Carlos: In the text of your answer you talk about “For those who are Self-realized but not Self-actualized.” Could you explain the difference between the two a little more?
Sundari: Even though your true nature is the limitless Self, Self-realization is where the work of self-inquiry begins. Self-realization is an experience, and because all experience occurs in time, no experience can become permanent. All experiences will end. Experience is therefore not real in the light of Vedanta’s definition of what constitutes real, being that which is always present and never changes. Only Awareness fits that definition.
Meaning one can ‘lose’ one’s Self-realization, if the knowledge “I am whole and complete, actionless, unchanging, unlimited, ordinary Awareness” is not fully assimilated and you understand what that means for the jiva. It is one thing to know that your true nature is Awareness, which is called indirect knowledge of the Self. Direct knowledge is to live free of the person as the Self.
Self – actualization is the consistent, total application of Self-knowledge to one’s life, 24/7. To be Self-actualized means:
(1) One has fully discriminated you, the Self (Awareness) from the objects appearing in you – meaning gross objects as well as one’s conditioning, thoughts, and feelings—all experience.
(2) Self- knowledge has (a) rendered the binding vasanas non-binding and (b) completely negated one’s sense of doership.
Unless Self-knowledge translates fully into the life of the person it cannot be said that Self-actualization has taken place because the person will still be identified with certain aspects of being a person. In other words, residual ignorance in the form of binding vasanas and egoic doership will still be causing agitation in the mind. For existential suffering to end and for Awareness to become one’s primary identity, the person needs to be free of the idea of being a person, and free of all the ideas of the person. What is the point of Self-realization if the mind is still under the tyranny of its likes and dislikes (vasanas)?
Furthermore, Self-actualization only obtains if you have understood the identity between Awareness, Isvara and the jiva. This is where most people get stuck (or come unstuck) in their self-inquiry and it is why many Self-realized people do not Self-actualize. Understanding Isvara is the key, but it requires total surrender to the scripture, which is very hard for most. Isvara is your environment and everything in it, including you. For more on this teaching, please read ‘Inquiry into Existence’ by James, based on Panchadasi.
Another big problem in the spiritual world is that seekers believe that Self-realization will make the person limitless. It will not. As Awareness, you are and always have been limitless. As the person, you are and always will be limited. Removing ignorance of your true nature does not mean that you change as a person, or that you must become perfect or “holy”. The person never leaves the apparent reality and the apparent reality is limited. The person is fine the way they are; they do not need to be perfected. And Isvara’s world is perfect the way it is, all appearances to the contrary notwithstanding. The person just has an ignorance problem: it thinks it is the person.
Being fully Self-actualized means that you act and make changes from the standpoint of pre-existing fullness, not because you are looking for more, better, or different. You are already whole and complete. How and why you anything or contact objects is all that changes. You no longer do anything for happiness. You do what you do happily because you are already happy.
It does not mean that life is always wonderful for the jiva; it is not. You are not in control of the objects. The jiva’s life belongs to Isvara and as Awareness, you take what comes as prasad; you are dispassionate about results.
However, even though you are never not the Self, and though Self-actualization sounds simple, it is far from easy to obtain, Maya being as deceptive as it is. But with the development of all the qualifications, being properly taught with dedication to the scripture and its application, Self-actualization is totally possible.
Keep up the good work!
Much love
Sundari
