Eastern perspectives of consciousness.ppt

/home/pptfactory/temp/20100429143424/eastern-perspectives-of-consciousnessdoc501.doc -1-

EASTERN PERSPECTIVES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
1. Consciousness & Upanishads
2. Consciousness according to Sankhya, Darshana & Yoga
3. Consciousness and Gita

The Upanishads talks about Brahman and Atman as one. All other things are mundane.
Brahman or Consciousness is ‘Self’ and does not need any proof for its existence.
All our thoughts are drawn from the ‘Universal mind’ and we are nothing but a spark of
the ‘Universal body.’

CONSCIOUSNESS IN KENA UPANISHAD
The Kena Upanishad has derived its name from the very first word ‘Kena’ (by whom)
with which it begins. In the Kena Upanishad, we get the notion of the Ultimate Reality as
the origin, ground and the goal of all manifestation. It opens with a fundamental question
‘who controls our sense organs ‘which also implies ‘who controls this world?’

This Upanishad contains the story of Uma Haimavathi imparting spiritual knowledge to
Gods who thought in a moment of Self-conceit and Self-forgetfulness that they are all
powerful. The Gods also understood that, they had no power of their own, all the powers,
they possess, come from one source and that is ‘Brahman’.

The Upanishad opens with a question, perhaps by an inquiring disciple, whether there is
any entity behind the sense organs like the ear or the organ of speech or even the mind
that makes them to work. The teacher – that there is, that he is the eye of the eye (power
behind the eye), speech of the speech, ‘präëasya präëaù’ àa[Sy àa[> (real
power behind the breath), mind of the mind. They are able to function because of the
presence and power of the CONSCIOUSNESS. It is almost impossible to impart the
knowledge concerning him to others since his characteristics are beyond comprehension
of the senses and mind (Aprameya).

Yadvachaanbhyuditham yena vaagbhyudhyathe
Tadeva Brahma tvam viddhi na idam yadidamupasate

The above verse defines Consciousness - Speech cannot reveal the Consciousness, but
by ‘that’, speech becomes a vehicle of expression. This phenomenal world becomes real
to us and by running after objects of this sense world, we, in fact worship it. Behind this
phenomenal world is the Consciousness, the reality and we are one with the reality.

Consciousness is that which sages say, makes the mind to function and beyond the
comprehension of mind or in other words mind has limitations and it fails to grasp ‘that’.

Without Consciousness the organs – eyes, ears nose are powerless. The power by which
these sense organs function is Consciousness. The world appears to be real, as it is
supported by Consciousness, independent of which the world does not exist.

CONSCIOUSNESS IN MANDUKYA UPANISHAD


Mandukya Upanishad is the smallest of the ten Upanishads, but it has been considered as
Basis to the principles of Advaita Vedanta. An analysis of three states of Consciousness.
ie. Jagrat ( Wakefulness) , Swapna ( Dream) & Sushupti ( Deep Sleep) and relating them
to 3 syllables a, u, & m of Pranava or omkara and establishing in the state of turiya
(fourth state) as the highest reality is the specialty of the message.

The 4 are not like 4 legs of a
cow. 4 Dimensions
1 2
1
23
3 4 4

1. Jagrat
2. Svapna
3. Suúupti
4. Turiyá 279

THE THREE STATES OF OUR
LIVES
JAGRAT : WAKEFUL
CONSCIOUSNESS
SVAPNA: DREAM
SUSUPTI: DEEP SLEEP

THAT WHICH IS BEYOND
IS TURIYA 280

The fundamental truth, the Ultimate, Eternal, All pervading concept is OM or
Consciousness. Omkara is the bridge, which connects saguna Brahman & Nirguna
Brahman. Om stands for everything for the whole universe. Om also encompasses past,
present & future. Not only that, if there is something beyond these three times that also is
included in Om. ‘Trikalatvam’ is what is beyond the three times and absolute time.

Sarvam yetad brahma ayamatma brahma

Soyamatma chatushapat…

This entire phenomenal world is Brahman. This Atman is the individual ‘I,’ and is the
Universal ‘I’. It has four states chatushpat. The individual here does not change. It is the
same individual who is in the wakeful, dream, sleeping and Samadhi (the state one with


the Brahman). We see all kinds of modification, but the reality is always the
CONSCIOUSNESS.

