Seeking...Knowledge...Ego...and Wisdom...Part - 4

Let us look at a situation - that of a dead body. A dead body has all the physical elements that go to make a man, the integrated being we spoke about. But, what is that profound element which does not exist in a dead body, but exists in such glaring obviousness in a living person? Obviously, the dead body has no identity whatsoever. Ironically, when a person dies, we no longer address the body by the name of the person that once was, but we merely address it as body. The fact that the dead body does not command the same respect as that of a living person means that there is something, some profound entity that gives life to the body, which does not exist anymore in the dead body. Even when we pay our respects upon the demise of great men, we don’t pay respects to the body; we pay respect to that entity which expressed itself thru’ the physical body, with which we identified ourselves. Since the entity which expressed itself thru’ the body of a great man cannot be perceived, we pay respect to that entity thru’ the body of the departed person.

Therefore, we can conclude that the identification with ego or the “I” ness exists in a living person only & not in a dead body. In fact, the “I” ness is present only in man, & no other species. This is because of the “AWARENESS” that man has been bestowed upon. Now, when we talk about awareness, we should also answer – AWARENESS OF WHAT? It is the awareness of one’s own self and the surroundings in relation to the self. It is this profound awareness of one’s Self that is at the root of the ego or “I” ness. Therefore, what is absent in a dead person & is present in a living person is the awareness. Where from is awareness drawn? Awareness can only be drawn from an “intelligent entity”. This “intelligent entity” or intelligence itself is called "CONSCIOUSNESS". Therefore, it is Consciousness that imparts upon a person awareness of his own self. Whereas a living person who is the subject, can perceive objects because of the presence of Consciousness and thereby awareness of himself and the surroundings, a dead body cannot perceive because the same Consciousness does not exist any more. Hence, THE REAL SELF IS CONSCIOUSNESS ITSELF. There is no other self other than Consciousness. Whereas identification of oneself with Consciousness is indeed the only true identity, the “I” ness in the normal sense of use is false & is born out of ignorance.

Because Consciousness is the only true identity, it naturally follows that the subject is indeed Consciousness itself. Since Consciousness is the subject, the answer to the question WHO AM I is – I AM CONSCIOUSNESS. Therefore, what the statement “KNOW YOUR SELF” means is that we have to KNOW CONSCIOUSNESS ITSELF. Now arises a paradox – since I AM CONSCIOUSNESS, THE SUBJECT, THE STATEMENT “KNOW YOUR SELF” MEANS CONSCIOUSNESS HAS TO KNOW ITSELF. In other words, THE SUBJECT HAS TO SEEK ITSELF OBJECTIVELY TO EXPERIENCE ITSELF. But, how can the subject seek itself objectively, when it is not the object but the subject itself?

When discussing about objective knowledge, we saw that the premise of seeking objective knowledge is “OUTSIDE – IN”. Then, knowledge of the subject has to be sought differently because the subject is not an object to be sought. THE SUBJECT IS ITSELF. Therefore, the premise for seeking knowledge of subject is “INSIDE - IN”. That means, we have to seek knowledge of the subject within ourselves. I will not be able to dwell much in detail on how to seek the subject in this series of my blog because that is not the intent of this series. However, the approach in seeking knowledge of the subject is no different from that of the object. Whereas we employ our senses, mind, intellect, & all the other faculties with so much concentration upon an external object to gain objective knowledge, the same when turned within reveals the subject in all its glory and splendor.

So, what exactly happens when knowledge of the subject is gained? In the most profound and most beautiful book “SIDDHARTHA” by Harmann Hesse, the protagonist Siddhartha is a seeker of this knowledge of subject. It so happens that he meets The Buddha one day and asks precisely the same question – WHAT DID YOU EXPERIENCE WHEN YOU SAT UNDER THE BODHI TREE? The Buddha smiles and says – TOO MUCH KNOWLEDGE IS A HINDERANCE, MY DEAR CHILD.

