorning the image, and preparing the place of worship. All these external activities engage our senses in the world of names and forms—but all the while our minds are revolving around the blessed ''ista devatā''. Thus arises the unconscious practice of ''viveka'' and ''vairāgya''—discrimination between the real and the unreal, and rejecting worldly thoughts. As our minds go on contemplating on God, we move, effortlessly, deeper into the mood of ''vairāgya''. And just as effortlessly, we fall more deeply in love with God.

== Purification, Consecration, Divinization ==

Our discussion will now focus on the puja ritual as practiced in the Ramakrishna Order. The three preliminary steps in puja are purification, consecration, and divinization. These steps are applied to the worshiper, the articles of worship, and the Deity as represented by the image; each step brings the worshiper closer to the Divine. It is a movement from the gross to the subtle, and from the subtle to the causal.

How can the limited worship the Infinite? It is not possible: only God can worship God. Therefore it is said, ‘''Devo bhūtvā devam yajet''; Having become divine, one should worship the Divine.’ So the underpinning of the seemingly dualistic process of puja is actually advaitic: it is the divine who worships, and God who receives the worship. This is effected by the following process.

Before entering the place of worship, we purify the body by bathing; we wear fresh clothes. Then we enter the shrine, and make a full-length pranam, surrendering ourselves completely to God. We try to feel the living presence of the Deity in the shrine. We take our seats, think of God, repeat his name, and say, ‘Whether pure or impure, wherever one may be, if one remembers the lotus-eyed Lord, one becomes pure, both inside and out.’ With various mantras, prayers, mudras, and sprinkling of holy water, we further purify the surroundings, the seat on which we sit, the articles of worship, our hands, the flowers, the image of the Deity, and our own bodies. We drive away any evil spirits that may be nearby. We create a mystical wall of fire around us to shield us from any obstacles to worship. We perform simple pranayama, which balances the nerve currents in the body. The purification process moves from gross to the subtle; our minds also become more calm and indrawn.

''Bhūtaśuddhi'', the ‘purification of the elements’, is the crucial next step. Through ''bhūtaśuddhi'', we strive to realize the identity of the ''jivātman'' (individual soul) with the ''paramātman'' (supreme Soul). We sit in the meditation posture and visualize the jivātman as an unflickering flame burning in the heart. This flame then moves to the base of the spine and awakens the kundalini at the ''mūlādhāra-cakra''. The awakened kundalini, along with the jivatman, moves up the ''susumnā'', towards the head. The lotuses of the chakras, which were down-turned and closed, now turn upwards and burst into bloom. When the kundalini reaches the ''sahasrāra-cakra'', the thousand-petalled lotus in the brain, the ''jivātman'' merges with the ''paramātman''.The twenty-four ''bhūtas'' or cosmic principles also merge in the ''paramātman'': the five gross and five subtle elements, the organs of perception and action, as also the mind, intellect, and ego—all merge in the supreme Self. Now Atman alone abides; we are one with the Supreme.

We then visualize the ''pāpa-purusa'', the ‘person of sin’, who represents the concretized form of all negative and evil thoughts and deeds accumulated through millions of births, sitting in the left side of our belly. We dry up this repulsive creature, and also our subtle body, saying ‘''yam''’; then we burn them to ashes, saying ‘''ram''’. We bring the moon up to our forehead, and let the nectar from the moon flow down, creating a new, divine body. Finally, we let the ''jivātman'' and the twenty-four cosmic principles descend to their places in this new, divine body. We are now ready to worship the Divine, having become divine; the old person is dead and gone. If we have properly followed the process of ''bhūtaśuddhi'', we really ''feel'' perfectly pure and divine; our minds are steady, and we feel the presence of the Deity.

Now that we, the worshiper, are pure and divine, we invoke the Chosen Deity in the heart. Touching the chest, we pray, ‘May God’s prana (vital energy) become seated in the place of my vital energy. Let his individuality be established on my individuality. Let my sense organs be overpowered by his divine sense organs. Let my speech, my mind, my eyes, my skin, my ears, my nose, my breath, become his. Let the ''ista devatā'' appear in my body and mind and stay on forever in joy.’ Thus our body, mind, and senses are all lost into the divine body of the Lord. We are dead and gone as it were. Here sits the worshiped God in the body of the worshiper. This is ''Devo bhūtvā devam yajet''. Only God! A thrill passes through our body and mind.

== Involution and Evolution ==

Before the Deity is worshiped with external offerings, worship is done internally. One can spend a long time in this mental worship, forgetting time and outward conditions. We meditate on the divine form of the Deity sitting in the heart, as guided by the meditation mantra. We offer the lotus of the heart as a seat for the Chosen Ideal, and invite Him or Her to accept our worship there. All the offerings are to be given mentally, and the items are made of subtle elements. Finally, we offer flowers representing virtues like compassion, freedom from envy, and divine knowledge.

Now we are ready to worship our Ideal externally. This is the process: we hold a flower by our heart and meditate again on the divine form of the Deity. Then, gently breathing on this flower, we imagine that our beloved ''ista devatā'' is brought out from the heart to the flower. We place the flower on the image and feel that the Lord is physically manifest now in the image to receive our offerings. We thus bring the Absolute, the nameless timeless Reality, from within ourselves to the world of name and form, where that Consciousness, in the form of the ''ista devatā'', can be tangibly adored.

== External Worship ==

We offer flowers and gifts to a friend whom we love; when the very lord of the universe is before us, what shall we do? We offer the best, the choicest things to the Lord, as a token of our deepest love, reverence, and respect. This loving offering takes us nearer to him. That is why it is called ''upacāra'', ‘that which takes one near’. We offer, according to our means and ability, various special articles to this most honored of guests: among other things, we offer the nicest seat for the Deity, loving words of welcome, water for washing the feet and a towel to dry them, scented body oil, water for bathing, new clothes, ornaments, sandalwood paste, perfume, flowers, leaves, incense, light, fruits, sweets, drinking water and betel leaf. We feel thrilled that the lord of the universe, who is beyond time, space, and causation, beyond the comprehension of the mind, intellect, and ego, has, out of his infinite compassion, appeared before us to receive our humble gifts of love. The expression of our deep gratitude for the kindness of the Lord—his descent from his abode of ''nirguna'' (without quality or form) to ''sagunasākāra''(with quality and form), as it were—brings to our mind a deep satisfaction, peace, and mood of inwardness. For the purest of hearts, the deity becomes visible and tangibly receives the offerings. When offering food to Mother Kali, Sri Ramakrishna witnessed rays of light emanating from the Divine Mother’s eyes and touching the offering, making it prasad.

