Reflections on Self

by

A lover of Ancient Wisdom

What is the highest culmination of human knowledge and perfection? It is Self-knowledge. What is the most difficult thing to achieve in life? It is Self-knowledge; so difficult it is that the Buddha says that the conqueror of self is greater than the conqueror of the world. In other words, if you are asked to raise an army and go on a conquest of the world, you will say it is very difficult and not possible. But the conquest of self is infinitely more difficult than that of the world. What is the nearest thing to us and yet so far off as not to be apprehended? It is Self, the Spirit.

This is the greatest paradox of existence. We all speak of “I am I, and daily say in transactional world “I am so and so,” yet we know not who that “I am” is.

 It is not easy to realize the Self; but, teaches the Bhagavad Gita, the realization of Self is not impossible. The Great Enlightened Ones were once like us ordinary mortals, but they at some time determined to tread the difficult path of Self-realization indicated by their predecessors, the Buddhas of yore, and became enlightened. 

 Let us then consult the Holy Books and try to comprehend what they teach what Self or Soul is, how it came to be embodied and for what purpose, why it is difficult to realize the Self, though we, each one, is the Self. We will take a few excerpts from the Bhagavad Gita and meditate on the teachings.

 15th Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, entitled, “Devotion through knowledge of Supreme Spirit (Paramatma)” teaches that:

1.    Universe, subjective as well as objective, visible and invisible, in all its infinite diversity, is nothing but the manifestation of the Supreme Spirit, or Universal, Eternal Consciousness.

2.    Therefore, universe is embodied consciousness.

3.    Which means, the Supreme, which is Infinite, Eternal, which is ONE, manifest itself in visible and invisible forms, consisting of a hierarchy of Celestial Beings, as gods, men, in variety of forms in mineral, vegetable, animal kingdoms, all of which are progressively evolving to higher levels of consciousness. Evolution means, progressive and expanding manifestation of infinite potentialities of the Supreme which is embodied in beings.

4.    There are therefore beings

(a) Below man in the ladder of evolution–in the lower kingdoms of Nature and sub-human invisible angelic beings called Elemental World;

(b) Stage of Man in whom alone the principle of Mind, or Self-consciousness, is lit up; and,

(c) Beings far above Man living in Spirit, variously referred to in scared books as, Celestial Dhyani Buddhas, Archangels, Dhyan Chohans, Kabeiri, Rishis, Manus. They take part in the governance of the Universe and come down on earth in cyclic order as Avatars, Prophets, Buddhas, to teach and help on the progress of humanity on the path of higher evolution. 

5.    Therefore, beings differ in degree but essentially and potential all are perfect in Spirit, which is One. They vary in the degree of expression of the Divine potentialities of the Supreme which is the Self of All

 Three aspects of Self:

 The 15th Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita teaches that the Spirit or Self is to be considered in three aspect: 

  i. Supreme Spirit, Eternal, Infinite, Indivisible ONE SELF;

 ii. As embodied Self or Soul, which is like a ray of the Supreme or like a spark from the central Fire. This embodied Self or Soul is immortal, an inalienable portion of the Supreme Spirit; and,

 iii. The perishable mortal soul in the body, a temporary reflection of the former.

 It is only the noblest attributes of the lower personal self that survive the death of the body to become one with and assimilated to Divine Individuality. All other material attributes of the personal self perish at death, but these material qualities go to form another body for the Soul’s next incarnation.

 Verse 7:

“It is even a portion of Myself which, having assumed life in this world of conditioned existence, draweth together the five senses and the mind in order that it may obtain a body and leave it again.”

 Verse 8:

“And those are carried by the Sovereign Lord to and from whatever body he enters or quits, even as the breeze bears the fragrance from the flower.”

 Verse 9:

“Presiding over the eye, the ear, the touch, the taste, and the power of smelling, and also over the mind, he expresseth the objects of sense.

 The five senses and the mind and the body are enveloped by the Soul as instruments of knowledge and action to gain experience in the world through them. 

 It is through assimilation of essential experiences of countless rebirths that Divine Individuality, at last realizes its complete oneness with the Supreme.

 The Divine Individuality being highly spiritual, cannot act directly in the body. It can act only through its mortal shadow reflected in the body as mortal Man, the Thinker. It is for the latter to cling to its divine parent and save itself from cycles of birth and death and attain immortality.

 Why do we not realize Self though we are Self?

 It is because of delusion of mind chained to passions and desires mistaking itself to be the body and giving in to lower animal passions, which it has to conquer and sublimate

 Verse 10

“The deluded do not see the Spirit when it quitteth or remain in the body, not when moved by the qualities, it hath experience in the world.”

