Study Notes
PARAGRAPH 23
Brahman the Reality is the self-existent Absolute and Maya is the Consciousness and Force of this self-existence; but with regard to the universe Brahman appears as the Self of all existence, Atman, the cosmic Self, but also as the Supreme Self transcendent of its own cosmicity and at the same time individual- universal in each being; Maya can then be seen as the self-power, Atma-Shakti, of the Atman. It is true that when we first become aware of this Aspect, it is usually in a silence of the whole being or at the least in a silence within which draws back or stands away from the surface action; this Self is then felt as a status in silence, an immobile immutable being, self-existent, pervading the whole universe, omnipresent in all, but not dynamic or active, aloof from the ever mobile energy of Maya.
EXPLANATION
Brahman is the self-existent Absolute. Maya is the Consciousness and Force of this self-existence. But with regard to the universe Brahman appears as the Self of all existence, Atman, the cosmic Self. Brahman also appears as the Supreme Self transcendent of its own cosmicity and at the same time individual-universal in each being. Maya then can be seen as the self-power, Atma-Shakti, of the Atman.
It is usually in the silence of the whole being we first become aware of this Aspect; or at least in a silence within which draws back or stands away from the surface action we become aware of this Aspect. This self is then felt as a status in silence, an immobile immutable being, self-existent, pervading the whole universe, omnipresent in all. But it is not dynamic or active; it is aloof from the ever mobile energy of Maya.
In the same way we can become aware of it as the Purusha, separate from Prakriti, the Conscious Being standing back from the activities of Nature. But this is an exclusive concentration which limits itself to a spiritual status and puts away from it all activity in order to realise the freedom of Brahman the self-existent Reality from all limitation by its own action and manifestation: it is an essential realisation, but not the total realisation.
EXPLANATION
In the same way we can become aware of Self as Purusha, separate from Prakriti. It is the Conscious Being standing back from the activities of Nature. But this is an exclusive concentration devoid of all activities. It limits itself to a spiritual status. Withdrawal from activity brings about freedom of Brahman from all limitation by its own action and manifestation. It is an essential realisation but not a total realisation.
For we can see that the Conscious-Power, the Shakti that acts and creates, is not other than the Maya or all-knowledge of Brahman; it is the Power of the Self; Prakriti is the working of the Purusha, Conscious Being active by its own Nature: the duality then of Soul and World- Energy, silent Self and the creative Power of the Spirit, is not really something dual and separate, it is biune.
EXPLANATION
The Conscious-Power, the shakti that acts and creates is the Maya or all-knowledge of Brahman. It is the power of the Self. Prakriti is the working of the Purusha. It is the Conscious Being active by its own Nature. Therefore, the Soul and World-Energy, silent Self and the creative Power of the Spirit are not dual and separate. It is biune, two-in-one.
As we cannot separate Fire and the power of Fire, it has been said, so we cannot separate the Divine Reality and its Consciousness-Force, Chit-Shakti. This first realisation of Self as something intensely silent and purely static is not the whole truth of it, there can also be a realisation of Self in its power, Self as the condition of world-activity and world-existence.
EXPLANATION
We cannot separate Fire and the power of Fire. Likewise we cannot separate the Divine Reality and its Consciousness-force, Chit-Shakti. Indeed we do realise the Self at first as something intensely silent and purely static. But that is not the whole truth of it. There can also be a realisation of Self in its power. We can realise the Self as the condition of world-activity and world-existence.
However, the Self is a fundamental aspect of Brahman, but with a certain stress on its impersonality; therefore the Power of the Self has the appearance of a Force that acts automatically with the Self sustaining it, witness and support and originator and enjoyer of its activities but not involved in them for a moment. As soon as we become aware of the Self, we are conscious of it as eternal, unborn, unembodied, uninvolved in its workings: it can be felt within the form of being, but also as enveloping it, as above it, surveying its embodiment from above, adhyaksa; it is omnipresent, the same in everything, infinite and pure and intangible for ever.
EXPLANATION
The Self is a fundamental aspect of Brahman but with a certain stress on its impersonality. Therefore the Power of the Self has the appearance of a Force that acts automatically with the Self sustaining it. The Self appears to us as witness and support and originator and enjoyer of its activities but not involved in them for a moment.
As soon as we become aware of the Self, we are conscious of it as eternal, unborn, unembodied, uninvolved in its workings. It can be felt within the form of being. We can also feel the Self as enveloping the being, as above it, surveying its embodiment from above, adhyaksa. It is omnipresent, the same in everything, infinite and pure and intangible for ever.
This Self can be experienced as the Self of the individual, the Self of the thinker, doer, enjoyer, but even so it always has this greater character; its individuality is at the same time a vast universality or very readily passes into that, and the next step to that is a sheer transcendence or a complete and ineffable passing into the Absolute. The Self is that aspect of the Brahman in which it is intimately felt as at once individual, cosmic, transcendent of the universe.
EXPLANATION
The Self can be experienced as the Self of the individual, the Self of the thinker, doer, enjoyer. Yet at the same time it is omnipresent, the same in everything , infinite and pure and intangible.
Its individuality is at the same time a vast universality; or it readily passes from its individuality to universality. In the next step there is sheer transcendence or a complete and ineffable passing into the Absolute.
The Self is that aspect of Brahman in which it is felt as at once individual, cosmic and transcendent of the universe.
The realisation of the Self is the straight and swift way towards individual liberation, a static universality, a Nature-transcendence. At the same time there is a realisation of Self in which it is felt not only sustaining and pervading and enveloping all things, but constituting everything and identified in a free identity with all its becomings in Nature. Even so, freedom and impersonality are always the character of the Self. There is no appearance of subjection to the workings of its own Power in the universe, such as the apparent subjection of the Purusha to Prakriti. To realise the Self is to realise the eternal freedom of the Spirit.
EXPLANATION
What do we attain by the realisation of the Self? It is the straight and swift way towards individual liberation, a static universality, a Nature-transcendence.
At the same time there is also realisation of Self in which it is felt not only sustaining and pervading and enveloping all things but constituting everything; it is identified in a free identity with all its becomings in Nature.
Yet, freedom and impersonality are always the character of the Self. What we find in the universe are the workings of its own Power but there is no appearance of its subjection to them. It is unlike the apparent subjection of the Purusha to Prakriti. By realising the Self one can realise the eternal freedom of the Spirit.