While it is important to acquire knowledge, it is necessary to recognize that wisdom 'happens' only when knowledge ripens... & we as students in life, should allow knowledge to ripen into wisdom without interfering with the process of ripening with all our false egos and prestige... the best of the best teachers in the world can impart only this much knowledge...that's it...from then on, it is our own individual journey to attain to wisdom...wisdom flows thru' each one of us, as long as we allow it to flow... if we construct massive dams of false egos and prestige obstructing the flow, all it leads to is gathering of filth, eventually leading to a slow but sure death of the wonderful river...
Knowledge when it ripens, leads to wisdom...And wisdom means, TOTAL, UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER...
Indian philosophy says - whereas seeking objective knowledge can make our life simple and comfortable, it does not bring about contentment and peace. It is the knowledge of the Self, eventually leading to the wisdom of total, unconditional surrender when that knowledge ripens, that MAN FINDS ETERNAL CONTENTMENT, PEACE, BLISS…

Seeking...Knowledge...Ego...and Wisdom...Part - 3

Neuroscience teaches us that there is something called Autonomous Nervous System (ANS) that takes care of the independent working of these faculties. But, how does the ANS know that a healthy adult heart has to beat approximately 70 – 75 times per minute, and also make corrections as and when the body needs more oxygen supply? Or, how does the ANS know to maintain blood level & control blood flow or control breathing to ensure sufficient oxygen supply? Similarly, how does the ANS control and manage various other functions and faculties in the human body such as the digestive system or the respiratory system, & so on? Careful observation reveals that the ANS could be like a software program, which has been uniquely written by nature for every species to function in a particular manner. Like man, animals and plants also have their own ANS, & these are different from that of man’s. Just as single software program does not fit multiple purposes, functions, and applications, so too is the case with ANS. Hence, it can be reasonably deduced that every species has its own unique ANS serving it. Every time a being is born, it comes preloaded with its own set of program to carry out certain functions. Because the ANS maintains the critical functions of the body so precisely, it can be deduced that there is AWARENESS in the ANS for it to manage critical functions of the body without active participation of the person whatsoever. All that the person has to do is to react to the messages, signals, or information passed on by the brain upon receiving inputs from the ANS, which in turn is activated by the stimulus. Just think of a situation where nature had not designed the ANS and we had to make decisions for everything – right from whether the heart should beat, if it should, then how many times in a day; to how much oxygen should be supplied; or, how much food should be digested; what body temperature should be maintained everyday, etc. Clearly, we cannot even imagine existence of life itself under such circumstances. Can we imagine a situation where we had to keep making decisions all the time about things like:

The number of heartbeats in a day, should the heart take some tea break & if so, for how long?
Should we inhale air or water? If air, then how much oxygen should be inhaled per hour?

When, how, where, & how much thirsty should we feel? How much urine should be passed in a day?
When, how, where, & how much hungry should we be? How much food should we have?
How much of what food should be digested and how much of what to be excreted?
Should we shed tears during emotional moments? If so, how much tears should we shed & what should be the flow rate?
Whether the eye lids have to close instantly when dust falls or should there be a time lag in the response, & if so, how many hours time lag should be there and how to control that?

Can we even imagine for a moment all these things? Einstein once famously quipped after studying Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle – what this theory says is, God plays dice with the universe.

Einstein perhaps did not complete his thought. The complete statement should have been - God not only plays dice with the universe, but He also plays it very intelligently by betting His money on the most likely and necessary outcome. For, who could imagine the creation of a separate functional entity called Autonomous Nervous System and outsource most of the critical functions of the human body to it? Only God could have thought that we’d mess it up big time & hence proactively did a great job. Had it not been so, it would have been a collateral catastrophe.

Although neuroscience has taught us about the Autonomous Nervous System, its functions, etc., it is to be observed that ANS has been objectively studied by man and only after careful observation and deep studies have conclusions been arrived at. The point is that here too, a subject has objectively carried out extensive studies on the nature and functioning of the ANS before arriving at certain conclusions.

Seeking...Knowledge...Ego...and Wisdom...Part - 2

The word knowledge consists of the fundamental word "KNOW". It's but natural to ask - KNOW WHAT? To my mind comes this universal answer - KNOW THAT WHICH IS TO BE KNOWN. WHAT IS IT THAT IS TO BE KNOWN? And, HOW DO I KNOW THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IS TO BE KNOWN?

