I AM AWARENESS

Visible is not Real nor Real is visible in this phenomenal world. The Real is One, indivisible, eternal, infinite, imperishable, and in Absolute Existence. Identity is one and indivisible, i.e., Awareness Alone. The underlying essence of Reality is consciousness. Consciousness is Awareness, the Ultimate Reality. It is not a mere characteristic of the individual but the fundamental, all-pervading essence of Reality, the source of our identity and the universe itself. The Upanishads posit that it is the underlying reality—the Brahmān, the Cosmic Self— from which the universe and all beings emerge. I am Awareness Alone, declares sage Ashtavakra (Ashtavakra Gita, 1.13-14) during his discourses with sage King Janaka. It is when one is aware of his own Self,  beyond the body-mind-intellect system, and in one with the Brahmān, the Universal Self, or the Cosmic Self. As a fundamental aspect of Reality, it is not a product of the body-mind-intellect system; rather, it transcends that system to be one with the Universal Self. The aphoristic  sayings in the Upanishads help one to think about and become aware of the Self. The aphoristic sayings in the Upanishads help one to think about and become aware of the Self. The Great Sayings, or Mahāvākyas, are profound aphorisms from scriptures that posit the essential identity between the Ātman (inner spirit or self) and Brahmān (Absolute Existence or Supreme Being): "Prajñānam Brahma" in the Aitareya Upanishad (3.3), which means "Consciousness is Brahmān," "Ayam Ātmā Brahma" in the Mandukya Upanishad (1.2), which means "This Self (Atman) is Brahman," "Tat Tvam Asi" in the Chāndogya Upanishad (6.8.7), which means "Thou art That," and "Aham Brahmāsmi" in the Brihadāranyaka Upanishad (1.4.10), which means "I am Brahmān."

1. Outline

Meditate on yourself as motionless awareness, free from any dualism, giving up the mistaken idea that you are just a derivative consciousness or anything external or internal. The snare of identification with the body-mind-intellect system has long trapped you. Sage Ashtavakra says I am Awareness Alone. Cut it off with the knife of knowledge and be happy. This phrase is a short statement he made while delivering his discourses to King Janaka (Ashtavakra Gita, 1.13–14). In this way, Sage Ashtavakra rejects all identities that appear in a group or cluster. Acharya Prashant says that all the identities we usually have, like being a person, a son, a brother, a father, an uncle, etc., come to us all at once. These are not individual identities; they are clusters of identities. Although it may be desirable to select a single identity, the mere act of touching it allows hundreds of identities to be integrated into one's self. But one identity that is indivisible, imperishable, eternal, and unshakeable is your own Self, or Ātman. Realise that identity and be with that only. That is full of eternal happiness, or Sat-Chit-Anand (Existence-Knowledge-Bliss), or satya≂ jñānamananta≂ brahma (Brahmān is Real, Consciousness, and Infinite). As we are all an expansion of that we need to be aware of that only. We need to be aware that we are all an extension of that. But our conceptions of finite transience, perishability, divisibility, and relativity arise due to our perceptions of everything visible through our sense organs. We make it impossible for ourselves to see the eternal, transcendent, and immanent reality that lies beyond our phenomenal world of perceptions.  You are neither earth, water, fire, air, nor even ether. For liberation, know yourself as consisting of consciousness, the witness of these. If only you will remain resting in consciousness, seeing yourself as distinct from the body, then even now you will become happy, peaceful and free from bonds., contends Sage Ashtavakra (Ashtavakra Gita, 1.3-4). Sage philosopher Swami Krishnananda says that the fact that we are relativistic is a sign that something absolute might be out there. If there isn't anything that gives us the impression that things are relative, relativity cannot be introduced. Things that enable us to observe the relative nature of objects are not themselves relative. Thus, it is necessary to acknowledge the existence of that which is Brahmān, or Absolute, in texts such as the Upanishads. For the sake of our own descriptive understanding, we give this name to that which needs to exist to be transcendent to everything our eyes can see and everything our minds can conceive.