 F se #jcd obe e
l³e o e eF m ¥
l J
“AUM” Aksara is all this
How can it be?
•Just as energy is to all matter and
physical world
•Water to all waves
•Gold to all golden ornaments
274

 F se #jcd obe e
l³e o e eF m ¥
l J
So is OM to all the worlds
Living and the non living
Known and the unknown
Kinetic and Potential energies
Vyakta and Avyakta
275

YetleodYeJeled Fefle
‘
YeefJe
<³eled
meJe&ceeWkeÀej
SJe
Past present and future is verily that OM’
All that is in the realm of space time
-T-
causation (S C)
Annamaya PráïamayaManomaya,
–
VijnánamayaKoùas
Jágrat andSvapnacome under the 276

realm of (STC)


The first state is when we are awake. In this state, we enjoy this gross physical world and
we are conscious of the external world. We enjoy the gross world through our body and
sense organs all together 19 faces. (pancha jnanendriyas, pancha karmendriyas, pancha
pranas, manas, Buddhi, chitta & Ahankara) – sthula bhuk’

The second state is the state of dreaming. It involves nothing outside the mind. It is only a
reflection of the desires & past impressions. It is also called as ‘svapna sthana’. In this
state the Consciousness is within the mind ( anthah prajna) . The dreams are reflections
of our experiencing waking state. We are enjoyers through memories & desires.

The next stage is Sushupti or deep sleep – Ekibhoota prajnaanaghana. There is only
Consciousness. There are no dreams, no desires, and no thoughts. The Consciousness
will be dormant. The agent, which provokes the Consciousness to action, is maya or
ignorance. This stage is called ‘ chetomukha’ – the door between the Self &
waking/dreaming state. We are ‘ Ananda bhuk’ ie. enjoyer of bliss. In sushupti causal
body is temporarily suppressed. Omkara envelopes all the three states of Consciousness
and is the ‘Chaturtha.’

In the state of ‘Turiya’ ignorance is completely eliminated through Samadhi. Free from
duality. Even if a person comes back to this ordinary plane of Consciousness, he is no
longer deluded by duality.

Samadhi is voluntarily going to sushupti.
Sushupti is involuntarily going to sushupti where we cannot stay for longer time – there
is is the seed of ignorance.

Esha sarveshwara Esha sarvajna …

This Consciousness is called sarveshwara, the lord of everything, the controller of
everything. It is the source of all knowledge. It is the indwelling spirit, essence of
everything, residing in the heart of everyone, cause of everything, responsible for the
origination & destruction. All beings come from the same source & they go back to the
same source, to the Self.

mee¿ee de eD³eelcey´ e
e & s ley´ e ce e e
Ji b l ï ï
eS celce e < e d
ms³e e e® gele
e leH
All this is Brahman
This self is Brahman
This Self is having 4 padas

278


Big bang theory Vedanta

First came time and space Existence of Akasa
After three minutes explosion took place-
catastrophe hypotheses_ blast of massive Air comes out of space
matter into space (Akashadvayuh)
Then Neutrons, electrons and protons come
together and fiery masses took shape. That
is the fireball sun. Fire comes out of air
(Vayoragnih)
Fire became cold. Water came out of fire
(Agnerapah)
When water gets evaporated soil remains Earth came out of water
that is the earth. (adbyah Prithvi)

SUMMARY
In the unit we have come to know the essence of Kena Upanishad - Consciousness is not
an object to be understood. It is consciousness, which understands.
Senses are activated in the presence of Consciousness. In other words Consciousness is
the base of all senses.

Mandukya Upanishad says that Consciousness is a witness; Consciousness is awake all
the time Consciousness exists always in waking stage, dream stage and sleeping stage.

CONSCIOUSNESS ACCORDING TO SANKHYA, DARSHANA & YOGA
INTRODUCTION
We have six systems of philosophy called shatdarshanas.
1. Nyaya
2. Vaisheshika –
3. Uttara meemamsa
4. Poorva Meemamsa
5. Sankhya
6. Yoga

Sankhya Shastra deals with creation. Yoga Shastra deals with pratipasava – going back to
consciousness, which is the reverse process prasava and prathiprasava.

CONSCIOUSNESS ACCORDING TO SANKHYA
Prakriti is the Sanskrit expression for nature. It does not mean matter as we understand it
today, because the matter of the scientist is a late evolute of Prakriti. It is an expression.
The word säëkhya has been derived from ‘säëkhya’, which means jnäna or
knowledge.


The säëkhya system accepts only puruça (the individual soul) and the pradäna or
prakåti (nature) as the fundamental realities and does not accept éçvara or God.
Hence it is called as ‘niréçvara säëkhya’. (säëkhya without éçvara). The Yoga
philosophy which accepts all the principles of the säëkhya and also éçvara or God in
addition has been designated as ‘saéçvara sänkhya’.