All the objective knowledge in the universe is relative, & a subject seeks this objective knowledge. Hence, the subject is the seeker. Because the subject seeks to know the object, objectivity by itself is rendered meaningless without the subject; for, it is the subject alone who is able to differentiate, deliberate, & debate upon the objects in relation to itself. Therefore, objects exist in relativity, & the subject actively seeks knowledge of objects. Now, what are these objects? Objects are essentially those which can be perceived by the senses independently or in a coordinated manner, sometimes using external means such as scientific instruments to gain deeper understanding of them. What is the nature of these objects? Science has taught us that objects in general are made up of atoms and molecules, which in turn are made up of sub-atomic particles. Science also teaches us about the physical properties, structure, chemical properties, etc., about objects, and even assigns some numerical values to these attributes. If objects are those external entities perceived by the senses, then the subject has to be the one who seeks knowledge of the objects thru’ senses and other faculties. Therefore, naturally, a person is the subject because he is the one who actively seeks objective knowledge. Indian philosophy says - at the center of everything in the universe (objects) is man, the subject. Whereas we have endeavored enough in making man's life pleasurable and comfortable by seeking objective knowledge and gainfully employing them to our advantage, enough efforts have not gone into understanding of the subject itself. Therefore, Indian philosophy says, and so have many great western philosophers like Aristotle and Socrates, "KNOW YOUR SELF". What does knowing oneself mean? It simply means I have to know WHO I AM. Therefore, knowing oneself begins with seeking answer to the most fundamental and profound question - WHO AM I? The profoundness of this question is such that, there is no objective answer at all to this question; for, the answer lies in the experience of the subject itself, which is one's own self. How am I to experience myself? The thought (of experiencing myself) itself drives me crazy. Should I ask questions like this to my neighbor’s lovely daughter, & she’ll think I’ve lost my mental balance and will most likely look for another boyfriend. Thankfully, the situation is not that bad. These questions and thoughts are true, valid, fair, natural, and profound. Therefore, they should be pursued relentlessly until we know the answers and take our thoughts to their logical ends. Having said that, I know I am the subject; I can feel, smell, think, see, hear, move my limbs, & am able to perform several tasks by applying my faculties…what not? What is the need to experience myself? In other words, am I not what I appear to be when I stand in front of a mirror? Better still, isn’t this thought of “experiencing oneself” illogical, perhaps even mad? Well, it is not so. The problem is, we are not what we think we are, or appear to be. All that was mentioned above are mere expressions of the subject. If these are mere expressions, then what exactly is the subject and what is its nature?

In order to understand the subject, we have to first and foremost define WHO THIS "I" IS, and in doing so we have to fix this “identity crisis” once and for all. We have to address the issue of “I” because when we think about the subject, the first thing that comes to our mind is “I”. Unfortunately, we do not know or realize who or what this “I” is and what it has got to do with the subject. At the macro level, it appears that the I in question is the person, the man. A little observation clearly shows us that the man is not a single entity at all; the man is in fact an INTEGRATED BEING. The man, who is in fact the subject, is an integration of the senses, limbs, the nervous system, the mind, & the intellect. If man is an integrated being, which is true, then who do we assign the "I"ness to? Is it the senses, the mind, the nervous system, the intellect, or all of these put together? The problem is that the “I” is none of these independently or collectively put together. It gets even more complicated when we realize that all the senses and other organs of the body & the nervous system are working independently of the person. That is, without the person’s active participation, all the various faculties of the person just do their work by themselves. To a large extent, the person merely reacts to the information sent by the various faculties.

Seeking...Knowledge...Ego...and Wisdom...Part - 1

Ever since man set foot on Earth, he has nourished an insatiable desire, an unquenchable thirst, for knowledge - of himself, his surroundings, objects around him, and an entire universe. Knowledge is primarily of 2 kinds according to the Indian philosophy, namely - Para Vidya (higher knowledge), & Apara Vidya (lower knowledge). Without getting into the technical details or the reasons behind such classification, to put it simply, Apara Vidya is the knowledge of worldly objects, & hence regarded lower in nature; Para Vidya is the knowledge of the Supreme Being or Self, gaining which, a person attains contentment, peace, & omniscience. Is it right to regard knowledge as higher or lower? Perhaps not. Knowledge in my opinion has to be regarded in totality. Para or Apara, both are important and necessary, & fulfill their own objectives. In my experience, relentless pursuit of excellence in seeking Apara Vidya eventually leads the seeker toward Para Vidya. Having said that, one reason why they could've been classified thus could be from the standpoint of "inner contentment", which is difficult to explain about. Whereas Apara Vidya is endless and there has perhaps been no one person in time who has ever been able to command knowledge of the entire gamut of Apara Vidya, it is not the case with Para Vidya. There have been many men who have experienced the true philosophical intent and essence of Para Vidya. Some of these men have gone on to command faiths, & there are many many men who have experienced It & just been. The fundamental question with which a seeker usually comes to seek Para Vidya is – WHAT IS IT, KNOWING WHICH, ALL THAT IS TO BE KNOWN IN THE UNIVERSE IS REALIZED?

