Who am I? According to Adi Shankara in Tattva Bodha (36)
Summary:
Lesson 36 analyzes Tattva Bodha (Knowledge of Reality) verse 2.1/2.2 to answer “Who/What I am NOT?”, and “Who/what I am?”.
Source: Tattva Bodha
TERMS USED:
- 2 Categories of śāstra-grantha (scriptural-texts):
- Prasthāna-traya: another name for śāstra. When we say śāstra (scriptures) in Vedanta, we are specifically referring to: (1) Bhagavad Gītā (2) All Upaniṣad (3) Brahma Sūtra. All 3 (traya) are COMPLETE texts. Meaning they teach us (a) how to live a Dharmic/harmonious life on earth (a) How to attain liberation.
- Prakaraṇa-grantha: Grantha means “text”. Prakaraṇa means: topical (dealing with one topic of scriptures). Prakaraṇa-grantha goes into DETAIL about only ONE topic.
- Purpose of prakarana-grantha is to PREPARES student for Prasthana-traya.
- Tattva Bodha (text studied in this lesson) is pakaraṇa-grantha.
- ānandamaya-koṣa: The aspect of Causal Body (karana-sharira) that's able to reflect the fullness of Self, which manifests experientially as happiness.
- abādhita: opposite to bādhita. Can't be negated.
- anamaya-kosha: Refers to gross body.
- anyat: everything else / other then. IE: tat anyat sarvam mityhā iti: Other then (ātmā satyam), everything else is mithyā.
- ātmabrahmāikya / brahmātmāikya / jīvabrahmāikya: Aikya means “same”. All 3 mean same, despite putting words in different order. Truth of Ātma and Truth of Brahman are the SAME.
- anātma/anitya: Both means bādhita.
- atītaḥ: beyond/behind.
- avasthā: state. avasthā-traya: 3 states
- bādhita: That which can be falsified/negated/ended.
- EG: Snake ends when the Truth of rope is known. Similarly, long as true nature of Self is mistaken for body-mind (which is badhita), one goes through birth-death (badhita).
- CLARITY: gained by classification > leading to > understanding/clarity of subject matter. EG: Visitor has immediate clarity of library and directions, because of it's bookshelf classification/categorization system. Clarity empowers the individual.
- Categorization/classification does not rob/restrict spontaneity. Just like road rules (nothing but a system of classification of roads/signs/intersections/traffic lights) only provide spontaneity for drivers.
- Opposite to Clarity is Confusion which is LACK of classification of thoughts regarding a subject matter.
- EG: One feels confused about life direction. Because person hasn't even looked at possible directions one can take.
- kāraṇa: Cause.
- kārya: Effect.
- koṣa: pocket, container. That which keeps and hides what it keeps.
- manomaya: Mind-sheath (emotions, doubting).
- padārtha: object.
- pañca: five.
- pranamaya-kosha: Physiological functions.
- sākṣī: Witness, that which illumines, watcher. Refers to unchanging Consciousness.
- sthūla: gross, physical, can be known/visible to senses.
- sūkṣma: So small/minute that it can't be perceived/known/visible to senses. Hence it's nature is: subtle.
- Svarupa Lakshana vs Tatastha Lakshana:
- svarūpa-lakṣaṇa: Intrinsic nature of a thing. So intrinsic nature of sugar is sweet. Of fire, is hot. Of Atma is sat-cit-ānanda (Existence which is of nature of Awareness which is of nature of Limitlessness/Fullness).
- taṭastha-lakṣaṇa:
- Incidental nature of a thing. For example, stove heats the pan, and pan heats the water. The water's hotness is not svarupa-lakshana, but tatastha-lakshana because water's hotness is borrowed from stove.
- NOTE: “taṭastha-lakṣaṇa” may have been translated in the video as “indirect definition or implied meaning”. This is incorrect. As “indirect definition or implied meaning” is an entirely different word, “lakṣyārtha“.
- Tattva: Reality (Known and unknown. Perceived and hidden. Real and unreal. Satya & Mithyā. Meaning: nothing is excluded from word “Tattva”).