Sankhyan metaphysics has reduced all the realities in our experiences to two fundamental
and eternal substances; the prakriti (lifeless object) and the purusha ( the conscious self).
The basic argument behind this conclusion the principle that the effect pre existed in the
cause before manifestation. Every object is seen to possess three characters – pleasure,
pain and indifference – the sankhya comes to the conclusion that there be three basic
subtle substances from which these three characters are derived. It calls them as gunas –
sattvaguna (producing pleasure or happiness), rajoguna (producing pain and suffereing )
and tamoguna ( producing neither).
Each of these gunas stands for a distinct aspect of physical reality. Satva signifies
whatever is pure and fine and conduces to the production of knowledge as also happiness.
Rajas is ever active. It is also responsible for desires and ambitions, to fulfill which, one
has to actively work. Tamas is stolid and offers resistance. It tends to sleep and inactivity.
These three gunas always exist together and can never get seperated. When these
threewhich are ever in turmoil as it were – are in a perfectly balanced state not interfering
with one another, though ever active or in perpetual motion within themselves, constitute
the prakriti or pradhana. In other words prakriti is none other than these three gunas in a
state of perfect balance.
This prakriti is the basic material, primal matter from which the universe evoloves. It is
the jada it has no consciousness.

The purusha on the other hand is a conscious entity. Consciousness is his very essence.
He is eternal, ever pure, ever detached and allo pervading. There are innumerable
purushas or souls as many as the living beings.
In other words according to Sankhya shastra there is Prakruti & Purusha. Prakriti is Jada
or inert, Purusha is chetana. The whole Universe has come into existence with
combination of jada & chetana. Each one of us is Purusha or Consciousness within i.e.
Individualized Consciousness.

Purusha – Prakriti ( Satwa, Rajas, Tamas)
|
Mahat
|
Ahankara
|
Manas
|
__________________________________________________________


| | | |

5 Tanmatras 5 Mahabhutas 5 Jnanendriyas 5 Karmendriyas
Shabda Akasha shrotru Vak
Sparsha Vayu Twak Pani
Rasa Apah Rasana upastha
Roopaa Agni chakshu pada
Gandha Prithvi GhraNa payu

The process of evolution from prakriti is as follows: as a result of the gunas mixing with
one another, the first evolute coming out of the prakriti is the mahat or the buddhi (the
cosmic intellect). From that emerges ahankara (cosmic ego). From the satvik part of
ahankara evolve manas (cosmic mind), the five jnanendriyas (cosmic organs of
knowledge like the eyes and the ears) and the five karmendriyas (cosmic organs of action
like the hands and feets). From the tamasik part of ahankara are produced the five
tanmatras (subtle elements of earth water etc.) and from them further evolve the five
mahabhutas or gross elements (of earth, water, fire , air, and ether).
In all , including the prakriti , there will now be 24 cosmic principles or elements. The
rest of creation takes place by their permutaion and combination, each purusha getting
involved with prakriti as per his karma.

CONSCIOUSNESS ACCORDING TO YOGA
The aim of yoga is pratiprasava (back to consciousness) to remove ignorance or avidya
and realize the real nature of Purusha.

Yogah Chittah Vritti nirodhah : Yoga is to get mastery over the Chitta.

Chitta = Mind + Ego + Intelligence + Memory

Mind = Gathering the information
Intelligence = Analyzing the information
Ego = Identifying experiences
Memory = Storing the information.

Purusha is in the cage of Prakriti, Mahat, Ahankara & Manas.

It is in the model of Box within a Box.

By Vitarka you can get out of the grossest box Jnanendriyas & Karmendriyas.
By Dharana you can remove subtlest box of Tanmatras, Mahabutas & the manas.
By Asmita Samadhi you can realize that you are the existence.

Keeping the body fit by äsana, pränyäma, baëdha & kriyäs are necessary for
pratyähära (withdrawing the senses).


The object in yoga is harmonizing Rajas & Tamas into Satva. Manas or Ahankara does
not contaminate Satva. At that stage of Mahat, Purusha realizes and goes beyond the
Satva & becomes Gunathitha – the pratiprasava or going back to the consciousness.

