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The Manifest and Hidden
Self
198-199. Ignorance and its effects are seen as
beginningless until with the arising of insight, ignorance and its
effects are destroyed along with its root, even if beginningless, like
dreams on awaking from sleep. Even if beginningless this world of
appearances is not eternal - like something originally non-existent.
200-201. Even if beginningless, something originally non-existent is
seen to come to an end. In the same way the living organism which is
thought to belong to oneself through its identification with the
intellect, does not really exist. On the other hand, the true self is
quite distinct from it, and the identification of oneself with the
intellect is due to misunderstanding.
202. The cessation of that wrong identification is achieved by right
understanding, and by no other means. Right understanding is held by
scripture to be the recognition of the oneness of God and oneself.
203. This recognition is achieved by right discrimination between
what is truly oneself and what is not, so one must develop this
discrimination between the conventional self and one's true self.
204. Like very muddy water, which is clearly water again when the mud
is removed, one's true self shines forth again when the contamination is
removed.
205. When the non-existent is removed the individual is disclosed as
the supreme self, so one must see to the removal of thoughts about "me"
and suchlike from oneself.
206. The level of sense awareness cannot be one's true self since it
is changeable, physical, restricted, a sense-object and intermittent.
What is transient should not be mistaken what is eternal.
207. The level of pleasure is the aspect of ignorance which is a sort
of reflection the blissfulness of the true self. Its attributes are the
qualities of enjoyment and so on, which are experienced when an
enjoyable object is present. It presents itself spontaneously to those
fortunate enough to experience the fruits of good deeds, something from
which everyone experiences great pleasure without trying to.
208. The pleasure level is manifest at its fullest extent in deep
sleep, whereas in dreams and the waking state it is only partially
manifest, stimulated by such things as the sight of enjoyable objects.
209. The pleasure level cannot be the true self either, since it is
changeable, a conditioned phenomenon, the result of good deeds, and
involved in the other levels of consciousness as well.
210. When all these five levels have been disposed of by meditating
on scripture, when everything as been eliminated there remains the
witness, pure consciousness itself.
211. This self, the light itself, beyond the five levels, the witness
of the three states, changeless, unsullied, eternal joy - this should be
recognised by the wise as one's real self.
212. The disciple questioned: After transcending these five levels as
unreal, master, I find nothing but a nothingness, the absence of
everything. What object remains for a wise person to identify with?
213-214. The teacher answered: You have spoken the truth, learned
one. You are skilled in discrimination. That by which all other
phenomena, starting with the thought of "me", are experienced, but which
is itself experienced by none, know that, by the subtlest of
understanding, as your true self.
215. Whatever is experienced by something else has that as its
witness. When there is nothing else to experience something, one cannot
talk of it being witnessed.
216. This has the nature of self-awareness, since it is conscious of
itself. Thus the individual self is by its self-awareness none other
than the Supreme itself.
217. That which is fully manifest in the waking state, dream and deep
sleep, which is perceived within in the form of the various experiences
and impressions like self-consciousness, and which is experienced as the
eternal Bliss, and Consciousness of one's true self, see this within
your own heart.
218. The ignorant see the reflection of the sun in the water of a jar
and think it is the sun itself. In the same way the fool sees the
reflection of consciousness in its associated qualities and mistakenly
identifies himself with it.
219. The wise man ignores jar, water and the sun's reflection in it,
and sees the self-illuminating sun itself which gives light to all three
but is independent of them.
220-222. When a man abandons the body and the intellect which is just
a derivative of consciousness, and recognising one's true self, the
experiencer, pure awareness, the source of everything existent and
non-existent, itself devoid of attributes, eternal, all-pervading,
omnipresent, subtle, empty of inside and outside, and itself none other
than one's true self (for this is truly inborn), he becomes free from
evil, sinless and immortal, free from pain, and the incarnation of joy.
Master of himself he is afraid of no-one. There is no other way to the
breaking of the bonds of temporal existence for the seeker after
liberation than the realisation of his own true nature.
223. The recognition of one's inseparable oneness with God is the
means of liberation from temporal existence, by which the wise person
achieves the non-dual, blissful nature of God.
224. Having attained the nature of God, the knower returns no more to
the temporal state, so it is essential to recognise one's own true
inseparable oneness with God.
225. God is the truth, knowledge and eternal. He is pure,
transcendent and self-sufficient - the everlasting, undiluted bliss
which is enthroned undivided and inseparable within.
226. This supreme Reality is non-dual in the absence of any other
reality beside itself. In the state of knowledge of ultimate truth there
is nothing else.
227. This great variety of things which we experience through our
failure to understand is all really God himself, once the distortion of
thought is removed.
228. A pot made of clay is nothing other than clay, and its true
reality is always simply clay. The pot is no more than the shape of a
pot, and is just a mistake of imagination based on the name.
229. No one can show that the reality of the pot is different from
the clay, so the pot is just an imagination based on misunderstanding,
and the clay is the only final reality.
230. Similarly everything which is made of God is just God and has no
separate existence. Whoever says it exists is not yet free from delusion
and is like someone talking in his sleep.
231. The supreme scripture of the Arthava Veda declares that "All
this is God", so all this is simply God, and anything in addition to
that has no reality.
232. If it has any reality, that is the end of any eternal reality
for oneself, the scriptures are false, and the Lord himself a liar,
three things which are quite unacceptable to great souls.
233. The Lord, who knows the reality of things, has stated "I do not
depend on them" (Bhagavad Gita 9.4) and "Things do not exist in me" (Bhagavad
Gita 9.5).
234. If everything really existed, it ought to exist in deep sleep
too. Since nothing does, then it follows that it is unreal and an
illusion like a dream.
235. So the world is not distinct from the Supreme Self, and its
perception is an illusion like all attributes. What we add to That has
no reality, but merely appears to exist in addition to That through
misunderstanding.
236. Whatever a deluded person experiences in his delusion is still
always God. The silver is only mother-of-pearl. It is always God that is
mistaken for something else, and whatever is added to God is just a
name.
237. So there exists only the supreme God, the One Reality without a
second, consisting of pure consciousness, without any blemish, peace
itself and without beginning or end, actionless and having the nature of
pure bliss.
238. Beyond all delusion-created distinctions, this Whatever shines
by its own light, eternal, fulfilled, indivisible, infinite, formless,
inexpressible, nameless and indestructible.
239. Seers know this supreme Reality, free from the distinctions of
knower, known and knowledge, infinite, complete in itself and consisting
of pure Awareness.
240. What cannot be got rid of or taken hold of, beyond the sphere of
mind and speech, measureless and beginning-and-endless is God, one's
true self and supreme glory. Vivek Chudamani
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