== Seeing God Everywhere ==

In following the path of worship, the distracted mind can gradually come back to peace and joy. Instead of fighting with the senses and the mind, we employ them in the rituals of worship, prayer, and japa; they become friends in our journey towards the Divine. In the beginning, worship may seem dry, but by regular practice, with devotion and understanding, worship will reveal its power to turn us toward the Divine within.

Swami Vivekananda says that, at the beginning, work and worship should go hand in hand. A contemplative mood evoked during worship will help one to see one’s work as service to God. Work done in the spirit of service, again, will inspire one to worship and meditate on God. After long practice, work will be as if worship. The hand will work but the mind will think of God. When one’s practice goes still deeper, there will be no distinction between work and worship: all work will be worship of God. Finally, external work will drop away as one becomes totally absorbed in God. Then, meditation will mediate all our actions.

Sri Ramakrishna told the young Swami Vivekananda,who wanted to stay in samadhi all the time, that there is a state higher than samadhi—that is seeing God with eyes open. This was Ramakrishna’s own experience, after his first vision of the Mother:
<blockquote>During worship and meditation the Master used to see the living presence of the Mother in the temple’s stone image of Her; now he could not see that stone image at all. In its place was the living Mother, the embodiment of consciousness, Her hands bestowing boons and fearlessness. Later, he described what happened: ‘I put my hand near the Mother’s nostrils and felt that She was actually breathing. At night I watched carefully, but in the lamplight I could never see Her shadow on the temple wall. From my room I would hear Mother running upstairs, as merry as a little girl, with Her
anklets jingling. I would rush outside to see if this was true. And there She would be standing on the veranda on the second floor of the temple, with Her hair blowing in the breeze. Sometimes She would look towards Calcutta and sometimes towards the Ganges.’<ref>Swami Saradananda, ''Sri Ramakrishna and His Divine Play'', trans. Swami Chetanananda (St Louis: Vedanta Society, 2003), 216.</ref> </blockquote>

Mother is everywhere in the eyes of Sri Ramakrishna. His experience resonates with that of the Vaishnava’s: ‘Wherever my eyes fall I behold Krishna.’ This is also the Vedantin’s experience: ‘''Sa evādhastātsa uparistāt-sa paścāt-sa purastāt-sa daksinatah sa uttaratah sa evedam sarvam-iti''; He indeed is below, He is above, He is behind, He is in front, He is in the South, He is in the North, He is indeed all this.’<ref>''Chhandogya Upanishad'', 7.25.1.</ref> This ultimate experience of Brahman comes spontaneously in the life of one who sincerely practises worship and who progresses to deeper and deeper stages of meditation: such a devotee is finally led to the experience of seeing God everywhere.

== References ==

{{reflist}}

* Originally published as "Worship and Contemplation" by Prabhuddha Bharata [https://advaitaashrama.org/pb_archive/2007/PB_2007_January.pdf January 2007 edition]. Reprinted with permission.

Worship and Contemplation in the Ramakrishna order

2011-05-10T17:50:57Z

Sandy Bharat: Mostly just spaces etc.

Japa

2011-04-09T17:19:39Z

Sandy Bharat: Mainly spaces, continuity

'''Swami Tathagatananda'''

Japa is repetition of a mantra, holy word or words, according to prescribed rules, with concentration, devotion, and the sole intention of realizing the truth embodied in the mantra. Sri Ramakrishna says:
Japa means silently repeating God’s name in solitude. When you chant His name with single minded devotion you can see God’s form and realize Him. Suppose there is a piece of timber sunk in the water of the Ganges and fastened with a chain to the bank. You proceed link by link,holding to the chain, and you dive into the water and follow the chain. Finally, you are able to reach the timber. In the same way, by repeating God’s name you become absorbed in Him and finally realize Him.<ref>M, The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, trans. Swami Nikhilananda (Chennai: Ramakrishna Math, 2002), 878–9.</ref>

The mantra is a mass of effulgent energy, the sound body symbolizing the supreme Truth.

''Om is shabda-brahman, ‘Brahman in the form of sound’'': The Veda says, ‘Creation is out of the Supreme Sound.’ Om is the Supreme Sound, the sound-symbol of God. Patanjali refers to Om as the symbol of Ishvara or personal God: ‘''Tasya vācakah pranavah'', His manifesting word is Om.’<ref>Yoga Sutra, 1.27.</ref>

Swami Vivekananda says: ‘Ishvara is the Atman as seen or grasped by the mind. His highest name is Om; so repeat it, meditate on it, and think of all its wonderful nature and attributes. Repeating the Om continually is the only true worship. It is not a word, it is God Himself.’<ref>The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, 9 vols. (Calcutta: Advaita Ashrama, 1–8, 1989; 9, 1997), 7.62.</ref>

''Japa is a means to Self-realization'': Repetition of the mantra awakens the potency contained within the mantra. According to Patanjali, regular repetition of Om leads to the awakening of the Self: ‘''Tajjapas-tad-artha-bhāvanam''; The repetition of this (Om) and meditating on its meaning (is the way).’<ref>Yoga Sutra, 1.28.</ref> Therefore, the mental and emotional components of japa are equally significant. Japa gradually advances to meditation, which unfolds deeper layers of consciousness. The emphasis is on ''bhāvanam'', ‘dwelling upon in the mind’. When the mind dwells upon God with devotion, japa draws the individual soul to the Paramatman naturally.