When Purusha is attached to Prakriti, he is entangled with Sukha & Dukha. When
detached, it will be in its pristine purity, one with the Universal Consciousness.
a) Yoga takes the theory of Prakriti from Sankhya and explains how Purusha can be
released from Prakriti.
b) The aim of Yoga is Pratiprasava (back to consciousness) to remove the covers and
realizes the real nature of Purusa.
c) Lower Prakriti is Jada while higher Prakriti is charged with consciousness.
d) Consciousness which is trapped in Prakriti is Jiva.
e) According to Sankhya there is one Prakriti and Many Purusas, but Krishna
divides Prakriti in to lower and higher states.
f) Krishna speaks about three Purushas:
Lower Purusha associated with lower Prakriti.
Higher Purusha associated with higher Prakriti.
The supreme Purusha – The master of all is Purusottama.
g) Purusottama is the Universal self and He is the reflection of Nirguna Bharaman.
h) There are no different types of consciousness; these are only different levels and
states of consciousness. Consciousness is always singular.
i) As white colour appears in seven colours, consciousness also appear in different
states different levels.

SUMMARY
In this unit we have learnt the concept of consciousness (puruça or cetana) according to
sänkhya and yoga Philosophy. Yoga takes the theory of Prakriti from sänkhya and
explains how puruça can be released from Prakriti.

CONSCIOUSNESS AND GITA
Consciousness is that which does not undergo any modifications. Everything else other
than consciousness has six modifications as follows :
jäyate – comes to existence
asti – remains
vardhate – grows
viparinamate – changes
apakñéyate – decays
måyate – dies


Shri Krishna in the following verses explains the evolution, but has condesed the 24
tatvas of Sankhya into eight.

ÉUimrapaenlae vayu>om! mnae buiÏrev c
AhNkar #tIym! me iÉÚ ài³itrÏ A:>qxa .
bhümiräponalo väyuùkham mano buddhireva ca
ahankära itéyam me bhinna prakritir añùöadhä (7.4)

My nature is divided into eight categories – earth, water, fire, air , sky , mind,
understanding & ‘ I’ sense.
Apreym! #ts! Tv! ANyam! àk«itm! iviÏ me pram!
jIv ÉUtam! mhabahae yyedm! xayRte jgt!
apareyam itas tv anyäm prakåtim viddhi me paräm
jéva bhütäm mahäbäho yayedam dhäryate jagat (7.5)

This , Oh mighty armed , is My lower Nature. Know that , as different from it , is My
Higher Nature forming the source of all Jivas and the support of the whole universe.
yetdÏ yaenIin ÉUtain svRm! Ty! %pxary
Ahm! k«TõSy jgt> àÉv> àlyStwa .
yetad yonéni bhütäni sarvam ty upadhäraya
aham kåtsnasya jagataù prabhavaù pralayastathä (7.6)

Know that all beings have these two natures of Mine as their source. I am the origin and
the dissolution of this entire Universe.
mÄ> prtrm! n ANy ikiNcdÏ AiSt xn{jy
miy svRm! #dm! àaewm! sUÇe mi[ g[a #v .
mattaù parataram na anya kincid asti dhanaëjaya
mayi sarvam idam protham sütre maëi gaëä iva (7.7)

Oh Arjuna! There is no being Higher than Me. As a row of pearls threaded on a string ,
all the worlds are held on Me.

The above verses set forth that in the creative process of the Lord’s power of
Manifestations functions as His two natures – The material i.e Unconsciousness Nature
or Prakriti and His spiritual Nature or the Jivas. Strangely enough, the Jiva , which should
be calle dpurusha is classified with prakriti here, there by obliterating the dicotamy
between the two terms familiar in the Sankhya.

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The material Nature is here treated in its Cosmic aspect and is spoken of as eight fold.
But that is done by counting only the effect category and leaving the causal categories as
implied . Fully stated , according to the analysis of the Sankya philosophy , the categories
of the Prakriti and its evolutes are 24. These are – Prakriti (with its three Gunas of Satva,
Rajas, Tamas) ; Mahatatva ; Ahankara ; Manas ; the five organs of knowledge; the five
organs of action; the five tanmatras; and the five gross elements of Sky , Air, Fire, Water
and Earth. From these categories the material Universe is evolved. Also the psycho -
physical organism of the Jiva , consisting of his subtle and gross bodies, evolves out of
these. The subtle body persist through all embodiments until ther Jiva gains liberation,
attaining to his natural state as purusha. This material Nature or Prakriti is infinite with
countless dimensions in which different world systems (Lokas) of different subtley
coexist without mutual intrusion and the Jiva finds embodiment in these different Lokas
accordiong to his Karma.
]eÇ¶m! caip mam! iviÏ sv ]eÇezu Éart
]eÇ ]eÇ¶yaerÏ Jnanm! yt! tt! Jnanm! mtm! mm .
kñetrajnam cäpi mäm viddhi sava kñetreçu bhärata
kñetra kñetrajnayor jnänam yat tat jnänam matam mama (13.2)
Know Me Oh Scion of Bharata race, to be the Kshetrajna (the spirit)
In all Kshetraas (bodies). The knowledge of the distinction between Kshetra and
Kshetrajna alsone is real knowledge according to Me.

