Summary:

Discourse 8 performs an analysis into reality using 3 significant ontological terms; a prerequisite to reconciling apparent differences in later parts of text.

Source: Tattva Bodha

Section 2: Tattva Viveka — Method to Distinguishing the Real & Unreal

What will we learn? How to apply “tattva viveka” to get clarity of reality. How to distinguish real/unreal. How to get clarity? Process of classification. Viveka comes from root √vic , meaning to: (1) differentiate, (2) gain clarity. So by differentiation, one gets clarity.

Verse:

tattva vivekaḥ kaḥ?  ātmā satyaṃ tadanyat sarvaṃ mithyā iti
What is the discriminative knowledge of truth? Ātmā, (I) is the truth; all else other than that is mithyā (apparent). 

• Atma = Subject. The existence on which experiences of body-mind takes place. “I”. The invariable consciousness.

• 3 Ontological Terms to Relate with Reality:
  1. SATYAM:
     • Means:
       1. It's empirically-real, like real-rose, cloud, hand, fire.
       2. It exists.
  2. TUCCHAM:
     • Means:
       1. Fake, like fake-rose.
       2. Doesn't empirically exist. Non-existent. 
          • EG:
            • Man's horns. Yes, the man exists and horn exits. But together don't exist in empirical/public world, except in one's imagination.
            • Square-circle.
            • Sky-flowers.
            • Cold fire.
            • TUCCHAM STORY: Man bathing with mirage water. Embellishing hair with sky flowers. Making bow from rabbit horns. Who told this? Person who can't speak. Who saw this? Blind man. Who heard this? Deaf man.
  3. MITHYA:
     • Satya & Tuccham is not enough to completely explain the existential status of an object. With these 2 words, we operate our life, and make analysis. To demonstrate, take the following example…
       • Yarn/Cloth: Take yarn out of cloth, where did the cloth go? Cloth was never there. Now yarn is satyam. Can we say cloth is tuccham? No, because cloth DOES exist. Hence you must introduce third ontological word to cloth — mithyā. Thus mithyā is attributed by your cognitive understanding of the object. Mithya means object is neither satyam nor tuccham. But whose existence is dependent. 
     • Mithya DEFINITION: Mithya is an object which can't create without another object. It has no existence apart from the other object. It is that which is apparent. Can't even imagine mithya (like the pot) without another object (like the clay).   EG:  Imagine shirt without material.  Think of the world/ignorance/knowledge/space between two thoughts, without yourself. All things depends on You. Atma IS throughout as the invariable presence. While object-of-thought is or isn't. Hence Atma is satyam.
     • Shirt/cotton analysis to help explain Mithya further: While pointing to the shirt, person A says it's a shirt. Person B says it's cotton.
       • There can only be 3 options:
         1. They're both right. This is incorrect, because shirt/cotton are not synonyms. 
         2. They're both wrong. This is incorrect, as it's clear shirt is there. 
         3. One is more right then the other. This is the correct analysis. It is a shirt, but it has no existence apart from the cotton. Thus person B is more right. Because when the object is investigated, despite it taking form of shirt — it's ACTUALLY nothing but cotton in form of a shirt. So technically, there's no shirt in absolute sense. Because cotton was before creation of shirt. Cotton continues throughout the life of the shirt. Cotton remains after shirt is gone (such as when it's turned into a curtain).  Meaning, this option is most right as it doesn't dismiss the shirt, while at same time, acknowledges that shirt is farther away from the truth, while cotton is closer to the truth (the actual substance that makes up the shirt).
       • Purpose of Shirt/cotton analysis is to ask: Do you need to remove thought (shirt) to know Atma (cotton)? No. Else thought is equally real, but it's not since definition of real is that which never leaves in the past, present and future. Therefore the verse states that Atma alone is satyam (that which is nityam; obtains in all 3 periods of time). All else is mithya.
     • So mithya is attributed by your understanding about reality of an object. Mithya refers to object whose reality is dependent on something else; and whose reality is functional. For example a shirt is functional/useful.
     • Mithya real, you're in trouble: If mithya becomes satyam, you're in trouble. Because then every object is given satyam status, thus becomes worthy of chasing after. Spiritual world is no exception. EG: A spiritual-awakening-satyam. Kundalini-raising-satyam.  Literally, thousands of books are written, and keep getting written because of author's ignorance of mithya ontological term, thus treats every time-bound experience as satyam.
• Do you need to remove mithya to see satyam? No. Only recognize wherever there is mithya, that's where satyam is. Mithya is never away from satyam. For example, a wave can't transcend (go beyond) wave to see water, as wave is water only. To know yourself, should you remove your thoughts? No. Otherwise, that means when thought comes, then “I” am pushed aside. If I, the conscious being, was pushed aside upon manifestation of thought, then who is it that's conscious of the thought?! 
• Conclusion:
  • To understand reality, must have 3 terms. Satyam/tuccham/mithya are ontological terms. Indicates status of object's existence. The society knows about Satya/tuccham but not mithya.

 Homework: 

1. What is “ontology” per our lesson?
2. Satyam, mithya, tuccham are ontological terms.  T/F
3. Satya, mithya, tuccham are for purely intellectual gymnastics and have no benefit in real life.  T/F
4. Satya, mityha, tuccham reveal your cognitive understanding of what reality an object enjoy.  T/F.
5. Define satyam, tuccham and mithya per your understanding so far. We will discuss it further, so your knowledge will expand. 

Keywords:  

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Credit for help in Tattva Bodha to Chinmaya Mission's Swami Advayananda, and Arsha Vidya's Swami Dayananda.

Recorded 9 July, 2023