Бесплатный фрагмент - I Am Absolute

Pure potential

Absolute is All There Is. Absolute is I, Being-Consciousness-Bliss, Treasure. Absolute becomes all variety of the universe. It can become inanimate thing or perceiving consciousness. But as It is It has no qualities, It is pure potential. Everything is spiritualized with I. Not I as person, but I as life. We consider alive only persons. We don’t understand, how life can be impersonal. But in its basis it is impersonal, despite it can take form of person. Life takes forms of things and persons, but it is always Life. Impersonal means formless like material that is not limited with particular form. Gold takes form of bracelet, but we don’t consider gold bracelet only. Same way in Advaita life is not only quality of person, but essence of anything. Life is formless impersonal I, that can take forms of persons and things. I, that is no one and nothing by substance, can become someone and something. Absolute becomes world, Absolute becomes person, Absolute becomes sense of separateness. Who am I? It seems that I am limited person with limited perception. But I am only the Absolute. Only Absolute exists, only I exist.

Impersonal I

All we know about word «I» is inapplicable to Self. Because we know only «I» identified with individuality. And we think that «I» is always a person. Trying to apply it to Atman, we fail, because Atman is impersonal. In other words, for us meaning of «I» is ego. While Atman is I which is not ego, but Self. Our term «I» is inapplicable to Absolute I of Advaita.

We start with body: «I am body». Then we become more advanced seekers — and move to «I am perceiver». But in both cases we remain limited persons. Only when we’ll give up our egoism, we’ll admit that I doesn’t belong to us as persons and stretches everywhere. How to eradicate idea that I am person? You don’t think other way. You were learnt, that I is person. In your mind term «I» is soaked with personality! Even «I Am Brahman» you understand as «my person is Brahman» or «I am personal Brahman» or «my person stretches everywhere» or «my person is transcendent Seer»!

Brahman is not person, I is not person. You should habituate yourself to idea of impersonal I. I and person are mixed up in the mind. This is mental limitation of impersonal Treasure! This limitation is called ego — sense of separateness or idea of self-individuality. With self-investigation and meditation ignorance of mind dissipates, and it becomes clear that I Am Brahman. It is very important to see that «I am Brahman» is definition of «I», not attribution of Brahman’s glory to person. Treasure of I shouldn’t be mixed with dust of body-mind. Question «Who am I?» is not about person. Realize that I is impersonal Brahman.

The only subject is Absolute

We consider ourselves conscious subjects. Of course, perceiving individual consciousnesses exist. By they are not subjects. Subject is only Absolute, I. We drop «I am body» idea relatively easy, but we hold «I am perceiver» idea tight. We stubbornly consider us consciousnesses that control bodies to act in the world. Concept of standalone individual subjects is ignorance. Only one Subject exists — Absolute Consciousness. As long as there are no individual subjects, there is no need to attribute personal responsibility to them. Enlightenment is realization that I extends individual and includes it to Absoluteness of Self. Sense of separateness dissolves, but it doesn’t mean destruction of individual consciousness. It keeps perceiving individually, but it has no sense that I is limited with individuality. An individual keeps living, but as an empty impersonal form that has no separate subject inside. Act of reflecting world in individual consciousness turns out to be impersonal, having no one to perceive. This is like mirror reflecting but being no one. Mirror doesn’t need to be someone who reflects. Individual consciousness doesn’t need to be someone who perceives. Both are impersonal. Still they are filled with aliveness of Absolute Subject, I. Body and mind remain after enlightenment, but I am not them. In event of enlightenment that happens in an individual it becomes clear that I am All There Is. Clear to whom? To no one! Just clear!

Absolute is not Seer

Absolute shouldn’t be considered perceiving being, but there is multitude of perceiving souls or jivas exist in It. Absolute creates material world and jivas, that perceive it. The Absolute isn’t someone who perceives the world. World is inseparable from the Absolute, so there is no separation between «perceiving Absolute» and «perceivable world». World is not being experienced by the Absolute, but exists in the Absolute.

Absolute is not experiencing subject. This removes the question «Why I don’t see through eyes of all beings if I am the Absolute?». It is individual consciousness is experiencing by reflecting world through senses. Individual souls are separate from each other like fingers of hand or waves of ocean. Because they are separate, it is impossible to see with eyes of other being. I am nor individual soul, nor so called «Seer». I Am Absolute.

Absolute doesn’t fall Asleep

If Absolute would wake up, It should immediately realize, that all body-mind organisms are not It. It would mean everyone is enlightened. But in the world there are enlightened ones and ignorant ones. Does it mean Absolute woke up partially? No, Absolute didn’t fall asleep! Being doesn’t fall asleep and doesn’t wake up, It just is. Seekers try to wake up Absolute, which is nonsense. Absolute never fell asleep. Being doesn’t need enlightenment.

Absolute doesn’t enter characters’ stories. These stories exist in Absolute. Absolute doesn’t need to exit these stories or wake up from them. It didn’t enter! Characters, their stories, problems and sufferings just exist in Absolute. They last for some time, and characters can not change their fate. In most of these characters’ minds identification with body takes place. It is just wrong idea, that arises and dissolves. Absolute is not affected with it. It doesn’t have to wake up, disidentify, realize itself. Absolute is self-sufficient and complete.

Illusion

There is no need to deny reality of the world, we should just consider it fleeting manifestation of Brahman. Still multiplicity of subjects is pure illusion. If you wake up in the morning and think you are one of billions perceiving subjects, then this is confusion. If you are not one of many subjects, then who sees the world? It’s individual consciousness, that just appears to be subject. When it seems to you that inanimate thing is alive, you mentally attribute soul to it. Same with human and its individual consciousness. You have conviction that it is someone! But from the point of Advaita body-mind complex is impersonal or, as Buddhists say, empty. This is because I can’t be separate. All your person’s emotionality that make it appear so alive is just uncontrolled ego that shows off. More it shows off — stronger belief in separate «I». All expressions of person are subjectless processes. And individual consciousness is subjectless mirror of witnessing. Without ego showing off, without thoughts and expressions do you exist as something separate? Experiencing happens, body functions. This is it. Attribution these to «I» («I see», «I do») is being made by ignorant mind.

Jiva and Brahman

Who are you? Who you consider yourself to be? You already don’t consider yourself body. But you still think you are perceiving soul. You still think you are an individual among other individuals. This «you» is illusory. First admit «your» illusiveness. Then come to «I Am Brahman».