The Difference Between an Ordinary Person and an Ordinary Enlightened Person

The Difference Between an Ordinary Person and an Ordinary Enlightened Person

The following discussion on the relationship between the material body-mind-sense complex and Consciousness can be difficult, abstract and nebulous. To make it practical and meaningful for inquiring minds, the following table will help. It is a summary of the progression in understanding our identity according to Vedanta, the science of Consciousness and a means of Self knowledge.  It shows the degree of conviction that four classes of people entertain with reference to their identification with the material self or with their identity as existence shining as Consciousness/Awareness.

% of Conviction with the
material self OR with Consciousness

Statement 1     I am fully identified as my mind-body sense complex, nothing else. This material sheath is me.  I feel inadequate and incomplete.  I think something is missing and that there must be something more to life.

Vedanta says that If I want to solve this problem, I need to shift my identification as a body-mind to my conscious self.  To accomplish it, I need to practice Karma Yoga.

Statement 2     Karma Yoga introduces the idea that I have identity that is free of anxiety, disappointments and confusions.  It slowly makes my mind quiet and reduces my suffering little by little, but my goal is to be suffering free.  

Vedanta says that if I want to progress from 2 to 3 I need to continue Karma Yoga daily, begin to practice Upasand Yoga (meditation) daily , and learn Vedanta (Jnana Yoga), which involves listening with an open mind (shravanam), resolving the doubts created from listening (mananam) and assimilating(nididhyasana) the Q&A below.

Statement 3     I am very sure I am really Consciousness but there is still some residual identification with the body-mind- sense complex.

Progression from 3 to 4 … Vedantic meditation (nididhyasanam), starting with Meditation 1.

Statement 4     I am fully established as pure Consciousness. I abide firmly as pure Consciousness and live my life from this viewpoint. Since I am still a living being, I have a mind-body instrument to transact, interact, and serve.  Yet, I know that there is really nothing for Me to do.  Figuratively speaking, I can say that I do without doing.

As Consciousness, I do not have a sense of personhood because ‘person’ is only a projection located in the mind.  Since I am not the mind, everything the mind presents to me…all thoughts, emotions, memories, sentience, mindfulness, consciousness, sense of person, etc… are not me including the physical body and the subtle instruments in the mind.  Both the physical body and the mind, which are incapable of action by themselves are activated by my Presence as Consciousness.

As Consciousness, I simply witness events and experiences in the body and mind. I am free of them. My nature is … pure Presence, unconditioned Awareness, complete Fulfilment, absolute Happiness, permanent Peace. My features are… immortality, eternality, changelessness, limitlessness, infinity, completeness, satisfaction, fulfilment.  I am beyond space and time.

I live and continue to experience life with all its ups and downs as dictated by my conditioning (prarabdha karma). Its effects are felt only in the body and mind. But I am free from them, beyond them. I abide with this conviction-recognition-abidance of Consciousness as my true nature until the body drops. I then continue to exist as pure Consciousness forever

With this understanding as background, here are the answers to your questions.

Self-Actualization (nididyasana)

Q: What is meant by non-duality?

A: Take the example of ring and gold. What exactly is ring? It is only gold in another form and given a specific name of ‘ring’ to distinguish it from other forms made of gold. So, what is really present is only gold. Ring is a concept, a name given to gold in the form of ring. Ring and gold are not two things even though there seems to be. That is why Vedanta says there is no duality, not two.

Q: I am stuck. We are told to repeat: “I am free. I am not Jiva. I am whole and complete. I am existence shining as Awareness.” But I don’t feel those things. I don’t feel free. I know that I exist and I am conscious. I know I have a reflecting quality of the mind. But when I say: “I am whole and complete”, I don’t feel it.

A: Those statements are not meant to be repeated in parrot fashion. There must be some knowledge and conviction of being Consciousness (at least 60% conviction) supporting those statements.

You do not ‘feel’ free, whole and complete, Existence shining as Awareness … simply because you are still identified as the mind-body person. Only you can assess the % of identification you have as mind-body person. The higher this %, the stronger the identification as mind-body person.

This person, jiva, can never be free, whole, complete and can never shine as Awareness. It can only reflect Awareness and appear to be sentient. The limited person cannot become unlimited Consciousness. The finite cannot become the infinite. The infinite cannot become finite. Either you define yourself as the finite and remain finite, or, you define yourself as The Infinite and be infinite.

So, the question is: “Which do you take yourself to be? What do you recognise yourself to be? What do you define yourself as … person or Consciousness?” And, how strong is the conviction?

Don’t be hard on yourself. Every human being (that includes me!) starts this way, fully identified as mind-body person. Slowly, we change through Karma yoga, Upasana yoga and Jnana yoga. We change the definition of ourselves from mind-body person to Consciousness. The change is gradual, takes time and perseverance. So, keep at it, keep doing the work.

Also, saying that you do not ‘feel’ it, means you are looking for an experience of being whole and complete, free. The following is an important distinction to have … what we do not need is experience; what we do need is knowledge-recognition. Repeat … not experience but knowledge. Only knowledge overcomes ignorance, just as only alkali neutralises or ‘removes’ acid. Nothing else!

