Brahmanubhuti Talk 62
Transcending Duality – Being and Becoming- 18.04.2017
Let us contemplate on freedom from concepts. We said, there is absolute reality, the supreme truth, which cannot be conceptualized, which cannot be thought of. The infinity, which is the source of existence, we cannot think of that. We can call it existence.
That existence is the ‘Being’. So, when the concepts arise in Being, it starts Becoming. Being and Becoming. In a way, there is a Consciousness, which is the supreme truth, Chidananda, absolute reality. The Consciousness at rest and Consciousness at movement. Consciousness in movement is called Shakti, Consciousness at rest is called Shiva. The one appears to be two.
There is a stillness and there is a movement. The movement is nothing but, movement of thoughts, concepts. Concepts are nothing but thoughts. So, a concept is not a reality. Concept appears and disappears, in Consciousness. Like, ripples appear in water, and disappear. So, Being and Becoming is what is called ‘Totality’.
While, Being is absolute truth, Becoming is relative truth. Being is Satya, Becoming is Mithya. Mithya means, appears. There is a constant movement of thoughts, constant movement of concepts. This movement creates a feeling or presence of objects.This movement creates objects. This movement is called Prana or Shakti, and it creates a lot of conceptual objects.
Absolute consciousness is consciousness at rest. Due to power of consciousness Maya, consciousness appears to be moving. The movement in the consciousness is in the form of concepts, ideas, thoughts and feelings. The movement in consciousness appears in the form of objects having form and functionality. To give an analogy, let us take the example of a fan. Fan has 3 blades when it is switched off. In the switched off condition, Fan is non functional which is similar to absolute consciousness at rest. However when the fan starts rotating it appears like a circle. If you put your finger in the rotating fan, the finger gets cut. Thus movement of the fan appears different (as a circle) and behaves in a different way. Similarly, with apparent movement in consciousness, various objects with different functions appear.
This movement in the Consciousness creates different objects. Each of them has a different functionality. Look at the universe today, whatever we have, everything is in motion. You think you are sitting here. But, the earth is rotating at a very tremendous speed, around the Sun. Then, the Sun is rotating in the center of a Milky Way galaxy. And the galaxy is also constantly rotating. So, everything is rotating, moving very fast, fast.
This movement is giving an illusion of the object. Look at the Sun, the Moon, your body, your Being, the mind, the world, everything is a concept. But, concept in motion creates the object. Each of them have different functionality, because of the movement. So, that’s how, the creation comes into picture, from Being to Becoming.
I would give an example. There is an engineer, he wants to build a building. First, the building is conceptualised in the engineer’s mind, a blueprint is made in the mind. Then, a physical object is created. The same thing happens in Consciousness. There are concepts which arise, there is a movement of these concepts. And, the physical universe appears. Except that, in the case of the engineer, the physical structure is different from the engineer.
In Consciousness, everything is Consciousness only. Every object is in Consciousness and that object is also Consciousness. It is not different. It appears to be different, because of the motion, because of the concepts. In reality, it is Consciousness. For example, a wave rises in the ocean, and falls back. The waves are also part of the ocean. All gold ornaments are gold only. Gold ornaments are not different from the gold.
Everything in the universe is Consciousness only. But, for the purpose of denomination, we call it mind, thoughts, concepts, objects etc. In reality, all of them are Consciousness only and all of them are mithya, which are temporary in nature. If you enquire, you will find that they are Consciousness only, nothing else. The Being, and Becoming.
So, where there was no division, a division seems to have appeared, Being and Becoming. From the perspective of an individual, there is a separation. From the perspective of Consciousness, there is no separation. Nothing has happened to the Consciousness. In the example of water, ocean and waves, from a wave point of view, there is a movement. From the water point of view, nothing has happened to the water.
Movement in Consciousness is the creation, the world. The Consciousness is the substratum, the fundamental reality. The movement is a mithya, or appearance. The substratum is reality. So, now, what was one, has become two. That one, appears to have become two. Consciousness in rest and Consciousness in motion.
Still, it has not become the reality. The Consciousness in motion, is nothing but objects. When the Consciousness identifies with one of the objects, it gives a reality to the object. For example: An actor thinks of becoming the role of a beggar. Role of a beggar is a concept. But, when the actor puts on the dress of a beggar, then it becomes reality. The concept is reality now.
When the Consciousness associates with the concept, then it becomes real. Until that point, it is a concept. So, the moment Consciousness associates with the object, there is a separation now. Subject and object, ‘I’ and the world. The duality has come into picture. Being, Becoming and duality. So, the moment you come into duality, there is a stress developed. Because, you are identifying one part of the universe. The rest of the part seems to be so large, so big. You start feeling threatened, fear.
Then, you try to start coming out of that or you try to overcome that fear. This is what is actually called the struggle of life. Gradually you will start relaxing, because, at one point of time, you start knowing yourself and become free from this duality. Then, you become part of the Consciousness, you become one with the Consciousness. ‘You’ means, the Consciousness identified with the object. That is, actually called, liberation.
First is, bondage, i.e, when you identify with an object, the body-mind complex. Liberation is when you become free from identification. Now, both freedom and liberation are again conceptual, not physical, not reality. They are conceptual only. Because, the Consciousness has never got into bondage or liberation.
Duality means, the ‘I’ and the other, good and the bad, happiness and unhappiness, success and failure. The nature, or the creation is full of duality or I will call it dualism. Like, a painting requires multiple colours, the creation requires, the polar opposites. Good and bad, happiness and unhappiness, black and white. When you start identifying with one of them, then, it becomes duality. That’s dualism, and this is duality.
Dualism is ok, it is like a painting. It is a beautiful painting. A movie for example has dualism, the Hero and villain etc. You enjoy that movie when the hero thrashes the villain. But, suppose, you become part of the movie and identify with the villain, then you have a problem. You get thrashed, and you start crying.
So, dualism is nice. It is a painting. But duality is a problem, when you start identifying with one of the characters, one of the objects in that, then, you start becoming a part of the drama of the universe and you get beaten up. So, Being and Becoming.
But, Being and Becoming is only conceptual, nothing real has happened, from the Being point of view. From the absolute reality point of view, nothing has changed. From the relative point of view, there is movement.
Pranams