A Vedantic Exploration of Mind as the Object of the Self
[This is part 2 of a 2 part series]
Projections of the mind due to superimposition
Just as while seeing a movie, we are all the time seeing the screen, even while seeing the world of objects, emotions, and thoughts, we are really seeing the Self. A person who is ignorant of the screen may consider the various images projected on it to be real and may become frightened on seeing a scene of fire. However, if our attention is on the screen, we will not be affected by any of the images seen on it as we know that they are not real. The purpose of practice of seer-seen discrimination is to shift our attention from the seen objects to the Seer, the Self. Since we do not know the nature of the self, we think that whatever we are intimately associated with is me. We can liken this to our dream state where we are able to make that distinction of seer – seen. We witness very vividly various images depicting our thoughts and emotions in various situations and the distinction is clear because it is another state – we remain unaffected.
Necessity of Seer-Seen Discrimination
When two entities are similar, discrimination becomes more difficult, for example, it is difficult to separate sago and white stones. Discrimination is also not possible when we do not know that there is a second entity. For example, if a person thinks that she or he is the distorted reflection in a mirror and suffers due to it, the only solution is proper discrimination between the actual person and the reflected image. Due to ignorance we think we are the body-mind and suffer. We are in fact the Seer of the body-mind, and the limitations of the body-mind cannot affect us if we properly discriminate between the Self, the Seer, and the body, the seen.
"Who Am I?"- Nature of the self
I, the Seer, cannot be the body or mind. The body is an object of the sense organs. Although, the thoughts are subtler than objects, they are seen (perceived) by me as my thoughts. Therefore, I cannot be the mind, which is made up of thoughts. Further, I exist in the state of deep sleep without mind (thoughts). Then, Who am I?
Sri Lakshmidhar Kavi in his short treatise of 28 sutras called Advaita Makaranda (the nectar of Upanishad mantras) refers to the nature of the self in the 8th and 9th verse:
I am not the body, nor the sense organs, nor the pranas, nor the mind and nor the intellect, because these are all objects of the my-thought or of the ‘this thought’.
I am the witness, all pervading and dear, and not the ego (ahamkara) ever, which has the calamitous associations with modifications, limitations and afflictions.
He further elaborates on the ahamkara and the self which is not within the scope of this article.
The scriptures declare that the Self is of the nature of existence-consciousness-bliss. Existence expresses as the thought "I am." Consciousness expresses as the thought "I know." Bliss (happiness) expresses as the thought "May I always be." The very fact that we want to live for ever shows that our nature is happiness and not sorrow.
As the Self, the Seer, is always distinct from the body and mind, which are seen, the idea "I am such and such a person" does not belong to the Self. Also, the body, mind, ego, etc., are inert and cannot say "I am such and such a person." The question arises, "Who is the embodied individual?" This empirical embodied individual is an illusion created by mutual superimposition of characteristics of the Self and ego (I-thought). (There is also mutual superimposition of characteristics of the ego and body, which makes us say, "I am the body.")
"Who Am I, The Individual?"
The scriptures state that in reality, I, the Self, am of the nature of absolute existence, consciousness, and bliss, the question remains, "Who am I if the embodied individual, who transacts with the world, does actions and enjoys the results of actions, is born and dies?" This empirical embodied individual is comprised of the many factors. Firstly, there is the Witness, the pure Consciousness-Existence, without which nothing can exist. However, the reflection of this Consciousness alone gives sentiency to the mind, and the mind can function only through a physical body.
Implications for mind management
Who I am, is beyond the mind: This is the way in which Patanjali introduces Yoga in the first four instructions of the Yoga Sutras. Paraphrasing, he says:
- Now, after all the preparation of life and practices, begins the study and practice of Yoga.
- Yoga is the nirrudah (mastery, control, regulation, transcendence, restraint) of the many levels of thought patterns in the field of mind.
- Then, with that achievement, one rests in the awareness of their true nature as Self or pure Consciousness.
- At other times, when not in this higher, truer state of awareness, one is falsely identified with those many levels of thought patterns contained in the mind field.
Being the witness/saksi : There is a single process that threads its way throughout the Yoga Sutras. That is to witness everything. Sakshi-bhava is the attitude of remaining as a witness or the ability to objectively look at the world, situations and problems. To witness everything involves systematically disentangling from the thought patterns, witnessing thoughts, cultivating remembrance or mindfulness, moving through the levels of awareness, and dealing with the gross, the subtle and the subtler.
