CONTEMPLATION OF THE SELF

The Self, or Ātman, is the true and real identity of a person. It is without form, beginning, and ending. It is the only Witness-Conscious Self. There is no object and only one subject. It is not subject to time-space-causation. The notion of “I” as a separate identity germinates under the veil of ignorance as the Self relishes the fruits of objects. In the process, it gets stalked by the myriad issues of entrapment. It gets forgetful of its original identity as an emanation of the Cosmic Self.

Sage Ashtavakra contends that neither things nor anything exist within one's real identity, the Self. The Witness Self is an identity that arises by acknowledging one's Self as such, and it has no physical existence. Everything else is a fabrication. The idea of a distinct identity, or "I," gives rise to all of these concepts. We attempt to maintain the tangible universe that the notion of "I" created in ignorance. We live our lives controlled by a false sense of meaning and purpose, forgetting our true oneness and becoming firmly ensnared in our perceived separateness. We are creatures of preference and desire, bound by our innate propensity for individuation, which causes us to constantly put one thing against another until the mischief and agony of choice overwhelm us. However, pure and free awareness is who we really are. We are content both now and forever. Desire evaporates when you realise this. You become motionless while you cling to nothing.

 1. Outline

The innate propensity for individuation based on the notion of "I” driven and sustained by insatiable desire, attachments, lust, greed, anger and jealousy, created a world of illusion that has no eternal organic basis. Adi Shankaracharya brusquely states as 

Brahma satyam jagan-mithya

Jivo brahmaiva naparah 

(Brahma Jnanavali Mala, verse 20)

Brahmān alone is real, the world is unreal. Jiva is not other than Brahmān. The Upanisadik terms ‘Brahmān‘ and ‘Ātman‘ indicate the highest Reality, which is non-dual.

The issue is where and how one positions oneself, whether in the subjective, or objective dimensions. The former is Eternal, Absolute, and an Organic Whole, while the latter is temporary, or ephemeral. It is time to contemplate the Real, Subjective, or the Self. All others are transient, and there is no point in pondering over the unreal and evanescent. Contemplation needs to be directed towards awareness of Self, or Ātman, i.e., Sat-Chit-Anand (Existence-Consciousness-Bliss). In his commentary (Essence of the Gita) to the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Swami Sivananda suggests that you should always focus on your own Self. Take refuge in your centre. Think of the Self constantly. Then all the attachments will die automatically. Attachment to the Lord is a potent antidote to annihilating all worldly attachments. He who has no attachments can really love others, for his love is pure and divine. 

Contemplation proceeds from discrimination and fixity of mind in a particular direction, without even the slightest deviation. It is stability and order with the purpose of becoming aware of the force behind all forces, or energy behind all energies. In that way, every creation in the universe is in a sort of deliberate contemplation to maintain that order and stability. Swami Krishnananda maintains that the many elements of nature maintain an inherent stability. The earth and sky are themselves meditating or contemplating in a fixed form, so as not to cause any confusion among themselves. The reason the sun, moon, stars, earth, and heavens all remain in their current positions is because of a unified purpose that is embedded in them and is, of course, acted upon by powers that are greater than ourselves.

2. Scriptures

The scriptures proclaim that Self is self-luminous, self-effulgent, pure and eternal. The scriptures make a contrast between the Ātman, or true Self of human beings, and his empirical self. The existential self, the empirical self, is mutable, sorrowful, and suffering-prone. The eternal Ātman, which witnesses empirical happenings yet stays untouched and eternal, is the real Self. They proclaim that Self is self-luminous, self-effulgent, pure and eternal.

The Taittiriya Upanishad asserts Self-contemplation. Self is Brahmān (Cosmic Self). Brahmān, who has been declared as if He were remote, is now said to be the immediate one. — Do thou see the Self by thyself in the space within the heart. This space within the heart is the abode of buddhi, the intellect. There dwells the Soul (Puruṣa) to be cognised immediately as one formed of thought (Manomaya). The Soul is spoken of as Manomaya (mental) because, just as Rāhu, the eclipsing shadow, is seen along with the moon, so is the Soul directly seen only along with the manas (mind). Or, because the manas is the organ by which the Soul (Puruṣa) can think of objects, He is spoken of as Manomaya. Or, the Soul is spoken of as Manomaya because He identifies Himself with manas; or because the Soul is manifested through manas, which therefore forms the mark pointing to His existence. -—(S).

 Brihadāranyak Upanishad tersely says that Self, or Ātman is the Whole, It remains as Whole without any dimnutation.

purāṇam adaḥ, pūrṇam idam, pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate
pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate.
aum kham brahma, kham pūrṇam, vāyuraṁ kham,
iti ha smāha kauravyāyaṇī-putraḥ, vedo'yam brāhmaṇā viduḥ;
vedainena yad veditavyam.

Whatever is anywhere, is everywhere, and whatever is everywhere, is anywhere.