The power of the mantra manifests when the guru is competent, when the mantra is correctly articulated, and when the aspirant reflects deeply on its meaning. Swami Vivekananda says: ‘Mantra is a special word, or sacred text, or name of God chosen by the Guru for repetition and reflection by the disciple. The disciple must concentrate on a personality for prayer and praise, and that is his Ishta. These words are not sounds of words but God Himself, and we have them within us. Think of Him, speak of Him. No desire for the world! Buddha’s Sermon on the Mount was, “As thou thinkest, so art thou.”’<ref>Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, 6.90.</ref>

The spiritual vibrations generated by repeating the holy name whole heartedly with faith evoke spiritual emotion that purifies the mind and heart. They reveal to us the vision of our ''ishta devatā'' and our indivisible unity with God and his name. Vivekananda says, ‘Each Ishta has a Mantra. The Ishta is the ideal peculiar to the individual worshipper; the Mantra is the external word to express it. Constant repetition of the word helps to fix the ideal firmly in the mind.’<ref>Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, 7.63</ref>

''Mantra-śakti, the liberating power of the mantra'': When sincerely reflected upon, the mantra has the sacred power, the ''mantra-śakti'', to liberate. The literal meaning of ‘mantra’ is ‘''mananāt trāyate iti'', that which frees the soul when reflected upon.’ The mantra protects us from psychophysical, moral, and spiritual dangers. Salvation is certain for one who meditates on the mantra with burning faith in ''mantra-śakti''.

Japa is done on a mālā, or rosary, which is often made of sacred rudraksha or tulasi beads.

Japa is prescribed as a valuable spiritual practice. In the Bhagavadgita, Sri Krishna says to Arjuna, ‘''Yajnānāh japayajño’smi''; Among all the yajnas or sacrifices, I am the yajna of japa, the repetition of the Holy names.’<ref>Bhagavadgita, 10.25.</ref>

The holy name enshrined in the divinely-charged mantra, when uttered with devotion, brings forth spiritual sensitivity through its calming influence. With the lower nature subdued and the higher consciousness reached, all nature is seen as Divine Consciousness.

== Japa in the Lives of the Holy Ones ==

Many saints and sages of India and other countries attained God by repeating his holy name. If they did not claim God-realization, they testified to the efficacy of God’s name to illumine their understanding. Swami Vivekananda says: ‘We can now understand what is meant by repetition. It is the greatest stimulus that can be given to the spiritual Samskaras [sum total of impressions in the mind]. “One moment of company with the holy makes a ship to cross this ocean of life.”’ (1.220)

A spiritual environment is very important, especially for beginners. Sri Ramakrishna taught his disciples: ‘There is God’s manifestation where people have practiced for a long time austerities, Japa, meditation, steady abstraction of mind, prayer, and worship in order to have His vision. Their thoughts of God have become solidified there, so to speak, on account of their devotion; that is why holy thoughts and visions are so easily attained there.’<ref>Swami Saradananda, Sri Ramakrishna the Great Master, trans. Swami Jagadananda (Madras: Ramakrishna Math, 1995), 643–4.</ref>

Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi placed the greatest emphasis on daily japa and meditation: ‘The mind will be steadied of itself if aspirants repeat God’s name fifteen or twenty thousand times a day. I myself have experienced it.’<ref>Swami Nikhilananda, Holy Mother (New York: Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, 1997), 220.</ref> She conveyed the efficacy of japa through her own austere practice of it, which she did for the good of her disciples. Remembering this gives us great encouragement and faith in the guru who transmits the holy name.

Mahatma Gandhi, a votary of Ramanama, realized the spiritual benefit of japa in his life and dying breath. Rama was enthroned in his heart as ‘the Absolute Truth, the Eternal Principle, that is God.’<ref>The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi, comp. R K Prabhu and U R Rao (Madras: Oxford, 1946), 20.</ref> Gandhiji made the mantra the verification of his life.

Without any intellectual knowledge about the mantra and its potentiality, millions of people over the centuries in all countries have been repeating the divine name in their inner heart and experiencing peace and enlightenment.

<blockquote>One must be completely absorbed in whatever ''mantra'' one selects. One should not mind if other thoughts disturb one during the ''japa'' (recitation). I am confident that one who still goes on with the ''japa'' in faith will conquer in the end. The mantra becomes one’s staff of life and carries one through every ordeal. One should not seek worldly profit from such sacred ''mantras''. The characteristic power of these ''mantras'' lies in their standing guard over personal purity, and every diligent seeker will realize this at once. Each repetition… has a new meaning, each repetition carries you nearer and nearer to God. This is a concrete fact, and I may tell you that you are here talking to no theorist, but to one who has experienced what he says every minute of his life, so much so that it is easier for the life to stop than for this incessant process to stop. It is a definite need of the soul. --Mahatma Gandhi</blockquote>

== The Practice of Japa ==

Without divine help there is no spiritual progress. Therefore, before beginning japa, spiritual aspirants should invoke the aid of the ''ista devatā'' of the mantra to elevate their spiritual mood and open themselves to receiving divine help. Thinking of the beauty and grace of the ''ista devatā’s'' form while doing japa increases concentration and spiritual discrimination.

Sarada Devi says: ‘While performing japa take the name of God with the utmost love, sincerity and self-surrender. Before commencing your daily meditation, first think of your utter helplessness in this world and then slowly begin the practice of sadhana (spiritual discipline) as directed by your Guru.’<ref>Teachings of Sri Sarada Devi the Holy Mother (Chennai: Ramakrishna Math, 2001), 46.</ref>

Japa can be practiced in various ways with the rosary or mālā, which facilitates counting and concentrates the mind in the early stages of meditation. Counting can also be done using the fingers. Holy Mother says, ‘God has given us fingers that they may be blessed by repeating His name with them.’<ref>Her Devotee Children, The Gospel of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi (Chennai: Ramakrishna Math,2000), 91.</ref>

One can utter the holy name clearly with proper pronunciation in an audible voice (''vācika''), or fix the mind on God and move the lips inaudibly(''upāmśu''), or ponder the meaning and practice silently with no movement of the lips (''mānasika''), which is preferred.

The scriptures say that ''mānasika'' japa can be practiced at all times and in all places. Swami Vivekananda says, ‘The inaudible repetition of the Mantra, accompanied with the thinking of its meaning, is called the “mental repetition,” and is the highest.’<ref>Complete Works, 1.190.</ref> Sometimes silent japa does not clear away mental disturbances. Therefore, aspirants must hold on to the center of consciousness despite any restlessness in the mind during japa.

To avoid fatigue, it is important to be vigilant and alert; for this the rosary is very helpful. It encourages continuity in japa, and one can resolve to complete a certain number of rounds of the rosary without any break in the thought of God. In the beginning, using a variety of ''vācika'', ''upāmśu'', and ''mānasika'' methods sustains japa whenever a lack of interest or monotony manifests.