Witnessing the thought process means to be able to observe the natural flow of the mind, while not being disturbed or distracted.
Witnessing thoughts does NOT mean a psychological suppression or repression of thoughts and emotions. This is a great quality by itself. Normally we are so conditioned with our likes & dislikes, that we either crave or are averse to situations. Mindfulness or cultivating a witnessing attitude is a universal human faculty that is recognised in all cultures of the world for its intrinsic and transformative qualities.
Buddha not only rediscovered Vipassana meditation, one of India ‘s most ancient meditative practices but also recommended that meditation must be an essential part of life as a continuous process. Vipassana which means ‘observing in a special way’ is also synonymous with being conscious or aware, observing and paying attention.
This brings a peaceful state of mind, which allows the deeper aspects of meditation and samadhi to unfold, revealing that which is beyond the mind.
Personal experience: At a personal level, it took a lot of unlearning to think of myself as not the mind because my profession and my identity came from the working of my mind primarily. The recognition that I am more than my body-mind-sense complex is liberating. I continue to be amused and blessed (contradictory as it is) at how the mind works and why shouldn’t it? It is the nature of the mind to think. The practice of sakshi bhava has brought a lot of equanimity in my life as one is able to view events of the mind and not get carried away which contributes to functioning more effectively. In my work with street children which is very intense, what has worked for me is knowing that:
However gratifying the work, it still is a role, Observing situations objectively and responding proactively to do the best in the given situation and gracious acceptance of the results.
At a deeper level, I am blessed with the scriptural teaching about satyam and mithya and that I am Consciousness awareness and continue to prepare the mind to absorb this.
In conclusion:
Excessive identification with the mind has caused us to confuse thinking with identity and hence being. The problems of the mind cannot be resolved from the standpoint of the mind. The ability of viveka or discrimination is required to establish the distinction between seer and seen/subject object – I am not the body-mind sense complex. The principle of seer seen discrimination with respect to the self and the mind is one of the key steps to understanding the true nature of the self. Yoga sutras mention the practice of witnessing to objectively look at the world and its situations which brings about peace and reveals what is beyond.
-Mrinalini Rao
[Mrinalini Rao is a clinical psychologist & she is currently involved with developmental work for street children in India]
Vin V
A Vedantic Exploration of Mind as the Object of the Self
[This is part 2 of a 2 part series]
Projections of the mind due to superimposition
Just as while seeing a movie, we are all the time seeing the screen, even while seeing the world of objects, emotions, and thoughts, we are really seeing the Self. A person who is ignorant of the screen may consider the various images projected on it to be real and may become frightened on seeing a scene of fire. However, if our attention is on the screen, we will not be affected by any of the images seen on it as we know that they are not real. The purpose of practice of seer-seen discrimination is to shift our attention from the seen objects to the Seer, the Self. Since we do not know the nature of the self, we think that whatever we are intimately associated with is me. We can liken this to our dream state where we are able to make that distinction of seer – seen. We witness very vividly various images depicting our thoughts and emotions in various situations and the distinction is clear because it is another state – we remain unaffected.
Necessity of Seer-Seen Discrimination
When two entities are similar, discrimination becomes more difficult, for example, it is difficult to separate sago and white stones. Discrimination is also not possible when we do not know that there is a second entity. For example, if a person thinks that she or he is the distorted reflection in a mirror and suffers due to it, the only solution is proper discrimination between the actual person and the reflected image. Due to ignorance we think we are the body-mind and suffer. We are in fact the Seer of the body-mind, and the limitations of the body-mind cannot affect us if we properly discriminate between the Self, the Seer, and the body, the seen.
"Who Am I?"- Nature of the self
I, the Seer, cannot be the body or mind. The body is an object of the sense organs. Although, the thoughts are subtler than objects, they are seen (perceived) by me as my thoughts. Therefore, I cannot be the mind, which is made up of thoughts. Further, I exist in the state of deep sleep without mind (thoughts). Then, Who am I?
Sri Lakshmidhar Kavi in his short treatise of 28 sutras called Advaita Makaranda (the nectar of Upanishad mantras) refers to the nature of the self in the 8th and 9th verse:
I am not the body, nor the sense organs, nor the pranas, nor the mind and nor the intellect, because these are all objects of the my-thought or of the ‘this thought’.
I am the witness, all pervading and dear, and not the ego (ahamkara) ever, which has the calamitous associations with modifications, limitations and afflictions.
He further elaborates on the ahamkara and the self which is not within the scope of this article.