- vijñānamaya-koṣa: Intellect (buddhi).
- Viveka: √vic: differentiate/clarity.
Tattva Bodha Teaching Begins:
- Tattva Bodha verse used in class to answer “Who I am and who I am NOT”…
Resources:
- Class test to be completed in 20 min, right after watching video above.
Keywords: abadhita, advaita vedanta, anandamaya kosha, atita, atitah, atma, atmabrahmaikya, avastha, badhita, bhagavad gita, brahma sutra, jivabrahmaikya, karana, karana sharira, kosa, kosha, lakshana, mithya, padartha, panca, pancha, Prakarana grantha, pramana, pranamaya, prasthana traya, preyah, sakshi, saksi, sarira, sastra, shastra, shreya, sreyas, sthula, sukshma, suksma, svarupa laksana, tatastha laksana, upanishad, vijnanamaya
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Credit to Swami Advayananda (senior ācārya at Chinamaya Int. Foundation) whose style of word-for-word Sanskrit analysis has been utilized in this session.
Recorded 12 Feb, 2019
1. Tattva = reality
2. Viveka = discriminate
3.Purpose of tattva viveka= to define/clarify what is reality
4. Clarity is established through process of definition and classification
5. Consciousness at Microcosmic level = Atman
6. Consciouness at Macrocosmic level = Brahman
7. “It can be falsified/negated/ended by knowledge” = badhita = unreal that which changes = Mithya ( the snake is ended by knowledge of the rope)
8. What is abādhita? = That which cannot be negated /made false by knowledge (direct or indirect)
9.What is ātma NOT? = Atma is NOT BMI ( body – mind- intellect)
10.True / False
a. Ātma is thoughts. = F
b. Ātma is memories.= F
c. Ātma is epiphanies. = F
d. Ātma is born. = F
e. Ātma is = Ātma is the ungraspable,
unverbalized, non-interfering Awareness behind the “I AM”
sense
f. Ātma is = Ātma is the knower of the silence
g. “I am bored”. Is Ātma bored (OR) BMI is bored? = BMI is bored
h. “I am afraid to die”. Is Ātma afraid (OR) Ātma is aware of ahaṃ
kāra experiencing fear, owning to BMI’s activity? = Atma is aware of ahamkara (ego) experiencing fear due to BMI activity.
11.What are the 3 states (avasthā traya)? Waking , dreaming, and deep sleep.
12. Define: sākṣī = sākṣī is watcher/illuminator of the 3 states.
13.Satcidānanda is svarūpa-lakṣaṇa (OR) taṭastha-lakṣaṇa ? = Satcidānanda is svarūpa-lakṣaṇa ( Direct definition of existence/consciouness/bliss)
My favorite part of the teaching is the classification of Tattva as microcosmic/individual ( Atman) and macrocosmic/world( Brahman) .
QUESTION: Can we say that Jugut is to Brahman what BMI is to Atman ?
“QUESTION: Can we say that jagat is to Brahman what BMI is to Atman ?” > No. Keep them in their own place. BMI refers to a sentient entity. Jagat (world) can refer to both sentient and insentient.
“ānandamaya-koṣa: same as kāraṇa-śarīra. This is the deep-sleep state. In sleep, every individual experiences the state of wholeness (ānanda). Because the mind and intellect are not functioning in deep sleep, there are no problems.”
Andre,I find it hard to report that this is my experience.
Because the mind and intellect are not functioning,I am not aware that my awareness is functioning.
Therefore, how do I experience a state of wholeness if I am not consciously aware of it?
Ps.
I feel that I might be a difficult student ??
Sorry.
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Therefore, how do I experience a state of wholeness if I am not consciously aware of it?
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Statement doesn’t apply during sleep. During sleep, there nothing. It’s total ignorance. No subject-object. Just blank. This is universal experience of all.
However, you have to go one step further and make an inquiry from waking state…
Are you scared of going to sleep? No. So obviously there is knowledge that “I won’t go out of existence” during sleep.
In fact, we can hardly wait to go to sleep! Why? Because there is no body-mind. Hence “I” is released from all problems (since all problems are associated to body-mind).
