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#4401 -
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
John Komperda
is a nondual counselor who blogs at
http://pureabidance.blogspot.com/
He was interviewed by
Richard Miller here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8yhP2YiNM8
The Wizard John Troy
sends this awesome portrait of the recent Onederful
gathering: a mountain gathering of friends, held this
past June. Wish I was there. I've played it three or four times.
Once for the photos and about three times for the
music! -jk
~ ~ ~
A lovely free sharing event in the
Put together by Sarah Lever and Diannah
Beauregard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz-w2TpOhvo
Peace,
john...
Light and Consciousness
By Meenakshi Abbaraju
http://advaita-academy.org/blogs/Meenakshi/Light-and-Consciousness.ashx
In vedAnta, teaching is given out in an
indirect manner. Consciousness is subtle and not an object of
perception; it is not available for perception or objective
cognition. In the beginning, the student is much habituated to
the dualistic world and cannot comprehend non-dualism. Hence,
teachers take support of this very dualistic world to make him
arrive at the truth.
Though advaita vedAnta talks about the
world being unreal; yet for catering to the unprepared mind of
the student, teachers introduce the topic of "creation of
the world". As the student improves his understanding and
clarity, this creation is negated as being just a seeming
reality. Just as the dream world ‘as though’ exists,
but disappears on waking; so also this world that we see, has no
substantiality of its own. It borrows its existence from
consciousness, the Atma.
One of the common analogies that teachers
give from the material world we know, is light. Here, we will
look into some of the aspects which are common between light and
consciousness.
1. nirAkAra – Formless
Both are devoid of forms. Only an object
can have a form. Consciousness being the very subject, it is
formless. It is due to the consciousness that all forms are
cognized. Light also has no form. We see it in our daily lives.
We light up a room. The light pervades the whole room without any
form as such.
2. nirvikalpa – Divisionless
Consciousness is uniform and homogenous. It
cannot be broken into parts. All the divisions happen only at the
material level. Consciousness is a non material entity that is
divisionless. Light is also divisionless. One cannot divide the
light in a room. Furniture etc can be divided but not the light.
3. nirmala – Taintless
Consciousness is nityashuddha (ever- pure).
All impurities belong to objects. Atma, the consciousness is
attribute-less and the attributes and properties of objects do
not taint it. Same is the case with light. Neither the fragrance
of the flowers, nor any bad odour can taint the light in the
room.
4. nissIma – Limitless
This consciousness, Atma, is limitless.
Anything with a limitation becomes an object of perception. Atma
is infinite, ananta. Light is also limitless (relatively). We see
that when an astronaut goes out in space, there is pitch darkness
everywhere, but we can see the astronaut and the spacecraft
clearly. This is so, because pure light cannot be perceived
without a medium. In the presence of an object, it is known. This
light is perceived in the place where the astronaut and
spacecraft are.
This light is limitless like space
(again this is in a relative sense, because space and light are
also mithyA(unreal), hence enjoy only dependent existence)
5. nissanga- Associationless
Atma, consciousness being free from
attributes, pure, non-dual and all pervasive, it is
associationless. Association can happen if there is something
other than consciousness. There is only non-dual Atma. Rest all
is mithyA(unreal). Hence Atma is associationless; the objective
universe is temporary, seemingly appearing. Light also is
associationless. It has nothing to do with what it
illumines.
Due to these similarities, it is quite
possible that an aspirant might equate consciousness to some kind
of light or energy. Examples should be taken in the right spirit
and should not be stretched too far. One should not say
"Consciousness is like light; I saw a light in meditation;
so, I have seen Atma." This is absurd. Atma cannot be ‘seen’
since it is not an object. It has to be known and cognized as the
core of one’s own being. One should also not start imagining
Atma as a ball of fire emanating energy.
There are many places in the scriptures
where Atma is indicated by the words which mean ‘self
illuming’ or ‘nature of light; for e.g. ‘svayamprabha’(self
illumining) ‘svayamprakasha’(self illumining), ‘jyothisvarUpa’
(nature of light) etc. If Atma is not a blazing ball of fire or a
packet of energy; why is Atma called a light innumerable number
of times in the scriptures. That’s a good question which has
a simple answer.
What is light?
That, in the presence of which objects are
visible and in the absence of which the objects are not visible
is light. So, it is the principle due to which one is able to see
an object. In that sense, the eyes are ‘light’,
because, due to the eyes, I see. In the absence of eyes, I cannot
see. The ears are light; since due to the ears I can hear and in
the absence of ears I cannot hear. So, ears are light with
respect to the hearing world; meaning ears are ‘light’
to perceive sound. Nose is ‘light’ with respect to the
smelling world. I can smell in the presence of nose and cannot
smell in the absence of nose. So, nose is the ‘light’
to perceive smell. In a nutshell, all the five organs are light
to perceive their corresponding objects. The mind is the ‘light’
to know, since in the presence of the mind, I know my surrounding
and in the absence of mind (sleep, swoon etc) I do not know my
surroundings.
Consciousness is the light of all lights.
This does not mean consciousness is 100000 watt bulb!!! It
only means that in the presence of consciousness, and due to the
consciousness alone all these ‘lights’, that is, all
these organs are functioning. Otherwise, the organs mind, etc are
inert; they being the product of five elements. These organs,
acquire sentiency and the ability to function only due to the
backing of the Atma. This is the import. In other words, it is
this consciousness which enlivens them and gives them the status
of ‘lights’.
So, then, consciousness is called light in
the sense of being an illuminator and witnessing principle. In
its presence, the world manifests, in its presence the world is
sustained and in its presence is it destroyed. In its presence do
the organs and mind function. The fact that all this is happening
with the organs and is also known, is because of Atma. Does this
Atma need another light? No. It is non-dual and all-pervasive
illumining principle. Here, illumining is not an action done by
Atma. It only means that in the presence of Atma , everything is
cognized. If there is another light needed to know this Atma,
then Atma would no longer be non-dual and real.
In the presence of Atma, one knows
what one knows, and one knows what one does not know. What a
lightless light!!!