Education is a Process of Enlightenment - 4. Swami Krishnananda.

-

 -----------------------------------------------------------------


--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, August 11, 2021. 6:48. AM.
(Spoken on July 26, 1976.)
Post-4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------



In the state of deep sleep we exist in a condition bereft of physical consciousness. How can we find out what our condition in the state of deep sleep is when we are bereft of physical and social consciousness? Our state of being in deep sleep is something impersonal, really speaking. Our body is not there and our mind is not functioning, and yet we exist. That means to say, it is possible to exist bereft of physical and mental consciousness, but ordinarily it is impossible for us to conceive such a condition.

The metaphysical aspect of the situation is that our essential nature is revealed in the state of deep sleep. The memory that we subsequently have of having slept proves that a conscious substance of our personality was present in deep sleep. Though we could not perceive anything in sleep, we could infer this fact. We had an essential conscious existence there, though it was not a content of our living experience.

Now I take you a little bit deeper into the philosophical implication of the situation. This substance that we were in the state of deep sleep could not have been anything other than pure consciousness. It could not have been merely a physical or a mental existence. Our essential nature must have been consciousness somehow or other, notwithstanding that we could not be aware of it. If this had not been the case, we would not have remembered that we slept.

Consciousness is a peculiar fluid being which cannot be compared with anything visible in this world. Some people, especially in the West, believe that the so-called thing called consciousness is only an exudation from the material contents of the brain. They imagine that consciousness can project itself from the brain just as flames spark forth from a matchstick, so it is falsely deduced that consciousness is an effect of matter. It is illogical to presume that the effect can be conscious of the cause, and if consciousness had been the effect, it could not have known the existence of matter.

Further, it is difficult to understand what the connection between consciousness and matter is. We cannot glibly say, “I see and perceive and know the existence of matter,” without explaining how it is possible. Consciousness cannot know the existence of matter, as they are dissimilar in character. If consciousness and matter were ultimately different in nature, there would have been no knowledge of the existence of matter at all. It would be impossible to have even known the existence of matter if they were totally dissimilar. So it is not true that they are even basically dissimilar.

To be continued ....


========================================================

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Advice To Grihastha ( Householder ) 1. Sri Swami Sivananda

-
Image
18/11/2018 1. The Ashramas or stages of life are four, viz., Brahmacharya, the stage of student life; Grihastha, the stage of householder life; Vanaprastha, the stage of seclusion (forest-living); and Sannyasa, the stage of total renunciation. Each order of life has its own duties. In none of these stages must a man grasp at the special duties of the other three. At the present moment, it is difficult to maintain or observe the exact details of the ancient rules, as the conditions have changed very much. But, if we can have a clear idea of the fundamental duties of each, we shall still be able to shape the life through a regulated course of development and steady growth. The student, after finishing his studies, enters the order of Grihastha, when he is ready to take up the duties and responsibilities of household life. Of all Ashramas, that of the householder is the highest as he verily supports the other three. As all the streams and rivers flow to rest in the ocean, even so...
Read more

The Nature of the True Religious Life - 3.6. - Swami Krishnananda.

-
Image
================================================================================ Thursday 12, September 2024, 05:30. Mysticism The Nature of the True Religious Life - 3.6.   Swami Krishnananda. Chapter 3: The Foundation of Religious Philosophy-6. ================================================================================= The question of relation is the central point on which every philosophical discussion hangs, finally. Causal relation is the greatest of all relations—one thing causing another thing, or giving rise to another thing, or for the matter of that, any kind of relation to any other thing. You will find that there is some peculiarity in the concept of relation. It is not so simple as it appears on the surface. Imagine that there are two things, A and B. You cannot imagine any sort of relationship between A and B unless A and B are two different things. If A is the same as B, the question of relationship does not arise. It is taken for granted that A and B are ...
Read more

The Nature of the True Religious Life - 3.5. - Swami Krishnananda.

-
Image
================================================================================ Wednesday, 24, Jul 2024, 05:30. Mysticism The Nature of the True Religious Life - 3.5. -  Chapter 3: The Foundation of Religious Philosophy-5. Swami Krishnananda. ================================================================================= In one sentence, I told you that often it appears that the Real is not in this world because of its Supreme non-exclusive character. If it is transcendent totally, it can bear no relation to the world. If that which is called Real is not to be visualised, seen or recognised in anything in this world, which is subject to transformation, change and death, we cannot conceive of any kind of relationship between God and the world. If that is the case, you and I, involved in this world, cannot reach God. The aspiration for God would be a futile attempt because we have already decided that there is no connection between us and God. There are some philosophers who feel ...
Read more