2. Scriptures

The Ashtavakra Gita is a dialogue of discourses between Sage Ashtavakra and King Janaka. It says the world only arises from ignorance, and you alone are Real. Burn down the forest of ignorance with the fire of the understanding that 'I am the one pure awareness', and be happy and free from distress (1.9). There is no one, not even God, separate from yourself(15.16). You are pure awareness. The world is an illusion, nothing more. When you understand the truth fully, desire falls away. You find peace. There is nothing (15.17). You are not your body. Your body is not you. You are not the doer. You are not the enjoyer. You are pure awareness, the conscious witness of all things. You are without expectation and always Free. Wherever you go, Be happy! (15.4). The Ashtavakra Gita elucidates the meaning of the Supreme Reality, Brahman, the self and Atman (Self, soul) and Maya ("an illusion where things appear to be present but are not what they seem"). Self-realisation, Paramahansa Yogananda in his commentary on Ashtavakra Gita says knowing—in body, mind, and soul—that we are one with the omnipresence of God; that we do not have to pray that it come to us; that we are not merely near it at all times, but that God's omnipresence is our omnipresence; that we are just as much a part of Him now as we ever will be." All we have to do is strengthen our knowledge. Realisation of Self is yoga, which means being "one" with truth. It is when the all-knowing, intuitive part of the soul directly perceives or experiences truth. The Ashtavakra Gita says directly, You are Tat Tvam Asi, or Thou Art That, or Pure Existence. You’re God. Your nature is light, nothing but light. When the world arises, you alone are shining (2.8). It speaks to reality inside you. It transcends the mind, making it impossible to contemplate. Self, or Ātman, is conscious, aware, and a witness. We constantly try to improve ourselves by adding or subtracting something from ourselves. Sage Ashtavakra says that you are already pure and perfect. You don’t need to add anything to that. However, you should still strive for improvement. Don't misunderstand; you still need to enhance your life through meditation. The universe is you. The universe arises from you. Despite your detachment, the entire universe is arising within you; you are not apart of it. You can’t experience anything outside your consciousness. What you experience is your own self. How do I abide in pure consciousness? He says, You already abide in pure consciousness; the problem is that you get mixed up with the mind that thinks, 'I have to abide as pure consciousness. ' Being in pure consciousness means realising that the same pure consciousness shines through all life experiences, good or bad. We experience all experiences in the same light. We think we need time because masters meditated for years to achieve Samadhi. How long does it take a wave to realise it's water? It happens instantly! How long would it take you to realise that you're God? It happens instantly! You, the Pure Consciousness, know yourself to be Pure Consciousness. Don’t consider yourself to be the Pure Consciousness. The mind may think, "I want to be the Pure Consciousness," but it can never be the Pure Consciousness itself. The Pure Consciousness is you all the time, and you cannot be anything else. Set your body aside. Sit in your own awareness. You will immediately find happiness, remain eternally calm, and experience everlasting freedom (1.4).The Mandukya Upanishad talks about four different levels of consciousness: waking (Jagrat), also known as sub-consciousness; dreaming (Swapna), also known as consciousness; deep sleep (Sushupti), also known as super-consciousness; and a transcendental fourth state (Turiya).This aligns with the doctrine of the three bodies: the gross body, the subtle body, and the causal body. The first state is the waking state, in which we are aware of our daily world. We describe it as outward-knowing (bahish-prajnya), gross (sthula), and universal (vaishvanara). The second state is the dreaming mind. We describe it as inward-knowing (antah-prajnya), subtle (pravivikta), and burning (taijasa). The third state is the state of deep sleep. The basis of consciousness is clear in this state. It is "the Lord of all" (sarv'-eshvara), "the knower of all" (sarva-jnya), "the inner controller" (antar-yami), "the source of all" (yonih sarvasya), and "the beginning and end of created things" (prabhav'-apyayau hi bhutanam). The fourth factor is Turiya, pure consciousness. It is the background that underlies and transcends the three common states of consciousness. Turiya is described as the state of pure, unmanifest consciousness, where the individual self merges with the universal self, resulting in liberation. Achieving self-knowledge, or realising one's true nature as conscious awareness, is seen as the path to liberation from ignorance and suffering.

3. Remarks

We remain forgetful of our own selves. Our identy is situated in the phenomenal world of identification with the pair of opposites-heat and cold, sweet and sour, happiness and distress, attachment and detachment. That arise with the thought 'I', enshrine with the idea of separate identity derives from body-mind-intellect complex. The little 'I' invents the phenomenal world that we strive hard to sustain because of our phenomenal existence. Forgetting our original oneness, bound tightly in our imaginary separateness, we spend our lives mastered by a specious sense of purpose and value. Endlessly constrained by our habit of individuation, the creature of preference and desire, we continually set one thing against another, until the mischief and misery of choice consume us. As a consequence, we remain encapsulated from the thought manufacturing machine, the kind that tightly controls the sense orgabs to fulfill the insatiable desires. We forget the clarion call of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita (6.6) for those who have conquered the mind, it is their friend. For those who have failed to do so, the mind works like an enemy. The Gita (6.7) further says that the practitioners who have conquered the mind rise above the dualities of cold and heat, joy and sorrow, and honor and dishonor. Such yogis remain peaceful and steadfast in their devotion to God.

-Asutosh Satpathy