 Who can know the Self and how; why others do not know?

 Verse ​​11:

 “But those who have the Eye of Wisdom perceive it, and devotees who industriously strive to do so see it dwelling on their own hearts; whilst those have not overcome themselves, who are devoid of discrimination, see it not even though they strive after.”

 Immanence of Supreme Self

 Verses 12 to 15:

“Know that the brilliance of the Sun which illuminateth the whole world, and the light which is in the moon and in the fire, are splendor of Myself.

 “I enter the earth, supporting all living things by my power, and I am the property of sap which is taste, nourishing all the herbs and plants of the field.

“Becoming the internal fire of the living, I associate with the upward and downward breathing and cause the four kinds of food to digest.

 “I am in the hearts of all men, and from me come memory, knowledge, and also the loss of both.

I am to be known by all the Vedas; and I am he who is the author of Vedanta, and also am the interpreter of the Vedas.”

 Three aspects of Self:

 Verse 16:

“There are two kinds of beings in the world, the one divisible and the other indivisible. The divisible is all things and the creatures, the indivisible is called Kutastha, or he who standeth on high unaffected.”

 Verse 17:“But there is another Spirit designated as the Supreme Spirit–Paramatma–which permeates and sustains the three worlds.”

 Verse 18:

“As I am above the divisible and also superior to the indivisible, therefore both in the world and in the Vedas am I known as Supreme Spirit”

 Condition of those who realize the Supreme Self:

 Verse 19:

“He who not being deluded knoweth me thus as the Supreme Spirit, knoweth all things and worships me under every form and condition.”

 Verse 20:

“Thus, O sinless one, have I declared unto thee this most sacred science; he who understandeth it, O son of Bharata, will be a wise man and the performer of all that is to be done.”

                A few meditational themes from the Bhagavad Gita

 Chapter 13, verses 12 to 18

 “I will now tell thee what is the object of wisdom, from knowing which a man enjoys immortality; it is that which has no beginning, even the Supreme Brahma, and of which it cannot be said that it is either Being or Non-Being.

 “It has hands and feet in all directions; eyes, heads, mouths, and ears in every direction; it is immanent in the world, possessing the vast whole.

 “Itself without organs, it is reflected by all the senses and faculties; unattached, yet supporting all; without qualities, yet the witness of them all.

 “It is within and without all creatures animate and inanimate; it is inconceivable because of its subtlety, and although it is near it is a far off.

 “Although undivided it appears as divided among creatures, and while it sustains existing thing, it is also to be known as their destroyer and creator.

 “It is light of all lights and is declared to be beyond all darkness; and it is wisdom itself, the object of wisdom, and that which is to be obtained by wisdom; in the hearts of all it ever presideth

 Thus hath been briefly declared what is the perishable body, and wisdom itself, together with the object of wisdom; he my devotee who in truth conceiveth me, obtain my state.”

 Verse 22:

 “The spirit in the body is called Maheswara, the Great Lord, the spectator, the admonisher, the enjoyer, and also the Paramatma, the highest soul”

 Verse 23:

 “He who thus knoweth the spirit and nature, together with the qualities, whatever mode of life he may lead, is not born again on this earth.”

 Verse 26 to 34:

 “Know, O chief of Bharatas, that whatever anything, animate or inanimate, is produced, it is due to the union of the Kshetra  and Kshetrajna, body and the soul.

 “He who seeth the Supreme Being existing alike imperishable in all perishable things, sees indeed.

 “Perceiving the same Lord present in everything and everywhere, he does not by the lower self destroy his own soul but goeth to the supreme end. 

 “He who seeth that all his actions are performed by nature only, and that the self within is not the actor, sees indeed.

 “And when he realizes perfectly that all things whatsoever in nature are comprehended in the ONE, he attains to the Supreme Spirit.

 “The Supreme Spirit, O son of Kunti, even when it is in the body, neither acteth nor is affected by action, because being without beginning and devoid of attributes, it is changeless.

 “As the all-moving Akasa by reason of its subtlety passeth everywhere unaffected, so the spirit, though present in every kind of body, is not attached to action nor affected.

 “As a single sun illuminateth the whole world, even so doth One Spirit illumine everybody, O son of Bharata.

 “Those who with the eye of wisdom thus perceiveth what is the difference between the body and Spirit and the destruction of the illusion of objects, go to the Supreme.”

 Thus in the Upanishads, called the Holy Bhagavad-Gita, in the science of the Supreme Spirit, in the book of devotion, in the colloquy between the Holy Krishna and Arjuna, stands the Thirteenth Chapter, by name – Devotion by means of the discrimination of the kshetra from Kshetrajna.

 

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