In the beginning it is usual to feel nothing but a kind of darkness about your mind, or as it were, a ''cloud of unknowing''. You will seem to know nothing and to feel nothing except a naked intent toward God in the depths of your being. Try as you might, this darkness and this cloud will remain between you and your God. You will feel frustrated, for your mind will be unable to grasp him, and your heart will not relish the delight of his love. But learn to be at home in this darkness. Return to it as often as you can, letting your spirit cry out to him whom you love. For if, in this life, you hope to feel and see God as he is in himself, it must be within this darkness and this cloud.

With faith and devotion, aspirants will feel a genuine need for the practice of japa and will cultivate a dedicated taste for it.

Vigorous japa neutralizes lower thoughts, allowing aspirants to rise to higher spiritual planes of consciousness in meditation. Tension, restless outgoing tendencies, and drowsiness—dangerous when linked to japa and meditation—can be defeated by walking about doing japa loudly. As a drowning person clings to a floating object, aspirants should cling to the purifying practice of japa.

Of course, without absolute detachment and deep absorption in divine consciousness, we cannot have true realization. We must proceed systematically, firmly grasping the chain of the repeated sound, whatever be the difficulty confronting us. We will come in touch with the Divine in course of time. Holy Mother reminds us: ‘By ''japa'' and austerity is cut asunder the bondage of ''Karma'' (past action). But God can’t be realized except through love and devotion. As for ''japa'' and such other things, do you know what they stand for? Through them the senses etc., become subdued.’<ref>Swami Gambhirananda, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi (Madras: Ramakrishna Math, 1986), 406–7. </ref>

Sarada Devi used to say that it was more arduous to concentrate the mind on the Chosen Ideal than to dig the earth with a spade. She recommended diligence: ‘One has to be up and doing; can anything be achieved without diligence? One should find some time even in the midst of domestic duties.What to speak of myself, my child! I used to begin my ''japa'' in those days at Dakshineswar after leaving the bed at three in the morning, and lose all consciousness’ <ref>Swami Gambhirananda, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi (Madras: Ramakrishna Math, 1986), 110. </ref>

<blockquote>Try diligently to check the mad outgoing tendency of your mind. Never begin your meditation immediately after sitting on your asana. By discrimination first draw the mind back from its external pursuits and lock it up within, at the sacred feet of your Ishta. Then begin Japa and meditation. If you do this for some time, the mind will naturally cease to wander. The easiest way in this Kaliyuga is the path of Japa. By constantly performing Japa, the mind can easily be made calm and steady and finally it will lose itself in the Ishta. … So, I ask you to perform Japa frequently and along with it think of the Ishta. … This dual method brings quicker success. --Swami Brahmananda</blockquote>

When a devotee wanted to know the secret of japa, Holy Mother pointed to a small clock and said, ‘As that timepiece is ticking, so also go on repeating God’s name; that will bring you everything. Nothing more need be done’ (407). ‘When a pure soul performs Japa,’ she said on another occasion, ‘he feels as if the holy Name bubbles up spontaneously from within himself. He does not make an effort to repeat the Name.’<ref>Gospel of Holy Mother, 176.</ref>

Even mechanical repetition of the mantra successfully keeps the mind engaged in japa. Faith in japa purifies the mind and heart, and japa, in turn, strengthens faith. However, the mind turns inward only when meditation accompanies japa. Holy Mother says: ‘Repeating the name of God once, when the mind is controlled, is equivalent to a million repetitions when the mind is away from God. You may repeat the name for the whole day, but if the mind is elsewhere it does not produce much of a result. The repetition must be accompanied by concentration. Only then does one obtain God’s grace.’<ref>Teachings of Sri Sarada Devi, 50–1.</ref>

Faith and patience overcome dryness in japa. Swami Brahmananda loved japa and meditation: 'You progress a little [in both], then comes a period of dryness. It seems that the doors are entirely closed. At that time it is necessary that you stick to your spiritual practices with infinite patience; by so doing you will find one day that all of a sudden the doors are opened. What a great joy it is then! In spiritual life many such thresholds have to be crossed.’<ref>Swami Prabhavananda, The Eternal Companion: Brahmananda, His Life and Teachings (Hollywood: Vedanta Press, 1970), 162.</ref>

When the period of japa is over, aspirants should continue to sit quietly contemplating the ''ishta devatā'', reflecting on the infinite love of God or praying silently for ten or fifteen minutes. Devout prostration or salutation to the Lord helps aspirants retain the spiritual vibrations awakened by japa and meditation. These observances make it easier to keep the mind on God during all worldly activities.

== Japa Leads to Deeper Meditation ==

From external prayer and worship, aspirants progress to the practice of japa and then to dhyana, deeper meditation on the form and attributes of God. Increased physical and mental purity in thought, word, and deed along with correct, faithful practice of japa and meditation ultimately guides aspirants to experience the personal and impersonal aspects of God through the continuous flow of one idea of God in the mind

Japa is meditation with breaks, as it were. Meditation is the natural, spontaneous expansion of japa in the heart—the result of japa correctly practiced with devotion and dedication. In other words, japa certainly strengthens devotion, but it is only when japa occurs together with true dhyana, or meditation, that the mind spontaneously turns inward, away from outer things. After practicing japa along with meditation for some time, japa ceases by itself and the aspirant becomes established in meditation alone. Holy Mother says: ‘The mind naturally dwells on one’s daily activities. If you don’t succeed in meditation, practice Japa. … If a meditative mood sets in, well and good. If not, don’t force your mind to meditate.’<ref>Gospel of Holy Mother, 213.</ref> Real meditation is spontaneous.

True meditation is never forced or artificial; it is a natural consequence of intense attraction or love for the object of meditation. This idea is easily grasped when we consider that our intense longing for someone or something far away inevitably brings it clearly to our mind and we are delighted to think about it. Even so, Holy Mother says: ‘If you cannot meditate, repeat the Name. “''Japāt Siddhih''—Realization will come through Japa.”’

