Day 303: The Eternal Dream - Insights into Self and Liberation
Day 303: The Eternal Dream - Insights into Self and Liberation
Rama’s Inquiry into Experience and Knowledge
Rama's Curiosity: The Nature of Experiences in Reality
Rama questioned Vasistha on how the world’s diverse experiences and states—like the sage and the hunter’s journey—arise. Is there a guiding force behind these experiences, or is it the natural state of things? Vasistha's response delves into the profound, unveiling the nature of the infinite consciousness and the cycles of creation, experience, and liberation.
Vasistha’s Answer: The Truth of Infinite Consciousness
Vasistha began by explaining that the infinite consciousness is the only reality, the unchanging truth that pervades everything, whether named or unnamed, perceived or ignored. Right from the beginning of creation, this boundless consciousness alone has existed, generating and containing everything within itself. It is said that wise ones understand this self-knowledge as beyond notions and objects; it’s a formless awareness that transcends both knowledge and ignorance.
There is, in truth, no real distinction between knowledge and ignorance. These are merely conceptual labels that we impose upon experience, and neither can be truly separated from the consciousness from which they arise. Just as light and shadow exist in the same space, knowledge and ignorance are expressions within the infinite play of self-awareness. Everything exists as consciousness, and all concepts, whether true or illusory, are born from it.
The Great Rock of Self-Awareness
To illustrate this, Vasistha used the analogy of a mighty rock. This rock is immeasurably vast, containing within it countless impressions and forms—gods, humans, trees, mountains—all seamlessly present without division. The rock remains whole, undisturbed, and indivisible, yet within it, we find the endless diversity of the world. It is both conscious and unconscious, holding impressions that seem independent yet are inseparable from its solid unity.
In response, Rama asked, “If the rock is indivisible, how can one see inside it?” Vasistha explained that since we are within that rock, we perceive the impressions around us naturally, much like how we experience thoughts within the mind. The true nature of all things, Vasistha suggested, is like this rock—wholeness that allows for the appearance of parts without actually dividing.
Dissolving Distinctions of Knowledge
Vasistha continued, pointing out that terms like “self-knowledge” and “ignorance” are superficial when it comes to the reality of consciousness. They are only temporary viewpoints created by the mind and have no true substance. To experience the truth, Vasistha urged Rama to discard these words and rely on the direct experience of pure consciousness itself.
In truth, this consciousness is utterly still and tranquil despite the countless activities and objects that appear within it. It remains unaffected, like a vast ocean that isn’t troubled by the waves on its surface. Although we may describe it in many ways, it is ultimately beyond description, remaining stable even as it manifests diverse worlds and forms.
Memory and Perception in Consciousness
Rama observed that memory seems to underlie both waking and dream states, creating a sense of reality to the objects experienced. Vasistha affirmed that the diverse objects in consciousness arise naturally whenever and wherever consciousness turns its attention. These experiences, whether labeled as waking, dreaming, deep sleep, or turiya (pure awareness), are simply aspects of consciousness. In truth, there are no distinct states; all is an endless flow within the boundless tranquility of consciousness itself.
Memory and external objects are illusions generated by limited perception. Since the mind perceives an object only if it recognizes or remembers it, memory gives the world a sense of solidity. Yet, the world arises in consciousness as spontaneously and causelessly as a coconut falls when a crow lands on it—no cause or reason binds it to exist or behave in any particular way.
Existence and the Nature of Pure Consciousness
Vasistha explained that the experience of objects as real is like a dream-world that arises within pure consciousness. This world-appearance exists without any true materiality. What exists is consciousness alone, which generates impressions of materiality and form within itself, creating the sense of a physical world. All we see is a reflection of our own inner experience, shining outwardly as the reality we perceive.
As Vasistha pointed out, even though the world appears to exist, it remains ultimately void of separate self-nature. Consciousness gives life to the appearance of creation, but it’s simply a dream within a dream, an infinite series of illusions that consciousness sees within itself. Thus, the world is simultaneously real as a manifestation of consciousness and unreal as a standalone entity.
Liberation: The Path Beyond Pleasure and Sorrow
Rama then asked about the experience of liberation, questioning whether a liberated person who feels no pleasure or pain becomes insentient. Vasistha clarified that a liberated person may appear indifferent to pleasure and pain but remains fully sentient and sensitive. They are not insentient; instead, they have risen above attachment to fleeting experiences. Even in engagement, they rest in an inner stillness, seeing the world as a passing dream. This allows them to act spontaneously and appropriately in any situation without attachment.
Such liberated beings are awake to the truth yet act as if asleep, untouched by worldly desires and aversions. They treat worldly events as illusions, observing them with dispassion, and experience deep peace without relying on external sources of joy. Their consciousness is expansive, unconfined by memory, desire, or the notion of personal self. To them, life’s ups and downs are merely passing shadows in the vast, boundless reality of consciousness.
Living as the Infinite - A State Beyond Sorrow
Vasistha concluded with a powerful image of the liberated one. He described how, after traversing samsara, or the cycle of worldly existence, a being finds a holy guide and awakens from the long dream. This awakened individual sleeps in peace without a bed, acts intensely without being disturbed, and sees all of creation as an extension of consciousness. They are intoxicated not by wine or sensory delights but by the bliss of self-realization, perceiving all phenomena as a cosmic dance in the space of consciousness.
In this highest state, the liberated being is awake even while appearing to sleep, carrying an expansive awareness that surpasses any confinement or limitation. To them, the world is a reflection of consciousness, like waves in an ocean, transient yet inseparable from the whole.
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