Class notes by Sharmila
Our attitude should never be that ‘we don’t care if we don’t gain’ or that ‘we are not interested if there is no utility for me’. The danger of this mind set is that it makes us worldly. This makes us dependent on the world (articles, beings, circumstances) and one who is dependent cannot think rightly. Right thinking is when our focus is not on gain or utility. Right thinking is expressed as deep thinking, where we come to appreciate that the gain is coming through our own self-development and comes from within. When the framework of introspection, detection, negation, substitution is complete, then one feels emancipation.
‘Drg Drshya Viveka’ is also known as ‘Vakya Sudha’. Sudha means ‘Amrutha’ or peace or infinity. This scripture will help us feel free. This scripture flows through Viveka (which comes from the base ‘vich’ which means to filter). The experiencer and experienced are different. We are limited by whatever we identify with! We know we are not our car or our shadow — we need to apply this thinking when it comes to our body and mind also!
Forms are seen, eye is the seer
‘Rupa’ is all that the eyes see (form and color). Rupa is the ‘seen’ while the ‘seer’ is the eyes. Forms that are referred to here are the articles, beings and circumstances (ABCs) , which means the world. (This would refer to ‘O’ (Objects) in Swami Chinmayananda’s BMI chart). The ‘ABCs’ or ‘O’ are many, which is brought to the body (or eyes) which is one. With reference to the BMI chart, we go from Objects to Body, that is we go higher.
Eyes are seen, mind is the seer
The eyes (body) are the ‘seen’ and the ‘seer’ is the mind. The eyes are the gross body and the mind is the subtle body. Although the eyes are referenced here, ‘body’ refers to all the body parts (many) while the mind is one.
Mind is seen, Sakshi (witness or observer) is the seer
Dhi means mind/intellect (deeper than the mind). Mind is only thoughts. Thoughts are many while the witness is one. So here we go from the subtle body (mind) to causal body (witness).
The ‘Sakshi’ is not Sat Chit Ananda (existence, awareness, joy). Existence/awareness is infinite, and there is no other entity (so cannot be observing!). Advaita means there is no other. When there is a witness/observer, then there has to be two entities. Hence Sakshi cannot be the Absolute.
The Sakshi is the seer and that never becomes the seen. Sakshi is a purified ego. Whatever we eat — some of it goes back to earth (Tamasic part), some becomes the body (Rajasic part) and some becomes the mind (Saathvik part). Considering the breathing system — those who are unhealthy breathe heavily even while not doing anything, whereas Yogis can hold their breath for a long time. So there is a gross breath, a subtle breath and a causal breath. We can extrapolate this to the mind/intellect/ego. ‘Sattva’ means quiet, ‘Shudda Sattva’ is very quiet (in a pure way) and ‘Vishuddha Sattva’ is a new degree of being extremely very quiet! Sakshi is quite close to ‘Sat Chit Ananda’ or Brahman or awareness, but is not awareness. Sakshi is the one who is experiencing.
Sun is illumination/light. Sakshi is like the sun’s rays. Sun’s rays and Sun are different. If we follow the rays, it will lead us to the Sun. In the same way, if we practice Sakshi Bhava, that is, feeling that I am different from what I am experiencing — then my identification changes, which means my limitations change.
In the 9th Skanda of Srimad Bhagavatam, the focus is ‘Vasana kshaya’. Vasana means limits. There are 3 ways to free ourselves from these limits. The surface way is exhaustion for light Vasanas — just go through it. For medium Vasanas , it is parivartana or substitution. For deep Vasanas, it has to be Vasana Nasha, or disidentification of those Vasanas. As long as we feel we have those Vasanas, we are limited by them. When we know that we are different from the Vasana, then we are not limited by them!
Go from the ABCs, to the body, to the mind and to that very pure ego. Have the feeling that you are the experiencer rather than the experienced and that will be the catalyst for us to transcend experience. When we transcend experience then we are just ‘be-ing’ !