Spiritual practices open the physical centers of power, which increases energy and restlessness. The attempt to control lower urges results in some nervous symptoms. There are reasons for this phenomenon. Japa and meditation awaken the kundalini, the spiritual energy that is ‘coiled up’ like a snake in a dormant state at the base of the spine. The awakened kundalini, passing through the centers of consciousness in the body, manifests in the form of mystical experiences culminating in illumination. Swami Brahmananda says: ‘According to some yogis, there are special forms of meditation and practices which awaken it [the kundalini], but I believe it can best be done through japa and meditation. The practice of japa is specially suited to Kaliyuga. There is no other spiritual practice easier than this. But meditation must accompany the repetition of the mantra.’<ref>Eternal Companion (Chennai:Ramakrishna Math, 2001), 276.</ref>

Regular japa is a very important aspect of deeper meditation. Correct practice with self-control and self-discipline gradually brings all mental activity under control. The subtle, silent vibrations of japa pacify gross vibrations in the mind. When a little experience of the mantra comes, an aspirant becomes calm and peaceful, elevated by a concentrated mind, and gradually convinced about the efficacy of the holy name of God.

== Japa of the Sacred Scriptures ==

''Svādhyāya'' or study of the scriptures leads us to God. Scripture can be uttered aloud, chanted, repeated, or pondered upon in silence. Certain scriptural verses on the holy name are particularly meaningful or inspiring. Praying to God to open our heart, we should open the scripture calmly and reverently. After reading the verse several times and committing it to memory, we should slowly and reverently lay aside the scripture and begin reflecting on the verse with closed eyes. The idea is to discover what God is saying to us personally through the verse, which suggests the spirit in which we are to call upon his name or repeat the verse.

Mental reflection precedes japa. Correct repetition of the holy name or mantra actively engages the spiritual heart, which has become one with the intellect or buddhi. Sri Krishna teaches Arjuna: ‘I have given thee words of vision and wisdom more secret than hidden mysteries. Ponder them in the silence of thy soul, and then in freedom do thy will.’<ref>Gita, 18.63.</ref> Real japa engages our heart, wherein God is found. The devotee’s heart is God’s parlour. A single step towards God impels him to take one hundred towards the devotee. No effort, however small, is lost.

Devotional japa of scripture fires up our heart with love for God. Silent, loving contemplation upon the chosen verse without reasoning constitutes ''nididhyāsana'', in which the name or word of the scripture goes from the mind to the heart, wherein its transforming power is realized. Mental devotion, the knowledge of God through reasoning (jnana), becomes transformed into affirmative knowledge of God in the heart (''vijnana''), which prepares us for his vision. This is the correct practice of japa of the divine name or scriptures. The Gita is eminently suited for this practice. It offers inspiration, justification, and support for all devotees, on whatever spiritual path they tread.

Devotional japa of the name and meditation on the sacred texts bestow the same experience: ‘Reciting the name of the Lord has also the very same effect [as the exclusive reading of the sacred texts]. The name is the nearest expressive symbol of the experience of the Divine, and it is believed that constant repetition of the name together with meditation (''bhavanā'') may result in yielding the very same experience. … The name… is the spontaneous expression in sounds of the deepest spiritual experience, and forms the vibrational symbol of the same.’<ref>Nalini Kanta Brahma, Philosophy of Hindu Sadhana (London: Kegan Paul, 1932), 272.</ref>

The saints are a living scripture. Their exemplary lives inspire us to meditate on them. They have left us sayings, teachings, poems, songs, and anecdotes of their lives, which we cherish over the centuries. Relying utterly on the name of God, they overcame all obstacles, even death, and attained to God. Japa of their teachings about the name of God is an excellent form of spiritual practice that enables us to inherit their legacy.

== Repeating the Holy Name in the Kaliyuga ==

Humanity is in a profound state of spiritual ignorance and consequent suffering in the present age. The humble practice of repeating the divine name is the way to reach the goal of God-realization. Sri Ramakrishna gave a general instruction to all: ‘Devotion according to Narada is the only path in the Kaliyuga; people will be saved if they but sing loudly the name of God. People of the Kaliyuga depend on food for their life; they are short-lived and of meager powers; that is why such an easy path for the realization of God has been prescribed for them.’<ref>Great Master, 2.938.</ref> When properly reflected upon, the mantra snaps the bondage of worldliness. True devotees are convinced that japa dispels all difficulties; they remember and repeat the holy name with joy even at the moment of death. This should encourage all seekers to utter the holy name or mantra unceasingly in every condition of life.

== References ==

{{reflist}}

* Originally published as "Japa: Instrument of Love for God’s Name" by Prabhuddha Bharata [https://advaitaashrama.org/pb_archive/2007/PB_2007_January.pdf January 2007 edition]. Reprinted with permission.

Talk:Consciousness

2011-04-01T19:51:04Z

Sandy Bharat: Mostly removed spaces, put in missing letters. Didn't know what to do with this in Permanence and Unceasing Change section: Acharya Shankara has made Bhagavadgita

'''By Swami Satswarupananda'''

It is the Sphinx’s riddle: What is consciousness? It is something we take for granted and make use of every moment of our lives, without which we are not what we think ourselves to be, and yet when we want to know it more deeply, it eludes us. When we know it, our life’s aim is fulfilled, we are free from all anxieties, all troubles.

We make use of words like knowledge, consciousness, awareness, intuition, almost as synonyms. Etymology, so far as abstract things are concerned, does not help us much. Usage takes us a long way, but leaves us short of the destination. Philosophical books, with their various arguments and conclusions, confuse us. All this because they try to explain that which is at the root of all explanations, and nothing can explain itself by itself. Any argument or explanation, talk or discussion, from start to finish, is all consciousness. Neither in dreams nor in the waking state are we free of it even for a split moment. Being always in and surrounded by it, how can we say what it is? For a thing to be known, it must be put in front of us. Being everywhere under all conditions, in and around us as well as in and around other things and beings, it cannot be known, except in bits, leaving out an almost infinite part of it, thus giving us the uncomfortable feeling that what little we know does not authorize us to assert we have known it. Still, no one, once they start thinking about it, can ever remain satisfied with a piecemeal knowledge of it.

We shall try to approach the problem from the Upanishadic point of view, and see how far the ancient rishis succeeded in their attempts at unravelling the mystery of consciousness. But as we have to put their thoughts and words into English, we have to add notes on the Sanskrit words and phrases the rishis have used, and to their English equivalents as well.

