Dear fellow-seekers,
Close scrutiny of the statement “the self exists” will show the simple meaning of it. It means only that one has in mind the vivid experience of a certain quality of awareness to which he gives the name ‘Self.’
Another will say, “Matter exists.” He too refers to a subjective entity experienced as a quality of awareness to which he gives the name “matter.”
Regardless of the terms given in each case to the subjective entity, the quality of the two experiences may be very similar: in both cases refer only to the experience of a specific configuration of awareness in the respective minds.
Now we have two different sets of ideas. One pertains to the gross aspects and the other to its subtle aspect. These are termed sthUla स्थूल and सूक्ष्म sUkSma respectively in vedic literature.
The sthUla is that kind of knowledge which is structured with impressions derived from our sensory system; form, color, physical dimensions, weight
etcetera.
The awareness which is sUkSma is a form of comprehension arrived at by relating concepts which exists as ideas in the mind, without much reference to the presence of objective data. (Note: Even when a physical object is present in its gross aspect, one can transcend the physical impression cast by the object on the senses and lift one’s mind to subtle planes of varied significance and meaning.)
In general sense we can say that the existence of what is gross is an external factor in our conscious life, while the existence of the subtle can be considered as internal.
In another instance when people say, “God exists,” they have in mind a normative idea and belief –structure of what God is. They experience in their emotional life a sense of wonder and adoration towards the concept of God, and in the external manifestation of inner values they see a perfect correspondence with subjective concept. For them the one-to-one correspondence between the normative idea structure and the objective existential experience is accepted as the existence and very often the proof of existence of God.
When others say, “There is no God,” they too conceptualize an idea structure to use as a criterion to verify the possible existence of God. In this they will include such items as perfect order, uncompromising justice, a clear revelation of the Absolute truthfulness, the compassionate protection all beings, and so on. After forming this structure and including in it other values of a purely conceptual nature, they look for one-to-one corresponding in the world of objectivity. Unfortunately, what they have structured in their minds as God has little or no nothing corresponding to it in the external world, so they vehemently deny the existence of God.
In both of the above cases concerning the existence of God, the people resorted to the criterion of a normative idea-structure to say YES or NO. The God who is asserted to be real and the God who is denied reality are both only byproducts of the reasoning faculty of man.
These distinctions between the gross and the subtle aspects should not be held too rigidly. Clearly, although these distinctions can be drawn, they are in fact and in operation experienced by the same conscious reality Caitanya चैतन्य , that manifest both as the existence (objective or सद्घन Sadghana) and the ideation (subjective or चिद्घन Cidghana).
If the proponents of these arguments (Matter-Self, and existence and denial of God as mentioned above) had known they were quarrelling only about the incompatibility of their ideational structures-merely a semantic issue- they might have agreed to suspend hostilities.
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Human misery is wrongly thought to arise merely from human action. In fact, it is the effect of a basic illusion which is cosmic in its dimensions, and an all pervading ignorance which has no beginning in the sense that we can say mankind began (anaadi). This ignorance and illusion is fundamental to the emergence, structuring and ongoing development of the cosmos. Hence it is inseparable from the abiding principle, the ONE Caitanya चैतन्य.
When the question of conscious awareness at the gross and the subtle levels are considered, it is necessary that one should have a proper understanding of what is truly existent and what is merely fanciful imagery of mind.
It cannot be therefore attacked in a piecemeal fashion.
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