Swami Krishnananda elucidates beautifully. 'That is full; this is full.' What was the cause? That is the full. And what is the effect? That is also the full.' And from the full, the full has come'—the full effect has come from the full cause. When something is taken from something else, generally there is a shortage on the part of that from which you have taken it. You know very well that if, from ten quintals, you take five quintals, only five quintals remain there. But it is not so here. When the universe has come out of the Absolute, there is no diminution in the content of the Absolute. This is indeed a mysterious emanation. Even when the rays of the sun emanate from the sun, there is combustion going on and a kind of diminution of the intensity of the heat of the sun, physically speaking. But in this case, nothing changes, and there is no diminution whatsoever. The content is as full as it was, as it is, and as it will be. So, pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya: 'After having taken away, or after the coming out of the effect from the Supreme Cause, what remains is full only.' This is another way of symbolically telling you that nothing has happened; no creation has taken place; it only appears as if it has to the blinded eyes of ignorant individuals—pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate.

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita asserts that attachments retard contemplation on the Self; therefore, give up attachment and perform actions as a matter of duty because by working without being attached to the fruits, one attains the Supreme.The Bhagavad Gita emphatically declares to rise above the three modes (Sattva, or mode of goodness; Rajas, or mode of passion;  and Tamas, or mode of ignorance) to a state of pure spiritual consciousness. Be placed in the Self, liberated from dualities, permanently fixed in Truth, and unafraid of material gain or safety. In the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna states that to be enlightened means to reach that state and then to never be tricked again. One is freed from the cycle of life and death and enters God's Supreme Abode when they are settled in this consciousness, even at the hour of death. They engage, according to the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, in deep contemplation upon the illusory nature of the world, and the identity of the self as distinct from the body, mind, intellect, and ego. The senses are withdrawn from the world, and the mind is engaged in meditation upon the Self. The goal is to become practically situated in Self-knowledge, in the assumption that the Self is identical with the Supreme Ultimate reality. As aids to contemplation, they chant aphorisms such as: tat tvam asi “I am That,” (Chhāndogya Upaniṣhad 6.8.7)[v21] and ahaṁ brahmāsmi “I am the Supreme Entity.” (Bṛihadāraṇyak Upaniṣhad 1.4.10) [v22].

According to Sage Ashtavakra, you are neither the body nor its owner, nor are you the one who does actions or experiences their consequences. You are the witness, eternally pure consciousness, and you don't need anything, so enjoy your life. The Sage continues by emphasising Consciousness as the ultimate form of the Self. Desire and anger are products of the mind, but you do not own your mind, and you have never owned it. You are not really in control of anything, and awareness never changes. Allowing oneself to be seen in all creatures and all creatures in oneself; being happy; letting go of regret; and letting go of the idea of "me." Like ocean waves, the consciousness that the whole world floods into is your essence. You are unquestionably who you are, so don't worry about anything. You are witness to everything that happens, formless and disconnected. Ignorance leads the self to appear as the world; realising the Self causes the self to disappear. A rope that was erroneously portrayed as a snake vanishes when anything is done poorly. Avoid sensual objects like poison and practice being authentic, empathic, content, tolerant, and honest as the antithesis of these remedies if you want to be free.

3. Remarks

 If you can call the three great evils—Kāma, Krodha, and Lobha—that are the opposites of contemplation, then they are desire, anger, and greed. They focus on particularity and keep you from conceiving of Totality. Nothing can come to mind completely when these forces start operating. There will only be brief cameos. You cannot see something in its entirety, even if you stare at it. You'll just get to view a little of it. For instance, different people will perceive gold jewellery in different ways. It is an ornament for someone who desires diamonds. For him or her, there is just beauty and jewellery. The weight of the gold is the only factor that defines its worth to a goldsmith. It means nothing to an animal, like a monkey, who has no idea of its value. Therefore, things can be viewed in several ways, depending on one's perspective.

The lack of coordination between two things, according to Swami Krishnananda, makes it impossible for one to control the other. A completely external entity cannot be influenced in any way, as externality is the essence of existence's complete isolation. When one person rules over an external entity, the power that is applied to the subject will eventually wear off since the person applying the power to the external is not the same as the object being applied. Power can come from nothing other than that which is the Self and that which is acknowledged as the Self in everything. Power, then, is the recognition of one's own being in another; it is not a force that emits from one being to another. Therefore, until the Selfhood that is acknowledged in one's own Self is felt and realised in the object as well, no true power is ultimately possible or feasible. The smallest entity is believed to be the Self; this is known as the ātman. And Brahmān is the greatest of all. These two terms are highly significant in the Upanishads. The two are recognised. The extreme of the microcosmic is equivalent to the cosmic extreme. Because it is the deepest within us, it is the smallest and most delicate of all. The principle comes before even the way our mind works. Though, for all intents and purposes, we might believe that the intellect is the internal capacity that enables us to think and comprehend, the intellect itself is exterior to it.

 -Asutosh Satpathy