== Chith: Feeling-consciousness ==

''Chith'' is the word the seers have used to indicate that which we mean by ‘consciousness’. The nearest translation of this Sanskrit word, especially as it is used in the Upanishads, is contained in what Sir John Woodrofe says: ‘It is a feeling-consciousness.’ Explaining this compound word will lead us deep into its content. Sir John has evidently not used ‘feeling’ to distinguish it from ‘thinking’ and ‘willing’, which, on the face of it, would be absurd—both ‘thinking’ and ‘willing’ are modes of consciousness and, therefore, consciousness per se. But ‘thinking’ and ‘willing’ include an element of ‘activeness’ which is absent in the connotation of ''chith''. Again, the English words ‘knowledge’ and ‘awareness’ have the same distinction in their implications. When we say ‘we know’ we mean we exerted ourselves, as a result of which we know. But when we say ‘we are conscious of it’ we do not mean we have put forth any energy for being conscious of it. But that does not debar the entry of exertion altogether; we might have exerted previously, the result of which, at the present moment, is our being ‘conscious of it’. In order to bring out this subtle distinction, Sir John has added ‘feeling’ to consciousness’. ''Chith'' is never active; it is never an agent of any kind of activity. It simply is, and it is by its mere presence that ‘we know’, ‘we are conscious of ’.

Why have the rishis laid so much emphasis on this passivity of ''chith'', we may ask. It is because in our passive conditions alone are we aware that we know, or are conscious of, anything. In other words, in the passive state we are consciousness itself. At other times we deal with various things—with objects—to such an extent that we forget we are acting consciously, deliberately. Even when we appear to be inactive, not engaged in any particular work, sitting idle, our mind or consciousness is full of ideas or concepts—which, again, are objects—to the detriment of the awareness of consciousness itself. We have to make a little effort to drive out all objects and feel the presence of consciousness—to feel our feeling, so to say. When the mind is thus made vacant, we get to know that our mind is consciousness; ''sat'', our ultimate nature, our being, is also ''chith'', consciousness.

It may be urged that here also there is activity—activity in driving out the objects that cover consciousness. True, but this activity is needed only to drive out things that are not consciousness, and not in ‘knowing’ consciousness. Our idea is not to deny activity but only to note its absence in the essence of consciousness. Activity forces itself on our consciousness from all sides. To deny that would be sheer madness. In eliminating the objects that cover consciousness we are not producing consciousness but only clearing the encrustation overlaying it—when the covering is removed the thing covered is not produced afresh, only its presence is revealed. So activity does not enter into the constitution or nature of consciousness, which is a homogeneous entity and not a compound. Consciousness is consciousness alone; no attribute, no activity is admissible therein.

== Is Matter Independent of Consciousness? ==

When we comprehend the above fact, we know consciousness to be something that is not only unlimited but also something that cannot be limited by any effort of man or nature, for consciousness is involved in all our efforts, in all limited persons and things. There can be no experience without its involvement—it is ''anubhava'', experience, itself. Do we then deny the existence of matter as an entity distinct from consciousness, different from it? We say that the so-called Kantian thing-in-itself, that unknown and unknowable thing, that axiomatic truth without which the universe cannot be explained, is not so very axiomatic or unavoidable as to necessarily be taken for granted. At best we can say that it may or may not exist. The entire universe can very well be explained without it, provided we understand consciousness properly. The experience of our dream state has been explained in terms of consciousness alone. There all things and acts, subjects and objects, are made up of consciousness alone; and yet a full drama is enacted as vividly as in the waking state. If that is possible, why can it not be done for the waking state as well? As long as the dream lasts, there is interplay of consciousness and matter, which, on coming out of the dream, we know to be merely a fabrication of consciousness. It cannot be argued that dream objects are images of real material objects of the waking state, for that would involve a ''petition principii''. We are discussing if matter exists apart from consciousness and are not entitled to take its existence for granted.

All our amorphous objections will vanish if we view consciousness not in the narrow sense in which it is generally conceived but in the sense that Vedanta suggests: as something that expresses itself as both the matter and consciousness we are familiar with. This means that consciousness appears as matter when it is an object of thought or experience and as the ordinary consciousness of our every-day life when it is the subject, the thinking and understanding principle. Moreover, if we but try a little to grasp it, we see that in it rests and plays—bobbing up and down, as it were—everything that is experienced. And what is outside it? We are not entitled to say anything on this matter; nay, we cannot even formulate this question logically, for the formulation itself involves consciousness. So ''chith'', the real consciousness, the primary consciousness of Vedanta, appears both as matter and as conventional consciousness: ''vyavaharika chith''. This real ''chith'' is ''sath-chith'', existence-consciousness, while our empirical consciousness is a ''chitta-vritti'', mode of consciousness, a mixture of the subject and the object. For the same reason even the limited subject is a ''vritti'', a mode of consciousness.

Do we not actually see that all our mundane objects of thought appear as matter? For example, all the ‘first person singulars’—the experiencing beings—experience themselves as consciousness or modes of it; and the same first person singulars, when viewed by others, are seen as bodies. In fact, we ourselves, when we look at ‘us’, take ourselves to be bodies; but when we reason, consider things a little deeply, look inwards, we perceive ourselves as mind or consciousness. If we are observant and reason carefully, we shall find that during a very large portion of our lives we are consciousness; only when we are engaged in some physical work do we forget ourselves and identify ourselves with our bodies. When we think, reason, feel, plan, or even sit idle, we are consciousness; bodily exercises force us out of ourselves to what we call the material plane, which again is upheld by consciousness. It is for this reason that in Vedanta the ''jada'', insentient, is equated with the ''vishaya'', object: all objects are material, all matter is objective. Conversely, all subjects are constituted by conventional consciousness. ''Sat-chith'', the real primary consciousness, is the bedrock supporting all planes of existence.

== Permanence and Unceasing Change ==

So much for the reason why such great emphasis is laid on the passivity of ''chith''. Standing on the bed-rock of consciousness, and thus being sure of our own position in the investigation, we can go on testing, on the touchstone of reason, the existence and value of other objects, and even that of the touchstone itself. If we are ourselves shaky, if we are nothing but helpless changefulness—being one thing this moment and another the next—what faith can one place in the conclusions we draw? In such a situation all knowledge acquired by human labour over the millennia will be in jeopardy. Even for the establishment of relativity something permanent must needs be assumed. When the assumption is questioned—and it is bound to be questioned—we land in an infinite regress. The entire framework of logic, or the laws of thought or consciousness, is based on an integral substance with unshaken and unshakable permanence at its centre. Rather, everywhere—from the centre to the nowhere-to-be-found periphery—there runs an immovable permanence engaged in a mad dance of restless appearances. Acharya Shankara has made Bhagavadgita: ‘Of the unreal there is no being; the real has no non-existence. The nature of both these, indeed, has been realized by the seers of Truth.’

