The senses are the doors opening out on the external world for the consciousness to act and range abroad. That is the usual outward movement which is generally so much condemned by spiritual seekers. The doors and windows of the senses, whatever they are, all openings should be closed, shut up, hermetically sealed. One should then return within away from them, if one is to come into contact with the true consciousness, the true reality. Even the Gita says, the conscious being is seated in tranquility within, closing all the nine gates of the city, himself doing nothing nor causing anything to be done.
Well, that is one way of procedure in dealing with the senses. When you consider that the senses always pull you out, they always entice you to run after the sweet perishable goods of the world, invite you to the enjoyment of pleasure and pain, to all dualities of a life of ignorance normally lived upon earth, then indeed the senses become terribly suspect. But this need not be so. The senses instead of being tempters leading you out into the ignorance may verily be inspirers calling you, guiding you inward. Instead of opening out on the world of maya they may open out on the world of light and truth. The clue is in the Kena Upanishad.
With the eye of the eye one must see, with the hearing of the inner ear one must hear, and one must know by the mind of the mind. Instead of opening these windows outward they must be opened inwards. it is then that they will become instruments of real knowledge, receptacles or transmitters of the truth and reality. instead of being merely illusory knowledge or maya as termed generally.
it is habitually said when speaking of spiritual realisation, that one sees the truth, one has to see the truth: to know the truth, to know the reality is taken to mean to see the truth, to see the reality, but what does this signify? it signifies that what one sees is the light, the light that emanates from truth, the form that the truth takes, the radiant substance that is the truth. This now we can conclude is the special character of this organ, the organ of sight the eye.
One sees the physical light, of course, but one sees also the supraphysical light. this is as per the Upanishad the eye of the eye.
now what we have seen about the eye can be said of other sense organs as well. for example the inner ear is able to take by the process of regression to the very source of all sound and utterance, from where springs the anahata vak, the undictated voice, the nada brahman, the original sound seed, the primary vibration so to say. so the ear gives that hearing which reveals to you the special aspect of the divine; the vibratory rhythm of the being, that matrix of all utterance, of all speech that mark the material expression of consciousness. the third sense of smell, no it is not a despicable organ it is as important as the other two above. this is the gateway to the perfumed atmosphere of the reality. example the truth is colourful, beautiful, shapely, radiant to the eye; to the nostils it is exhilarating perfume, it distills all around a divine scent that sanctifies, elevates the whole being. now for the tongue the truth is sweetness, the delicious nectar of the gods; for the truth is also soma, the supreme rasa, amrta immortality itself.
in the nostrils quivered celestial fragrances,
on the tongue lingered the honey of paradise.
Finally now the sense of Touch, though last it is psychologically and chronologically it is the foremost the most primary and primitive of the senses. actually the eye comes last here in the course of the sensory evolution. Touch is the most generalised, the least specific but the most sensitive of the organs. touch gives a direct perception. it means contact, it means identification, it means becoming and being. (difficult to understand but none the less what is sat up there if there is an up there here it is Annam.
now there is a sixth sense too The MIND. this is the chief instrument of knowledge. it is in and through the mind that man has knowledge. it is here that the other five senses distil their perception allowing a coordinated picture of the sense experiences.
Now to attain, to realise, to possess the truth means first of all to know the truth, for knowing is the function of the mind. It is said however, that the mind knows only the outward form of things, its knowledge is the knowledge of an outside world, elements of which are supplied by the senses, It is the Knowledge of the ignorance. The TRUE KNOWLEDGE IS NOT attained by the mind or through the mind. For the True Knowledge, it is declared the mind is to be expunged altogether or silenced at least. One must get away, one must withdraw from that play of activity and be far from it. For TRUE KNOWLEDGE COMES THROUGH REVELATIONS, IT DESCENDS FROM ABOVE. it does not enter by the level side door and it comes only when the mind is not there. Like the other senses the mind too can be turned inwards and made a receptive organ. when it is the mind of the mind so to say, there begins to appear the true knowledge. the physical mind remains no more ignorant it becomes transparent and luminous, it is able to bring its own gift, it can serve with its own contribution to the real knowledge. for it is the mind that gives form and shape a local habitation and a name to the higher truth, to the real light, to the true knowledge.it is the surupa chanted by the vedic rishis that the purified mind models for the Gods to inhabit. it is that which the poets and prophets always aspire for in their creative quest.
