Even though the notion of cause and effect is illusory, yet it can be used to indicate that entity which transcends cause and effect, brahman. This is asserted by the Vedanta philosophy. On this, there is a doubt. When the cause and effect notion is illusory, then why do followers of Vedanta describe it as the cause of the birth etc. of the world? In reality, this is a gentle remedy. It is like a boil which can either be cured with an operation or with medication. Medication is the gentler remedy. In this manner, if someone realizes brahman through the cause and effect notion, then it will be termed as a gentle remedy.
Vedanta is cause-oriented diagnosis, not disease-oriented. In other words, it goes to the root cause of the disease, does not suppress the disease. Sanctioned action (dharma) and worship alter the nature of our thought flow, which suppress the disease of this world. But, Vedanta goes to the root of this world disease by removing the delusion of duality, cures it. In the course of this cure, the ascribing of world causality in brahman plays a major role.
On one hand, we talk of brahman as distinct from the world, by which its true nature is purified (for investigation), on the other hand, it reveals the non-dual nature of brahman.
The world is one that is born, lives and dies, and also it has a cause. In other words, it itself is an effect. It is incomplete since it is moving towards its goal. It is the object of the "this"-notion, it is disconnected, it has difference at its root, illuminated by another, and is the form of an experience. In constrast, brahman is complete, without any goal. It is the witness of the I-notion, non-disconnected and non-distinct nature (abheda svaroopa), self illumined and the illuminator of all experiences.
Brahman is the existence-consciousness-bliss non-dual entity. The imperishable non-negated reality is called existence. That which is the non-dual knowledge-nature reality at the root of all knowing, all thought-flow is consciousness. And that which is the flow of all joys, the ocean of all drops of happiness is bliss. All these three realities are one not three - this is the meaning of non-dual. In other words, that which is existence is consciousness, which is consciousness is existence. That which is existence-consciousness is bliss and that which is bliss is in the form of existence and consciousness.
Now, what do we see in this world? Activities, sights and enjoyments. Think and you will realize that the attainment of activity is existence, attainment of sight is consciousness, attainment of enjoyment is bliss. The doer alone will accomplish the activity, the knower alone will accomplish the sight, the enjoyer alone will accomplish the enjoyed. In this manner, there is a duality in doer-action, seer-seen and enjoyer-enjoyed. And with these, there is also the duality of cause-effect and Ishvara-world. To shake up this entire duality-world, that brahman element which is embedded in all of these yet is free from these, should be realized.
When we discriminate between the doer and action, we will attain the individual soul which is distinct from merit-sin and the body, as well as Ishvara. But the fundamental supreme soil is untouched by the difference of doer-action. We will attain two doers : the minor doer soul, and the omniscient all-powerful Ishvara. Through this discrimination, we will also understand that the doer is eternal, and action along with its instruments and result is temporary. With this discrimination, our interest and devotion towards the great doer Ishvara increases.
When we discriminate between cause and effect, then we will know that the effect is temporary and the cause is eternal. But, the cause is not called brahman. Causality is ascribed upon brahman. Both cause and effect are indicators of brahman. In the infinite reality, cause and effect are seen as two moons in the sky, in the form of errors (vivarta). There is both awareness and bliss in reality. But, if we were to think only along the lines of reality, then both cause and effect are the erroneous experiences of the same reality. And, the body and its materials, both are errors of the brahman reality - this will be experiences.
Cause-effect discrimination happens with the dominance of reality. Seer-seen discrimination happens with the dominance of awareness. Instrument-specific awareness is the doer, and thought-flow-specific awareness is the aware knower. The discrimination of subject and object along with thought flow is the discrimination of knower-known. And discrimination of knower-known without thought flow is the discrimination of seer-seen. In this, the seer of the waking state is the same seer of the dream and deep sleep states. There is no thought flow in deep sleep. Therefore, the witness is the seer of the thought-flow-less deep sleep. The witness of the deep sleep is the anvil-like witness alone, he alone is the soul witness, and also the Ishvara-witness. Through the great statements, this witness alone is experienced in its brahman form.
In the cause-effect notion, the cause is seen as a transformation (parinaama). In other words, Ishvara is being attained to the effect-formed transformation. But, in the seer-seen discrimination, the seer is unattached, this is known. In the cause-effect discrimination, the soul is the doer and Ishvara gives the results of action, this is proven. Whereas the seer is the non-doer, unattached, this is experienced.
