Day 304: The Wise Man’s Eternal Companion – Understanding Action and Awareness
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Day 304: The Wise Man’s Eternal Companion – Understanding Action and Awareness
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Rama’s Curiosity on Enjoyment and Companionship
Rama's Inquiry: The Source of the Wise Man's Joy
Rama asked Vasistha about the wise man’s friend, source of enjoyment, and the nature of his delight. To the enlightened, Vasistha replied, true companionship comes not from external sources, but from one’s own spontaneous action. This action, free from division, becomes the guide, teacher, and source of joy for the wise man.
The Role of Self-Arising Action in the Wise Man’s Life
Vasistha explained that self-arising action is the wise man’s steadfast friend. This action supports him like a father, advising, encouraging, and keeping him steady. Like a wise partner, it restrains and guides, ensuring he stays on a balanced path, even in the worst difficulties. Action becomes the safeguard against doubt and confusion, reinforcing his ability to distinguish between “what should be done” and “what should not.” In doing so, action not only aids but also empowers the wise man, helping him embrace virtues like self-sacrifice, charity, and compassion.
Such action provides him with a calm and pleasant demeanor, making him approachable and trustworthy. Through his actions, he brings comfort to others, and his very presence is a beacon of peace and virtue. This companion, Vasistha explained, is selfless in nature, devoted to promoting the welfare of all beings.
Equanimity as the Consort of Action
The wife of this friend—self-arising action—is samata (equanimity). She encourages action by cultivating balance and even-mindedness. The wise man, by association with this friend and its consort, develops an attitude of peace, welcoming joys and challenges without getting swayed. Equanimity allows him to stay unaffected by pleasure or pain, holding steady to the state of nirvana even amidst worldly engagement.
In equanimity, he finds a constant companion—maitri (friendliness)—that extends goodwill towards all beings. Thus, action, equanimity, and friendliness together ensure that the wise man remains in harmony with himself and the world, bringing tranquility to his inner self regardless of external circumstances.
The Nature of Consciousness and Its Manifestation
Vasistha continued by explaining that all things arise from infinite consciousness, the source of creation itself. In truth, this infinite consciousness does not possess the qualities of the world we perceive, nor is it confined to space or form. It is subtler than even space and therefore appears differently to different perceptions. This consciousness shines within itself, manifesting as the universe, yet without ever changing its own nature.
Between “this” and “that,” between every apparent duality, there exists only pure consciousness. The world is not separate from this consciousness, nor is it a substantial reality. Just as a dream-mountain dissolves upon waking, all forms disappear when one awakens to true knowledge. For those who see clearly, the entire universe is one with this boundless consciousness, an indivisible expanse that holds both reality and illusion within it.
Realizing the Infinite Between Concepts
Vasistha urged Rama to understand that what lies “between ‘this’ and ‘that’” is pure consciousness, and both “ends” are concepts with no independent reality. This realization, he said, allows one to see that even dualities like attraction and aversion or existence and non-existence are simply expressions within consciousness, which remain unaffected.
This realization is the essence of the supreme state. The distinctions we draw—whether based on shape, perception, or concepts—are like whirlpools in an ocean: they rise and fall, but they are part of a larger whole and do not disturb the ocean’s essence.
The Fiction of Worldly Existence and the Truth of Brahman
The tragedy of ignorance, Vasistha pointed out, is that people believe the world-appearance to be real while doubting the existence of Brahman, the one true reality. In truth, Brahman alone exists, but when viewed through the lens of ignorance, it appears as the separate entities and objects of the world. The wise, however, see the world as pure consciousness; the forms, qualities, and distinctions are simply aspects of Brahman itself.
The infinite consciousness, therefore, is both formless and full of forms, beyond all concepts yet present within them. Just as the sun’s rays are inseparable from the sun itself, so too are all forms inseparable from Brahman. Though we name and define objects and beings, they are ultimately non-different from the one consciousness.
The Limitations of Words and the Infinite Reality
Words like “world,” “void,” or “consciousness” attempt to define something beyond language. Even the ideas of “mass of consciousness” or “void” do not capture Brahman’s fullness. Vasistha described it as an unnameable and limitless reality that encompasses all concepts, while transcending them. In this way, the world and all its elements can be seen as real or as mere illusions—both views are valid and coexist without contradiction.
Ultimately, what we call the world is an illusion arising within the pure consciousness. When seen as such, the concept of liberation becomes redundant because nothing in consciousness is bound. Consciousness is as unchanging as deep sleep, wherein there is peace without disturbance.
Embracing One’s True Nature
Finally, Vasistha encouraged Rama to embrace his true nature. He reminded him that a liberated being enjoys both activity and tranquility as a natural expression of self-awareness. Living with purity and sincerity, the sage flows through life, neither abandoning nor clinging to anything. This natural way of being allows him to experience unity in diversity, joy in sorrow, and peace in turbulence.
The ignorant, he explained, continually strive to become something other than what they are, but the wise man knows that the true essence is found within. In his enlightened state, he performs actions naturally, without longing for the fruits of those actions. This leads to an experience of life as a constant flow of consciousness, where the sage remains content, awake in the midst of dreamlike illusions, seeing through all appearances.
Reflection and Insight
Through Vasistha’s words, Rama came to understand that the wise man’s friend is not an external person or object but his own spontaneous actions guided by equanimity and friendliness. This friendship brings the wise man unending peace, clarity, and joy. In this way, wisdom is both the path and the destination, leading the seeker to realize that all perceived dualities dissolve within the oneness of infinite consciousness.
The wise man’s life is thus an expression of the infinite, where actions are unbound by desires, and all notions of self dissolve, revealing the unbroken fullness of Brahman.
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