Are We Awake?
Hari Om
~~~~~
Namaste,
We have talked in the past about various levels of consciousness
- Waking or jagrat chetana
- Dreaming or swapn chetana
- Dreamless Sleep or sushupti chetana
- Brahma Sakshtkara ( Self Realization) or turiyatit chetana (sustained turya)
Yet if we look at this waking state we all experience, it too has varying degrees of wakefulness in it. I thought I would poke around at this and see what you think on this matter.
In waking state of ones present consciousness of most people [ this does not include the jnanis , those possessed of the SELF ] experience object-centered wakefulness. One is fully given to the action at hand, and completely absorbed in that action.
Let say you have a project that is due, and your full attention is on it's completion. At this point there is no SELF awareness, no self-referral, no conscious subjectivity, just the job of finishing the project. In this state "I" is completely absorbed in doing. This was the notion discussed before called abuddha: a or 'not' + bhu 'to become or exist' ; or budh ' to enlighten , to know'. So it is without the knowledge of enlightenment or SELF referral.
Lets add a new level - this is called jagrat + swapn (some write svapna). It is commonly called day dreaming. A most interesting state. I think we all had this experience? We are working on that project, or watching TV or reading a book, kind of absorbed, then the mind shifts and one is mentally somewhere else.
This somewhere else is a subjective experience, yes? We did not move or catch a train to a different location, yet in our mind, our imagination or thoughts, we are re-living an event, planning something, we're in the past or in the future, but we are no longer reading that book [ or working on the project ]. You are now traveling in the impressions that are stored in your mind i.e. You no longer are in a pure waking state [jagrat].
Now can one go to another level - that of jagrat + sushupt while in waking state? That is, one is no longer engaged with their book or project nor are they traveling in their impressions; some also call these impressions memories, vasanas, some say samskara is the raw materials that are used here.
This level of experience is most like but not equal to higher states of consciousness. One is still awake, in consciousness yet the objective world and the past impressions are not dominant. What makes this less then Supreme Consciousness, is the native is not fully functional, nor is s/he in a SELF referral state. They are neither enjoying or aware of this condition, yet still possessed of it. Some people with narcolepsy report this experience; not all some.
I Mention this because people do have these experiences… As one unfolds more awareness, and the foundation of turya gets established, without flickering, then one will be able to see that there are various states of consciousness inside the 3 fundamental states of wake, dream and sleep.
Has anyone had these experiences? That is, dreaming while awake, most have, but how about awake while asleep in sushupti?
For those sadhu's this experience may come and go; for some its rewarding for others it seems unusual at first. I mention this as one experiences various gaps or sankrati also called sandhya, the junction points, one may experience turya or SELF or pure I (Aham) at these gaps more easily.
What gaps ? The gap between wake and dream, dream and sleep, sleep and wake. Are there other gaps? Sure between night and day ( morning twilight some call Brahma mahurta), day and night or
- Morning is Brahma Muhurta Sandhya
- Noon for Vishnu Sandhya
- Sunset called Mahesha Sandhya
- Midnight called Kali or Turiya Sandhya
Are there other gaps? Yes even between breaths, between the blink of an eye…. These sandhya which allow life to cycle through their motions yet are based in the foundation of pure consciousness that brings continuity to one's life experience. To experience this, this continuity this Bhuma , Fullness , is the SELF.
Any additional insights are welcomed...
pranams,
Last edited by yajvan; 06 November 2007 at 09:58 PM.
Reason: spelling stuff...
यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
because you are identical with śiva
_
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