Sat Chit Ananda Meaning

Inquirer:

In my continued study of the Bhagavad Gita and various Upanishads, I am looking closely at sat-cit-ananda and would love some insights to this knowledge. What does it mean? What relevance does it have for me? How is it supposed to change my life?

Response:

Basically, these are defining words of reality. It's like someone asking you “What is the nature of water?” . You'd reply — water is fluid, transparent and cohesive. They're not belief words, but words keeping with what water actually is.  You can use many more words, but these three are closet to describing what “water” is. Suppose some being has never seen water in their life — these three words you'd use to help them understand and relate to what water is.

Similarly, sat-chit-ananda are three most accurate words to help you understand reality. The reality in one short word is Brahman (that which is limitlessly big). So rather then saying sat-cit-ananda all the time, we just say Brahman.

The only limitation with above water example is water can be experienced (tasted, seen, heard, felt) as a distinct thing different from other things. Whereas sat-chit-ananda can never be experienced as a distinctive thing, because it's not a thing, and everything already is sat-chit-ananda, including you, the one who is reading these words this very moment.

To try to experience it, is not only to turn it into an object, but also to suggest it wasn't there 5 minutes ago, and one fine moment upon your enlightenment, it suddenly manifests. 

Now let's define each word that's supposed to help you come closer to the truth…

• 1. SAT: Existence. However this isn't referring to object-existence. Such as existent cloud, existent thought, existent doubt, existent atom. Because any object is limited or confined to a size, shape and within time-space. When “existence” is used in sat-chit-ananda context – it's talking about the existence or the “substance” of time-space, of doubt, of atom, of emotion, of anything. So it's existence which is not bound by time-space, but the TRUTH of time-space. All objects borrow sat (existence). For example, you can't say “rock”, unless rock EXISTS. Your thought EXISTS. Your insight EXISTS. Time EXISTS.  So they all “borrow” from Existence.
  2. CIT: This very Existence as described above is of nature of Consciousness or Awareness (synonyms in Vedanta).
  3. ANANDA: And this Existence-Awareness is the only reality there is. Thus it's complete or not-two or limitless (all mean the same).

It's crucial I emphasize again, because this word is the most misunderstood amidst spiritual noobs who are yet to learn from a living teacher whose living the vision of Oneness…

Sat is not the limited existence of ephemeral objective phenomena, as I described above. 

Cit is not a state of mind – but the unchanging Consciousness because of which states of mind are known. Reminds me of a prank, where one moment you're told you've won the lottery. Your state of mind is ecstatic! Discovering it's a prank, your state of mind dips to its lowest. What was there before the lottery news? I, the Conscious being. What was equally there during the ecstatic state of mind? I, the Conscious being. What continued to be equally existent during the lowest state of mind? I, the Conscious being.  In other words, Consciousness never left. Only states of mind did.

And ananda is not the emotional bliss/happiness/enjoyment associated with states of mind. 

So, how do we understand this Sat-Cit-Ananda in relation to ourselves, the ‘I'?

Think about it: You know you exist (‘Sat‘). How do you know? Because you are conscious (‘Cit‘). Existence (‘Sat‘) and Consciousness (‘Cit‘) are not separate. You can't know existence without consciousness, and consciousness itself obviously exists. So, the fundamental nature of the ‘I', the Self (Atma), is Conscious Existence.

Now, consider everything you experience – objects, thoughts, feelings, even time and space. Where do they appear? They all arise within your awareness, this Conscious Existence. Just like waves appear in the ocean, all phenomena appear in this awareness. Even time and space, which seem to frame everything else, are themselves known within this awareness.

If this Conscious Existence is the ‘space' wherein even time and space appear, can it be limited by them? No. It must be beyond all limitations, including time and space. Therefore, this Conscious Existence is limitless, complete – which is the meaning of ‘Ananda‘.

This Limitless Conscious Existence (Sat-Cit-Ananda) is what is meant by the Self, Atma. It is the unchanging reality, the very ‘is-ness' or substance of everything that appears.

And since there can only be one ultimate, limitless reality, the reality of the whole universe (Brahman) must be the same reality as the Self (Atma) of the apparent individual. The wave is non-separate from the ocean. You, the conscious individual, are non-separate from that one Limitless Conscious Existence. This understanding removes the sense of separation and limitation.

Inquirer:

My mind can only reflect pure cit or know this infinite ever present source but in the end “I am that” meaning that all things are in my mind and all things exist in me.