Now crops up an important question: If consciousness is really passive, inactive, and ubiquitous, and is the only thing that exists, how is it that we find forces and activities all around us, right down to the seeming quiet of the proton in the atomic nucleus? How does one explain the existence of the force that has built up this universe and is still building, breaking, and rebuilding it?

Science has shown us how relative forces are generated—one from the other—and how even the most innocent-looking ingredients of the atomic nucleus are full of energy. Again, we need no lesson in psychology to be convinced that even in our internal world there is a perpetual movement of thoughts and ideas, of emotions and volitions. So, in or out, forces and movements are everywhere—acting, reacting, coalescing, and interchanging. But the ‘where’ of it has not been pushed to the ultimate point. We can go further and say, with the cumulative experience of the entire thinking humanity, that all these movements occur in, around, and with objects, but never in the subject. The deeper we dive into the subject, the quieter is our experience; and when the rock bottom of consciousness is reached, there is absolute calm. What conclusion can we draw from this phenomenon? Is not the consciousness that comprises the subject as well as the object either both passive and active—involving rest and motion—or neither of them? As the latter alternative contradicts our experience of rest and motion in all the effects we deal with every moment of our lives, their causes must also contain both; so the former alternative alone is rational. Therefore, consciousness is passive and active, static and dynamic. But the more we try to understand it as it is, apart from its adjuncts, the more passive it appears. And when we are busy with objects we forget all about it, and it disappears from our view. Hence, consciousness of consciousness—that is, self-consciousness—is bound to be passive, or else we do not have it at all; as we said, it disappears! But ‘consciousness of consciousness’ is an absurdity, for it will lead to ‘consciousness of consciousness of consciousness’ ''ad infinitum''. Therefore, consciousness and self-consciousness are not two things but one; consciousness is always conscious of itself. In every conception—that is, the act of forming a concept—consciousness knows itself as well as the object. The ''Kena Upanishad'' asserts: ‘Brahman, or Consciousness, is truly known when it is known with every state of consciousness.’

Passivity and activity are our views of consciousness as we look at it in relation to the subject and the object. What it is in itself we, its products, cannot say. Here, ‘we’ means our personalities comprising our body, mind, and other related entities. But for all practical purposes, for our experience, ''vyavahara'', we have to admit both the subject and the object. When the veracity of experience is doubted or negated, we have no right to utter a word or think a thought. Vedanta admits it but gives the highest place to depth-consciousness, calling it intuition, the experience beyond all experiences involving a subject-object relationship. This is called ''paramarthika-satta'', ultimate being. The word ''paramarthika'' is made up of two terms: ''parama'', meaning ‘supreme’, and ''artha'', which has two meanings—‘entity’ and ‘purpose’ or ‘goal’. When ''artha'' is taken to mean ‘entity’ the compound denotes ‘supreme entity’, that beyond which no experience is possible; and when it is taken to mean ‘purpose’ or ‘goal of life’ the compound means ‘ultimate end of life’. What is this ultimate end? Gaining absolute freedom: our birthright, our ultimate nature. When one is truly identified with that all pervading lone consciousness, all obstacles, fears, and anxieties cease, since all the elements that obstruct, terrorize, and make one anxious are engulfed by one’s self, the basic intuition. Only then can one laugh at all dangers or threats, like the gymnosophist who, when threatened with death by Alexander told him to his face: ‘Monarch of this tiny world, you never told a greater lie in your life! You to kill me, the all-pervading entity, devoid altogether of all touch of duality!’

Be that as it may, when we are in quest of the nature of this unique consciousness or intuition we cannot take only one side of our experience and ignore the other, accept passivity alone to be its ultimate nature and reject activity or the entire objective world consisting of ceaseless activity. Nor can we relegate the latter to a secondary place. Both are equally important, equally necessary for explaining our experiences and the universe, the objects of our adventure. The philosopher’s quest for the mythical stone, the adventurer’s urge for grasping the whole Truth, the nature of Reality, is perennially insistent; they can never have rest, peace, or freedom without satisfying themselves fully about the nature of the integral Reality.

As there are two kinds of experiences—that of pure consciousness in the depths of our being and that of the objective world full of dynamic forces—that range from our inner sense organ, the mind, to the utmost reaches of the spatial universe, we must admit that both passivity and activity constitute the ultimate Reality. What appears as an effect must necessarily be potentially present or involved in the cause.

We may go one step further and say that passivity and activity are not two different, far less opposite, entities; the difference is one of degree, much like the difference between darkness and light. Most of the so-called contradictory terms and concepts—heat and cold, ease and disease, moral and immoral—belong to this group. And ‘degree’ is a matter of human convention; in reality, human intelligence has cut into pieces, for convenience of measurement, what is actually a continuous flow. So passivity and activity are two conventional terms indicative of the two extremes of a single continuum.

== Evolution of Consciousness ==

As we live in a world of conventions, our explanation of things, of acts and facts, must also be conventional. This is what the Vedantins indicate by the expression ''vyavaharika satya'', conventional truth. Hence, though intuition or basic consciousness is one homogeneous ‘force-substance’, it appears and acts as many, a fact testified by your experience. How this is brought about has been shown by scientists through the theory of evolution. But this is an explanation from the point of view of matter. How the bricks of the universe, the subatomic particles, have slowly built up the exceedingly beautiful universe is now known to a very large section of humankind. It is an extremely slow process that began when there was no one to observe and will continue when there will be no one to adore or weep. But from the point of view of consciousness it is a different story altogether, somewhat similar to the biblical Creation story: ‘And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.’ But in the Bible the Lord had to utter one word to create one thing, then another word to create another thing, and so on. This means Creation took some time, however little, to come to the state we are in. Whereas from the point of view of consciousness the one appears as many in an instant—the entire universe with its unimaginable varieties of things, of processes and finished products, appears in the twinkle of an eye. From the almost unconscious deep sleep, through light dreamless sleep, to the waking state, if one tries to observe carefully, one will find how from one homogeneous consciousness of being alone we wake up to this maddening multiplicity. If we have developed sufficient control over our mind, we can give it the suggestion, before falling asleep, that it should try to observe the change that occurs when we pass from the deep-sleep condition to the dream state. Then we shall fnd that here also, from the unity of being, comes the dream multiplicity all of a sudden. In both the above cases it is a sudden change: unity suddenly bursts forth into multiplicity. No intervening process is involved in it: that which was appearing as one—that too, a vague one—appears as many the next moment. But we have no doubt that it is the same I-consciousness, the observer, that persists all through.

