Dear
All,
We
are contemplating on the verse which reads thus:-
(As the sun’s nature is
luminosity; that of water is coolness; and that of fire is heat; so too,
the nature of Existence, Knowledge and Bliss, of Eternity and Purity, are of
the Self or Atman).
We
covered the nature of existence, SAT, yesterday.
We will take up the next part - Knowledge of CHIT,
today.
CHIT
In
the Kena Upanishad, we find a very interesting question. We see, hear, speak
and think — but what power impels our mind to think, our tongue to speak, our
eyes to see and ears to hear? In other words, what are we in the deepest, most profound
depths of our being?
Like
most deep questions, it appears deceptively simple.
Consider
our bodies. They are made of matter. Yet, we have a
Modern
neuroscience is unable to account for the vivid living conscious experiences
which we have all the time. This vivid first person experience cannot be
captured by a materialistic account like the firing of neurons. This is the
so-called ‘hard problem’ of modern consciousness studies.
The
Kena Upanishad begins with this question about consciousness — the inner
experience of thinking, hearing, seeing, speaking.
What
is that, shining within us, which enables all these conscious experiences and
functions?
Who
is that Being or what is that mechanism which makes these possible?
The
Guru’s answer is extraordinary and profound (and, at first, rather enigmatic). ‘It is the Ear of
the ear, Mind of the mind, Eye of the eye …’!
Let
us try to understand this. The answer, simply
put, is Pure Consciousness — Chit. The moment we use a term like Consciousness,
we have to be very careful because the immediate temptation is to understand it
in the sense of thoughts and feelings.
This
is how Consciousness is usually understood by modern psychology. But when the
Upanishads speak of Pure Consciousness we must carefully distinguish it from
the ordinary understanding of Consciousness. Science says Consciousness is a
product of the body (the brain to be specific).
But
the Upanishads hold that Chit or Consciousness is not a product of the body or
even the mind.
Our
bodies are made of matter and our minds too are made of matter, albeit of a
subtle kind, while Chit is radically different from matter.
Chit
pervades and illumines the mind and body enabling all functions — thinking,
seeing, hearing, feeling, speaking and so on. Chit is ‘known’ only through its
manifestations in the various functions of the mind, organs and body.
Without the body and
mind, as in deep sleep, Chit cannot be known or experienced — yet, It continues
to exist.
Now
we are in a position to understand the Guru’s enigmatic reply: ‘Since It is
the Ear of the ear, the Mind of the mind, the Speech of speech, the Life of
life, and the Eye of eye, therefore (realizing It) the jnanis transcend the
world and become immortal.’
Since
Chit enables each organ to perform its specific function, it is appropriate to
call It, the essence of all organs—Ear of the ear, Mind of the mind, etc. Chit
is what you really are — Pure Consciousness. It is unchanging and undying and
if you realize yourself as Chit, you become immortal (rather, you realize that
you are immortal and always were).
Chit
identified with body and mind appears to be mortal. Note that the bodies are
mortal — equally for the jnani and ajnani. Ramakrishna, Christ and Buddha — all
had physical bodies and those bodies are gone, just as our bodies will perish
one day. But as Chit, we are immortal.
This
is to be realized and this is the Upanishadic ideal of moksha or freedom. Our true Self, Chit,
is not an experience, yet all experiences shine in Chit. Chit is the
consciousness illumining every thought, every experience. To the jnani, Chit is
experienced in each experience.
We
shall take up the 3rd part - Atman is Bliss, in the next
post.
Love.