Enjoyer-enjoyed discrimination happens with the dominance of bliss. This is the discrimination of dearness (priyataa). In reality, the self is dear, it is our own, but by placing our dearness into another, and then becoming happy on seeing it, this is enjoyership. Here is its discrimination. No object is dear for its own sake, it is dear for the sake of the self, per Yaajnyavalkya (Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad 2.4.5). The result of enjoyer-enjoyed discrimination is weakening of attraction and dawning of dispassion.
Just like cause and effect are errors of the existence aspect of brahman, the seer and the seen are the errors of its awareness aspect, similarly enjoyer-enjoyed are the errors of its bliss aspect.
Now, connect these different discriminations. Merge the cause and seer, and also, merge the effect and seen. What does it mean? If the aware seer alone is the reality of the cause, then by transformation of the cause, the effect will not become the seen. In fact, the seer in an erroneous form alone will be experienced as the seen. Also, the unattached nature of the seer and non-disconnectedness will remain intact. In other words, the seer will remain an essence (tattva), and the seen will become a non-essence counter experience. Then, disconnectedness and perishability of the seen will become negated or illusory. This is the result of oneness of existence and awareness.
The relationship of enjoyer-enjoyed is direct identification-rooted. It is a superimposition. When something is another, but becomes one with you, that is identification. By discrimination of enjoyer-enjoyed, the dearness which was accepted as another, returns to its real refuge, the inner self. Then, that which was the existence-aware seer, is now proven as the form of bliss also. Bliss does not happen without knowledge (for the reality of knowledge, it has to be experienced), nor does knowledge happen without reality, nor does reality happen without knowledge. That is why, there can be no distinction between existence, consciousness and bliss. Therefore, existence-consciousness-bliss is one element.
Once cannot separate awareness from oneself. You are awareness yourself. Everything is illumined through your "I" alone. That is why the Upanishads say that the supreme self is hidden in the cave of your "I" (Kathopanishad 1.2.12). Besides you, there is no other awareness or experience. If something is experienced, you will only experience it! Space, time, object, Ishvara, Vedas, teacher, scritupre, who will these be experienced (bhaasanaa) by? You. Who is this contained of all knowledge? It is you. You are not any ordinary reality. By accepting yourself as a man, woman, you should not bring any notion of inferiority. Similarly, by accepting yourself as smart, dumb etc., you should not go counter to your nature. Man and woman are in the effect, not in the cause. Smartness and dumbness are in the thought-flow, not in the seer. Similarly, enjoyed-enjoyer are also scenes, the seer is neither enjoyer nor enjoyed. He is one bliss, it is not in the enjoyer, nor in the enjoyed.
This subject which is eternal, the aware seer, is the substratum brahman alone. It is the cause of all causes (transcends cause and effect). All objects are impermanent and inert, therefore they are illusory. Then what else exists? Everything becomes brahman. Neither did the world get created, nor did the soul arise. To understand the unborn brahman, the method of the erroneous world has been placed in Vedanta.
Ascribing causality upon brahman is a tactic to understand brahman. Casuality is a logical process. It is used to refute all possible theories of creation (some of which were explained earlier) with the single statement that the world has come from brahman. Also, since brahman is aware and non-dual, it was also revealed that there is no cause-effect relation between creation and brahman. It is perceived as brahman due to ignorance of brahman. Then why do we join creation causality with brahman at all? Not for showing brahman as the cause, but to show its non-duality. The cause of an illusory effect is also illusory. Can the fact that the rope is the basis of the illusory snake be considered real? No. Similarly, the basis of the illusory causality, the disconnected substratum, does not have cause or effect distinct from it.
When the effect is proven to be illusory, with regards to that substratum on which causality was ascribed, the non-duality of that substratum is established. That there is no effect of that brahman, is the shruti of the Shvetaashvatara. The world is seen, cause-effect is also known in transactions. That is why creation causality has been ascribed upon the supreme self. Causality is the indicator-only of the non-duality of brahman. When the non-duality is realized, the causality-formed indicator is also taken back (Taittireeya Upanishad 2.7).
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