== The Strata of Consciousness ==

The above phenomena of deep sleep, dream, and waking state lead us to assert that: (i) There are varying strata of consciousness giving us different kinds of experience. (ii) One stratum appears to be absolutely homogeneous. No, we cannot even say that, for appearance needs two things: the thing appearing and the person to whom it appears. But
this state is a vivid experience of something that positively exists. The word ‘experience’ also confuses us in the same way. In fact, there is no word to express this state adequately; yet it is a positive something and the basis of everything else. (iii) In all other strata there is the experience of a subject, the knower, and of an object, the known. But the subject permeating the objects is always one, whether the object be one or many. All objects are held together by the subject, whose ‘appearance’ means annihilation of the entire object-world; the opposite, however, is not true. This annihilation does not necessarily mean that the objective world goes out of existence. It simply means that there remains no informer to say whether the world of objects exists or not. Someone has to testify to the existence of things. In the absence of such a person, who will say that such-and-such a thing exists? (iv) Though at any particular moment there might be only one object present in our mind, the objective world, as such, is a multiplicity: objects are discrete and distinct, one from another. They are held together and utilized by the subject.

== Willing-consciousness and the Objective World ==

The multiplicity referred to above is the experience of the ordinary busy person. Thinkers, scientists, and philosophers, however, see in this objective world not mere multiplicity but unity as well. Their thoughts lead them to accept unity in diversity and diversity in unity in the entire world of objects, internal or external. They have observed that underlying diversity there is a unity throughout. Through all growth and transformation something stands out—some substance, force, or substance-force that abides as the identity of the thing undergoing change. John is John as long as he lives, in spite of all the changes his body and mind undergo throughout the fifty years of his life. Man is man, not an ass, as long as one man survives. A living being is a living being, not a clod of earth, as long as life lasts. It is sometimes difficult to define these unities—leading on to one ground unity—but if we are to live and act we have to admit the existence of such unities. Diversity, however, is so aggressively obvious that it needs no elaboration. We are entitled to extend this conclusion of thinking men to all strata of consciousness—the superconscious or the subconscious, the dream state or the waking—wherever there is a subject-object dichotomy. Through all dual spheres runs this scheme of unity in diversity and diversity in unity. This vision can well be extended to the point where consciousness is a distinction without a difference, the same entity looked at from two standpoints—as it is in itself and as it stands in relation to the manifested world, or, more precisely, as ‘feeling-consciousness’ and ‘willing-consciousness’. Even in the state of thought or idea, when the manifested realities are yet to be, they exist, inasmuch as without this admission objective willing becomes useless. A thing that does not exist cannot be thought of, cannot be willed into existence. But this existence is potential existence, even as the existence of the tree is, in the seed, potential.

The Upanishads have recorded the creative urge in no uncertain terms: ''Bahu syam, prajayeya''; I shall be many, I shall create.’ Such passages had at first been relegated to a secondary place and later dismissed as fiction. But truth will perhaps be served better and the main purpose of the scriptures—to show humans the path of liberation—will be more adequately fulfilled if they are given as much importance as other Vedantic statements. This will to create, ''sisriksha'', on the part of the basic consciousness has been expressed in various ways throughout the Hindu scriptures, from the most ancient days to modern times. In fact, it is a major scriptural theme, compared to which ‘the way to liberation, moksha,’ occupies an insignifcant part. And the reason is not hard to find: moksha is sought afer by only a rare handful of people. So, in understanding the ultimate Truth, the phase of ‘willing-consciousness’ must be accepted; otherwise its integrality will be abridged. This understanding has come to modern Hindus in an unbroken tradition stretching back over several millennia.

== Liberating Unity of Being ==

It must, at the same time, be admitted that no amount of roaming about or diving deep into the analysis and synthesis of ‘willing-consciousness’ will give humans moksha. As long as duality, or plurality, even a shadow of it, lasts, there is no liberation; the little self, narrow and egoistic, will not leave us. It is only the direct experience of the ‘unity of being’, of that homogeneous all-pervading consciousness, that will release humans abidingly from the bondage of the world, from the sense of exclusiveness and otherness pervading one’s personality. Only having had that abiding, neverceasing sense of unity with the whole universe can one be absolutely free, since the objects that bind or give trouble—nay, even bondages and troubles themselves—are felt, in that condition, as one’s very being, as the ‘feeling-consciousness’. This ‘feeling-consciousness’ is unshaken and unshakable, a mere observer consciousness, never taking any part in any of the whirling activities of the world but which, as the ‘willing-consciousness’, is unceasingly creating the force that makes the universe, is the source and the sustenance of all discrete things, from the smallest to the most enormous.

Again, it cannot be said that, inasmuch as it has parts, consciousness is a compound and must share the fate of all compound entities: destruction. That holds good in the case of material things only. It cannot be predicated of consciousness. Do we not see every moment of our lives that the many thoughts, feelings, and urges bobbing up and down in our mind are nothing but consciousness? But do any of them die or get destroyed? They abide even when all discrete material things vanish into their source—the so-called ultimate homogeneous force or energy. We have used the word ‘part’ in the context of consciousness, but the connotation is not the same as in relation to a material thing. Matter can be cut or torn, not so consciousness. Leaving aside the basic consciousness, the active or willing-consciousness remains the same unruffled, unmoving consciousness, in spite of its innumerable modes and manners; it neither increases nor decreases, and yet produces a bewildering multitude of ideas and emotions, all the while retaining its command over them—even as the earth remains but earth though the shapes and sizes of earthenware appears, changes, and vanishes.

To kill or destroy requires two. Consciousness is singular, infinite in all respects, within and beyond time and space. Who can destroy it or make it change in a manner other than its own? Abiding peace is attained only when this thoroughly reasoned posture of the identity of ‘feeling-consciousness’ and ‘willing-consciousness’ has become a permanent experience in life under all circumstances. And this is the goal of life as well as the ''paramarthika satya'', ultimate Truth.

==References==
* Originally published by Prabuddha Bharata [https://advaitaashrama.org/pb_archive/2009/PB_2009_August.pdf August, 2009 Edition]. Reprinted with permission.