Response:

All objective phenomena are only recognized by the mind and are only experienced by the individual as a result of the mental perception of the object.

But all objective phenomena do not exist solely within the mind of the individual.

There are three orders of reality:

1) paramarthika-satyam, which is pure awareness;

2) vyavaharika-satyam, which is the transactional reality; and

3) pratibhasika-satyam, which is the apparent individual’s experience.

Paramarthika-satyam alone is real.

It is the realm of pure, unmodified, limitless, attributeless, ever-present, all-pervasive, non-dual awareness.

The “direct path” teachings reflect this perspective exclusively.

And it is from this perspective that springs ajata-vada, the “nothing ever happened” explanation of reality.

Ajata-vada posits that since no object, event, or experience is essentially anything other than pure awareness (brahman) — then none of these phenomena have any affect on brahman.

Nor can they be said to be anything other than pure awareness.

Therefore, since all events or experiences are only definable in terms of change — and all objects are only definable in terms of their unique qualities — nothing can be said to ever have actually happened.

Vyavaharika-satyam is the transactional reality, or what we can refer to variously as the world, creation, or the manifest universe.

As an object “known” by or arising within the scope of awareness, it is only apparently real.

It is the projection of Maya, and thus is referred to as Isvara shrishti, “God’s creation,”.

Isvara is pure awareness apparently conditioned by its own deluding power of Maya (the macrocosmic superimposition that causes limitless awareness to appear to be the vast array of limited forms… that comprise the manifest universe, in both its subtle and gross aspects).

Figuratively speaking, the manifest universe is a dream appearing in the mind of God, it has greater staying power than the ephemeral dreams of apparent individuals.

Because of the “greater staying power”, is the very reason why the apparent individual (upon waking), seemingly returns to the same physical world he/she inhabited before falling asleep.

Such is simply the design of the grand game of life in the apparent reality it would seem.

Pratibhasika-satyam is the apparent individual’s subjective interpretation of his perception of the transactional reality as well as the conceptual phenomena that arise within the apparent individual’s mind.

It, too, is only an objective phenomenon appearing within pure awareness, and thus is only apparently real.

Though the apparent individual doesn’t create the physical world it inhabits, he does project his vasana-influenced interpretations of objects/events ONTO the vyavaharika-world.

In this way, the apparent individual “creates” or determines the quality and texture of his personal experience.

Hence, pratibhasika-satyam is considered jiva-shrishti, “the apparent individual’s creation.”

Acknowledging the existence of these three aspects of reality, accurately discriminating between them, knowing what is real as opposed to what is only apparent — and being able to effectively navigate between the real and the apparent within the context of living — are all parts of fully assimilated self-knowledge.

Vedanta does not deny the existence of the apparent aspects of reality (vyavaharika/pratibhasika).

It simply exposes their limitations, reveals the non-dual nature of reality and one’s true identity as limitless awareness.

Consequently eradicates suffering and affords one ultimate inner freedom, which one can enjoy even while fully participating in “worldly” affairs.

Inquirer:

I am the knower of all experiences. I am not the objects but they exist in me and I am one with everything.

Response:

Yes, the apparent individual that you seem to be due to your association with the body-mind-sense complex is an object.

The mind is the knower of all experiences.

The self is the “knower” only in figurative terms.

The self is simply the limitless conscious existence (sat cit ananda) within which all objective phenomena appear.

It is the “light” that illumines the mind and thereby enables it to know objects.

The self, however, is not a personal entity with a particular perspective that enables it to be a knowing subject in relation to a known object.

Within the self, the mind appears as an object (i.e., a knowable phenomenon) that is able to perform the functions that we refer to as knowing (in an intellectual sense).

The mind is not a tangible object and, thus, has no form.

Instead, the mind takes the form of the objects arising within limitless-conscious-existence that fall within the range of its perception.

In this sense, the mind is one with everything appearing within its perceptive range.

The self (atman) is one with everything in the sense that it is the limitless-conscious-existence (sat chit ananda) — that is both the material and subtle substrate of all objective phenomena.

Inquirer:

I return to this knowledge as a continued meditation as often as I can throughout the day. This allows me to be free of the jiva and free up the jiva so that I am not suffering.

Response:

When you can make the discrimination I’ve just described and have fully assimilated the knowledge, it frees you from suffering.

Though the apparent individual will still experience pain and pleasure, the suffering that results from the idea that these experiences are actually affecting one’s true nature ceases.

Lesson in sat-chit-ananda:

This video is part of the 4-year course on the total vision of Reality.