However because deep sleep also veils the “I”, it’s the reason why “I am not there experiencing wholeness as myself”.
But nonone can deny that we all GLADLY look forward to sleep.
Hi Andre,
I have read the above texts several times. I have a question for you.
Is life, after the death of the gross body, the same as that which we live in deep sleep?
Is the experience of deep sleep the same as that of the Brahman? I guess there is a difference, maybe there are ego traces in deep sleep, after all deep sleep is a Kosha, not a pure Atman.
“I” Consciousness is present in Deep Sleep, but there are no objects OBJECTING to Consciousness, does this mean that there is no difference between Ananda in Deep Sleep (Ananda Maya Kosha) and Ananda in Atman (which is SATH CHIT ANANDA).
Thank you for your answer.
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Is life, after the death of the gross body, the same as that which we live in deep sleep?
Is the experience of deep sleep the same as that of the Brahman? I guess there is a difference, maybe there are ego traces in deep sleep, after all deep sleep is a Kosha, not a pure Atman.
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Life after death is not same as deep sleep. In deep sleep, one’s mind has temporarily resolved. No life, no sense of I. Whereas after death, the jiva is even more alert then now (as reported by hundreds of case studies with those whose heart completely stopped for minutes and were revived), carrying the exact same sense of I as when wearing gross body. Memories only erase when jiva takes on new physical body.
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“I” Consciousness is present in Deep Sleep, but there are no objects OBJECTING to Consciousness, does this mean that there is no difference between Ananda in Deep Sleep (Ananda Maya Kosha) and Ananda in Atman (which is SATH CHIT ANANDA).
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Consciousness is present everywhere, all the time. It is known to everyone as self-evident “I am”. It is illumining Andre’s subtle-body right now. Therefore “I” (refers to Consciousness) am aware of Andre.
The same consciousness is equally illumining Nicholas’ subtle-body right now. Therefore “I” (refers to Consciousness) am aware of Nicholas.
When Nicholas goes to sleep, his Subtle-body is temporarily resolved. Like the whole blueprint of a complex tree with branches, intelligence of photosynthesis, intelligence how to make fruits… all of that is suspended inside a seed. If you crush the seed, can’t find the tree, but it’s in there as potential.
Similarly, subtle-body-called-Nicholas is like a tree inside a seed (Causal Body), during deep sleep.
Why is there no experience? Because even though I (refers to Consciousness) am shining and illumining the minds of those who are aware… because subtle-body-called-Nicholas is nowhere in sight, there is no experience from Nicholas’ standpoint.
However this “no experience” is not ānanda (stated in sat-cit-ānanda). Ānanda means without a second (no divisions, advaita) – and will be covered multiple times in the course.
Rather, in deep sleep there’s neither knowledge of who I am, nor ignorance of who I am. You are neither liberated, nor ignorant.
Deep sleep is a very unique phenomena. Vedanta does use it as an example of what non-duality is like (as there’s no subject/object split in deep sleep). But it’s only an example, no more, no less.
SUMMARY: We use tool like deep sleep as examples, not as absolutes. Thus can’t say, “there’s no difference between ananda and deep sleep”. That’s why Vedanta employs many examples. Each one helps you grasp the reality a little more.
Andre.
At about the 1hour17 minute mark of your talk Martin said “ isn’t Atman the knower, the knowledge and the known”.
You asked where he had got this from and indicated that it was not the case.
In Dayananda Book 4 bottom of page 255 and top of page 256 he says
“ because the knower is yourself, knowledge is yourself, and the object of knowledge is also yourself “.
Is this self that is being referred to not Atman?
Regards
While we’re talking about discriminating the [1] knower (atma), [2] knowledge and [3] known (object) – they are strictly different.
Only once teacher recognizes that 3 have been sufficiently grasped by majority, then one can safely say “Actually, they’re all atma”.
Just like when sometimes I bring topic of higher understanding in class with my teacher, the teacher will dismiss it infront of everyone (even embarrassing me), simply because not everyone is on the same page. Yet the next session, the teacher will say exactly the same what was dismissed only in last session.