These senses do maintain their identity, each its own, even when they together are all of them part and parcel of the Supreme Universal Consciousness. but they do become supple and malleable, they interwine, mix together, even one doing another's work. eg a blind man sees through one of his other organs, the sense of hearing can bring to you the vision of colour, the smell can reveal the taste etc.
Well, that is one way of procedure in dealing with the senses. When you consider that the senses always pull you out, they always entice you to run after the sweet perishable goods of the world, invite you to the enjoyment of pleasure and pain, to all dualities of a life of ignorance normally lived upon earth, then indeed the senses become terribly suspect. But this need not be so. The senses instead of being tempters leading you out into the ignorance may verily be inspirers calling you, guiding you inward. Instead of opening out on the world of maya they may open out on the world of light and truth. The clue is in the Kena Upanishad.
With the eye of the eye one must see, with the hearing of the inner ear one must hear, and one must know by the mind of the mind. Instead of opening these windows outward they must be opened inwards. it is then that they will become instruments of real knowledge, receptacles or transmitters of the truth and reality. instead of being merely illusory knowledge or maya as termed generally.
it is habitually said when speaking of spiritual realisation, that one sees the truth, one has to see the truth: to know the truth, to know the reality is taken to mean to see the truth, to see the reality, but what does this signify? it signifies that what one sees is the light, the light that emanates from truth, the form that the truth takes, the radiant substance that is the truth. This now we can conclude is the special character of this organ, the organ of sight the eye.
One sees the physical light, of course, but one sees also the supraphysical light. this is as per the Upanishad the eye of the eye.
now what we have seen about the eye can be said of other sense organs as well. for example the inner ear is able to take by the process of regression to the very source of all sound and utterance, from where springs the anahata vak, the undictated voice, the nada brahman, the original sound seed, the primary vibration so to say. so the ear gives that hearing which reveals to you the special aspect of the divine; the vibratory rhythm of the being, that matrix of all utterance, of all speech that mark the material expression of consciousness. the third sense of smell, no it is not a despicable organ it is as important as the other two above. this is the gateway to the perfumed atmosphere of the reality. example the truth is colourful, beautiful, shapely, radiant to the eye; to the nostils it is exhilarating perfume, it distills all around a divine scent that sanctifies, elevates the whole being. now for the tongue the truth is sweetness, the delicious nectar of the gods; for the truth is also soma, the supreme rasa, amrta immortality itself.
in the nostrils quivered celestial fragrances,
on the tongue lingered the honey of paradise.
Finally now the sense of Touch, though last it is psychologically and chronologically it is the foremost the most primary and primitive of the senses. actually the eye comes last here in the course of the sensory evolution. Touch is the most generalised, the least specific but the most sensitive of the organs. touch gives a direct perception. it means contact, it means identification, it means becoming and being. (difficult to understand but none the less what is sat up there if there is an up there here it is Annam.
now there is a sixth sense too The MIND. this is the chief instrument of knowledge. it is in and through the mind that man has knowledge. it is here that the other five senses distil their perception allowing a coordinated picture of the sense experiences.
Now to attain, to realise, to possess the truth means first of all to know the truth, for knowing is the function of the mind. It is said however, that the mind knows only the outward form of things, its knowledge is the knowledge of an outside world, elements of which are supplied by the senses, It is the Knowledge of the ignorance. The TRUE KNOWLEDGE IS NOT attained by the mind or through the mind. For the True Knowledge, it is declared the mind is to be expunged altogether or silenced at least. One must get away, one must withdraw from that play of activity and be far from it. For TRUE KNOWLEDGE COMES THROUGH REVELATIONS, IT DESCENDS FROM ABOVE. it does not enter by the level side door and it comes only when the mind is not there. Like the other senses the mind too can be turned inwards and made a receptive organ. when it is the mind of the mind so to say, there begins to appear the true knowledge. the physical mind remains no more ignorant it becomes transparent and luminous, it is able to bring its own gift, it can serve with its own contribution to the real knowledge. for it is the mind that gives form and shape a local habitation and a name to the higher truth, to the real light, to the true knowledge.it is the surupa chanted by the vedic rishis that the purified mind models for the Gods to inhabit. it is that which the poets and prophets always aspire for in their creative quest.
These senses do maintain their identity, each its own, even when they together are all of them part and parcel of the Supreme Universal Consciousness. but they do become supple and malleable, they interwine, mix together, even one doing another's work. eg a blind man sees through one of his other organs, the sense of hearing can bring to you the vision of colour, the smell can reveal the taste etc.
No comments:
Post a Comment