In India, the importance given to knowledge is simply unparalleled. In fact, the Mother Goddess Saraswati represents the entire gamut of knowledge or Jnana. When we pray to Mother Saraswati, we seek her blessings, her guidance, in seeking the right knowledge & to eventually acquire that right knowledge. In my personal experience, Mother Saraswati represents both Para & Apara Vidya, & She steadily guides Her disciples toward seeking that knowledge which gives contentment & peace in life, which in my opinion is supreme in man's life. There are thousands of sayings in Sanskrit highlighting the importance of knowledge in man's life. One of the most widely known sayings goes something like this - Vidyaa viheenah pashubhih samaanaha. What this means is - a man without knowledge is equivalent to an animal. Well, in the 21st century, we are heralding the dawn of what is made out to be "knowledge economy". I am clueless why it has to be so only in this century, or so has been made out to be? Since times immemorial, in India, we have placed enormous importance on acquiring knowledge. In fact, in our Varnaashrama system, during the Brahmacharya stage, young boys used to spend 12 - 14 years under the aegis of learned Guru, learning skills to support themselves and their families' livelihood & parallely, they used to also seek that knowledge which would bless them with contentment and peace in life. During these 12 - 14 years, the Guru not only imparted knowledge of worldly affairs which enabled the young disciples to seek and earn wealth and other material gratification, but, he’d also have made the students clearly understand and to seek the supreme goal in life; this supreme goal the Guru taught his young disciples, is to attain contentment and peace in life. The Guru also used to teach the students the 4 Purushaarthas in the life of every man – DHARMA, ARTHA, KAAMA, & MOKSHA. By imparting the knowledge of the 4 Purushaarthas, the Guru used to mould characters of the young disciples. It is important to observe & appreciate that the latter 3 Purushaarthas are based on the strong foundation of DHARMA – RIGHTEOUSNESS. At a very broad level, DHARMA MEANS RIGHTEOUSNESS IN THOUGHT, SPEECH, & ACTION. DHARMA ALSO MEANS TRUTH; for, TRUTH ALONE IS RIGHTEOUSNESS. DHARMA IS ALSO USED TO MEAN DUTY; for, DOING ONE’S DUTY IS RIGHTEOUSNESS. The primary intent of the Gurukula system was "CHARACTER BUILDING" by imparting the knowledge of both Para and Apara Vidya. Essentially, the Gurukula system imparted that kind of education, which Swami Vivekananda very beautifully put in his words - We want that education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one's own feet. In the present times, it is highly debatable how much importance we place upon character formation; for, in the 21st century, everything depends on 'economic cost'. Unfortunately, policy makers and educationists alike do not seem to realize that life of a human being is infinitely more precious than just the economic cost.

Coming back to the subject of this article, what is it so fundamental in man, in his mind, in his intellect, in his being, that makes him "seek"? I am not sure how convincing I can be about answering this question, but let me make an honest attempt here. Firstly, it is important to note that by nature, man has been inquisitive. This is so starkly evident from the simple fact that most children are so inquisitive that, quite often, we elders are left speechless about how and what to answer to the seemingly innocent, but profound questions. It is a matter of another subject altogether that during the course of education, we ruthlessly kill that inherent inquisitiveness in children.

Since times immemorial, man has been endeavoring to make his life more and more simple, easy, pleasurable, comfortable, & so on. In pursuit of making life easy, comfortable, etc., and in the course of this relentless, endless endeavor, perhaps were sown the first seeds of what I'd like to call - THE MOTIVATION TO SEEK. While seeking pleasure, comfort, etc., man began experimenting with how best he could gainfully employ objects around him to make his life simple & comfortable. In doing so, he began expanding the horizon of his inherent inquisitiveness. Therein man took the first steps toward the most exciting journey in his life - THE JOURNEY TO SEEK KNOWLEDGE. In the course of making his life simple & comfortable, man began seeking objective knowledge (Apara Vidya). The entire gamut of objective knowledge falls under Apara Vidya.

While discussing about objective knowledge, it is also important to consider the motivation behind seeking objective knowledge. Basically, senses are the means of acquiring objective knowledge. The fundamental premise of seeking objective knowledge is - here is the seeker who is a person, & then there are objects external to the person, about which the seeker has to acquire knowledge. Thus, in order to acquire knowledge of the external objects, the seeker has to direct his senses, mind, & other necessary faculties on the external object. Subsequently, he gathers information about the object, processes it internally in his mind using logic, reason, etc., and finally arrives at knowledge about the object based on the deductions made by applying his intelligence. Therefore, the means of acquiring objective knowledge is “outside – in”, that is, gather necessary information about the object from outside (the objective world), process that information internally (within the mind and intelligence of the seeker seeking objective knowledge), & make conclusions about the object sought, & hence acquire knowledge about the object.