Day 229 - The Story of Arjuna

Day 229 - The Story of Arjuna

Vasistha's Teaching on Consciousness and Creation

Vasistha continued:

Just as the cosmic body, made of intelligence-energy and cosmic elements, arises as a notion in infinite consciousness, all other bodies (puryastaka or subtle bodies) arise similarly. Whatever the jiva (subtle body) imagines while still in the womb, it perceives as real. The cosmic elements and senses evolve in the microcosm just as they do in the macrocosm, though they aren't actually created. These descriptions are just for teaching purposes. The ideas used in instruction vanish upon deeper enquiry.

When you closely observe ignorance, it disappears. The unreal is based on unreality, like the water in a mirage, which isn't real. Truth reveals the reality of all things and makes delusion vanish.

The self is real. Terms like jiva and puryastaka (subtle body) are unreal, and investigating them is exploring their unreality! We use these terms to explain the unreal nature of things.

Understanding the Nature of the Jiva

Infinite consciousness assumes the nature of the jiva and, forgetting its true nature, experiences whatever it imagines. Just as a child believes in an unreal ghost at night, the jiva imagines the five elements to be real. These are just notions, but the jiva sees them as external. It thinks some things are inside it and others outside, leading to its experiences.

Knowledge is inherent in consciousness, just like void is in space. However, consciousness now views knowledge as its own object. Time and space, which are just divisions in consciousness, limit diverse objects. These divisions don't exist in the self, which transcends time and space.

The Power of Consciousness

Infinite consciousness, with its inherent knowledge, imagines diverse creatures. This power is unchallengeable. Unlike inert space, Brahman (infinite consciousness) reflects itself within itself and sees duality, though it is bodiless.