In (13.2) Krishna says that there are 2 categories in the consciousness of man _ the object
and the subject, the ‘seen’ and the ‘seer’. The ‘seen’ is in the field, the body; the ‘seer’ is
the spirit, the Jiva. The body mind is its addition, the instrument through which the spirit
contacts objects. Still, it is only the ‘seen’, the ‘object’, because the seer the Jiva is not
part of it but distinct from it and master of it.
In a broader sense the field is not merely the individual body but Universal nature of
which the individual body is a part. This Universal nature of which individual body is a
part. This Universal Nature, the Field is constituted of the following : The egoity,
Intellect, the Un-manifested state, the eleven organs, the five objects of perception, will ,
aversion, joy, sorrow, combination, life, vitality. All the individual fields are made of the
combination of these and in all of them Seer is Myself (My part or reflection in them).

n Astae ivXyte Éavae nÉavae ivXyte st>
%Éyaerip ÔZqaeNtSTv Anyaes! tTv dizRiÉ> .
na asato vidhyate bhävo nabhävo vidhyate sataù
ubhayorapi draçöontastva anayos tatva darçibhiù (2.16)

The unreal can never come into existence, and the real can never cease to be.
The wise philosphers have known the truth about these categories. (of the real and the
unreal).


Aivnaiz tu tdÏ iviÏ yen svRimdm! ttm!
ivnazmVyySyaSy n kiSct! ktuRm! AhRit .
avinäçi tu tad viddhi yeana sarvamidam tatam
vinäçamavyayasyäsya na kascit kartum arhati (2. 17)
Know that Reality, by which everything is pervaded, to be indestructible,
No one can cause the destruction of this immutable Being.

nEn< iDNdiNt zôai[ nEn< dhit pavk>
ncEn< ¬edy<Tyap> n zae;yit maét>.
nainaà chindanti çasträëi nainaà dahati pävakaù
nacainaà kledayantyäpaù na çoñayati märutaù (2.23)
Weapons do not cleave the Atman, fire burns it not, water wets it not, wind dries it not.
ACD*ae=ymdaýae=ym! A¬e*ae=zae:y yev c
inTy> svRgtSwa[u> Aclae=ym! snatn>.
acchaedyo'yamadähyo'yam akledyo'çoñya yeva ca
nityaù sarvagatasthäëuù acalo'yam sanätanaù (2.24)
This Self is uncleavable, incombustible and neither wetted nor dried. It is eternal, all-
pervading, stable, immovable and everlasting.
AVy´ae=ym! AicNtyae=ym! AivkayaeR=ym!
%Cyte
tSmadÏ @vm! ividTvEnm! n Anuzaeictum! AhRis .
avyakto'yam acintayo'yam avikäryo'yam ucyate
tasmäd evam viditvainam na anuçocitum arhasi (2.25)
Knowing Him (the Self ) to be unmanifest , inconceivable and unmodifyiable it is
improper to mourn for Him.

The truth is that man’s spirit or Atman is indestructible. Until man lives by this truth ,
there can be no abiding virtue in him. In order to convince this Arjuna, Krishna at the
very start of this discourse, expounds the high philosophy of Atman in the following
words: Your sorrow is for persons who are not in need of it. A wise man takes death as a
triffle. For he, knows that the essence in man is the Atman or the consciousness, the
birthless, the death less, the eternal spirit, whom weapons cannot cleave, fire cannot
burn or air cannot dry . Birth and Death are only of the body and not of the Atman, and
the body in relation to the Atman is like clothes one puts on and throws away; or like the
passing stages of life like childhood, boyhood, youth and old age. Pleasant and painful
experiences of life are passing episodes. A man who knows this and is never moved by
pleasure and pain, by life and death, is alone wise and fit for spiritual freedom.


SUMMARY
a. Lower Prakrti is jada (inert) while the higher prakriti is charged with
consciousness.
b. Consciousness is trapped in Prakriti is Jiva.
c. According Sankhya there is one prakriti and many purushas. But Krishna divides
Prakriti into lower and higher.
d. Krishna speaks about three purushas
a. Lower Purusha associated with lower Prakriti.
b. Higher Purusha associated with higher Prakriti.
c. The suprme Purusha - the master of all is Purushottama
e. Purushottama is the Universal Self and He is the reflection of Nirguna Brahman.
f. Consciousness is always singular. As white color appears in seven colors.
Consciousness also appears in different states in different levels.
g. Krishna condenses 24 tatvas into 8.

Eastern perspectives of consciousness.ppt

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