The scriptures declare that the Self is of the nature of existence-consciousness-bliss. Existence expresses as the thought "I am." Consciousness expresses as the thought "I know." Bliss (happiness) expresses as the thought "May I always be." The very fact that we want to live for ever shows that our nature is happiness and not sorrow.
As the Self, the Seer, is always distinct from the body and mind, which are seen, the idea "I am such and such a person" does not belong to the Self. Also, the body, mind, ego, etc., are inert and cannot say "I am such and such a person." The question arises, "Who is the embodied individual?" This empirical embodied individual is an illusion created by mutual superimposition of characteristics of the Self and ego (I-thought). (There is also mutual superimposition of characteristics of the ego and body, which makes us say, "I am the body.")
"Who Am I, The Individual?"
The scriptures state that in reality, I, the Self, am of the nature of absolute existence, consciousness, and bliss, the question remains, "Who am I if the embodied individual, who transacts with the world, does actions and enjoys the results of actions, is born and dies?" This empirical embodied individual is comprised of the many factors. Firstly, there is the Witness, the pure Consciousness-Existence, without which nothing can exist. However, the reflection of this Consciousness alone gives sentiency to the mind, and the mind can function only through a physical body.
Implications for mind management
Who I am, is beyond the mind: This is the way in which Patanjali introduces Yoga in the first four instructions of the Yoga Sutras. Paraphrasing, he says:
- Now, after all the preparation of life and practices, begins the study and practice of Yoga.
- Yoga is the nirrudah (mastery, control, regulation, transcendence, restraint) of the many levels of thought patterns in the field of mind.
- Then, with that achievement, one rests in the awareness of their true nature as Self or pure Consciousness.
- At other times, when not in this higher, truer state of awareness, one is falsely identified with those many levels of thought patterns contained in the mind field.
Being the witness/saksi : There is a single process that threads its way throughout the Yoga Sutras. That is to witness everything. Sakshi-bhava is the attitude of remaining as a witness or the ability to objectively look at the world, situations and problems. To witness everything involves systematically disentangling from the thought patterns, witnessing thoughts, cultivating remembrance or mindfulness, moving through the levels of awareness, and dealing with the gross, the subtle and the subtler.
Witnessing the thought process means to be able to observe the natural flow of the mind, while not being disturbed or distracted.
Witnessing thoughts does NOT mean a psychological suppression or repression of thoughts and emotions. This is a great quality by itself. Normally we are so conditioned with our likes & dislikes, that we either crave or are averse to situations. Mindfulness or cultivating a witnessing attitude is a universal human faculty that is recognised in all cultures of the world for its intrinsic and transformative qualities.
Buddha not only rediscovered Vipassana meditation, one of India ‘s most ancient meditative practices but also recommended that meditation must be an essential part of life as a continuous process. Vipassana which means ‘observing in a special way’ is also synonymous with being conscious or aware, observing and paying attention.
This brings a peaceful state of mind, which allows the deeper aspects of meditation and samadhi to unfold, revealing that which is beyond the mind.
Personal experience: At a personal level, it took a lot of unlearning to think of myself as not the mind because my profession and my identity came from the working of my mind primarily. The recognition that I am more than my body-mind-sense complex is liberating. I continue to be amused and blessed (contradictory as it is) at how the mind works and why shouldn’t it? It is the nature of the mind to think. The practice of sakshi bhava has brought a lot of equanimity in my life as one is able to view events of the mind and not get carried away which contributes to functioning more effectively. In my work with street children which is very intense, what has worked for me is knowing that:
However gratifying the work, it still is a role, Observing situations objectively and responding proactively to do the best in the given situation and gracious acceptance of the results.
At a deeper level, I am blessed with the scriptural teaching about satyam and mithya and that I am Consciousness awareness and continue to prepare the mind to absorb this.
In conclusion:
Excessive identification with the mind has caused us to confuse thinking with identity and hence being. The problems of the mind cannot be resolved from the standpoint of the mind. The ability of viveka or discrimination is required to establish the distinction between seer and seen/subject object – I am not the body-mind sense complex. The principle of seer seen discrimination with respect to the self and the mind is one of the key steps to understanding the true nature of the self. Yoga sutras mention the practice of witnessing to objectively look at the world and its situations which brings about peace and reveals what is beyond.
-Mrinalini Rao
[Mrinalini Rao is a clinical psychologist & she is currently involved with developmental work for street children in India]
2 years ago | [YT] | 15