Why not experience? To experience something, it must be an object, whether dense like the physical body or subtle like thoughts, ideas, beliefs, the mind. Anything you can observe, describe, experience is an object.

But you are the witness, observer, describer of the object. This means you are the subject, not the object being experienced. The object can never be the subject. The subject can never be the object. Simple logic and not rocket science.

You are not an object. You are the subject. You need to recognise that you are the witnessing subject. Therefore, you cannot experience yourself. As subject, you can only experience objects, things other than yourself. For example, the eye cannot see itself. The eye can see-experience objects but can never see-experience itself.

Similarly, you are the subject observing, witnessing, experiencing all objects. But you cannot experience yourself. There is no need for experience. You need only RECOGNISE-KNOW and BE yourself. The reason you can only recognise and be yourself, Consciousness, is because you are, right here and right now, already Consciousness, always Consciousness. You just don’t know it or don’t believe-recognise it. This is the effect of ignorance.

Jiva is a mixture of two things … the mind-body instrument made of subtle and dense matter, plus Consciousness, our true nature, which is not matter. The matter part comes and goes. The Consciousness part manifests through the matter part and activates it. Consciousness is immortal and that is why we instinctively do not want to die, because we are eternal Consciousness.

The problem is that we do not know this fact. We miss, overlook, are blind to, are unaware of, are ignorant of this aspect of ourselves which is always and already present. We mistakenly think we are only the matter part and so we suffer and think we die.

Vedanta says to recognise and claim the Consciousness dimension to ourselves and order our lives from this dimension. We still have our material part and manage it with the understanding that the material part is secondary. We are primarily Consciousness. This recognition-abidance is liberation, moksha, enlightenment.

Q: Regarding the Jiva, it feels like it is glued to me and so I am unable to observe it from a distance. This is particularly true of emotions.

A: Who is this ‘me’ you mention? And who is the ‘I’ which is aware and can report that it is not able to observe the jiva or emotions? This is the core of the enquiry of Vedanta.

The ‘glue’ is ignorance and its side-effect of identification with the mind-body as person. Through ignorance, we are identified with the mind-body material part and think that is only who we are. So we are ‘glued’ to the matter part.

But that is really not so. We are Consciousness witnessing and enlivening the matter part. That is the ‘me’, the ‘I’ in your question, that which witnesses the mind. It is the mind-body person which is unable to observe because it is inert by nature.

But we do not know the fact that we are already Consciousness, always Consciousness. We do not need to experience this fact. We need to know we are Consciousness.

The whole point is: “Which aspect do I define myself by … the matter part or the Consciousness part?” If I identify with the matter part, then I will continue to be unaware of the Consciousness part and I will feel stuck with Jiva. As Jiva, I will suffer. Vedanta says to identify as the Consciousness part and be free.

When identified as only the matter part, the mind does not know Consciousness. If you repeat: “I am Consciousness”, the mind will persistently reject it because it is not the mind’s reality. The mind with ignorance knows only the matter aspect, not the Consciousness aspect. That is why we need at least some knowledge and realisation of what we really are, ie. Consciousness. Then repeating those mantras in your second question makes sense and is believe-able.

Q: Please explain the subject-object discussion.

A: It is about what we identify as, what we define ourselves as.

At the first level, we take the mind to be the subject observing the physical body. This is what is done in Vipassana meditation or Ashtanga yoga meditation, for example. The next level of Vedanta is to take yourself as Consciousness, the Subject, and witness, observe the mind and physical body. As Consciousness, you observe the Jiva, person which is the combination of the mind and body.

But because of ignorance, we do not know we are Consciousness, even though Consciousness is present all the time. It is Consciousness which activates the mind-body making it alive, just as the presence of electricity in a bulb makes it bright. Another example is the robot. By itself, the robot is inert and cannot move. But itself, electricity does not show movement. Put the two together and there is robotic movement.

Similarly, Consciousness activates the mind-body making it alive. If one is alive, it means Consciousness is present. We just have to know this fact that I am Consciousness. I do it by overcoming my ignorance of this fact through knowledge. Only knowledge overcomes ignorance.

Q: When I say: “I am Awareness”, how am I to identify with it? Awareness is not an object which I can perceive with the five senses. It is not a feeling. How can I identify with it?

A: There is no positive action to do. You have to eliminate your ignorance and Consciousness is immediately revealed. It is like removing the cover to reveal what is already present. To make noise, you have to do an action. To be silent, what action? None. Stop the action and just be.

To say you want to identify with something, it indicates two things. In this case, the two things are you and Consciousness. You do not have to identify with Consciousness as though it is separate from you and that you need to ‘join’ it or ‘merge’ with it. No! You need to KNOW you are already Consciousness, you are always Consciousness, here and now.

Proof? Your body and mind are alive and sentient. This indicates Consciousness is present. If the bulb is bright, electricity is present. Similarly, that Consciousness enlivening the form is what you are, here and now. Just recognise and be Consciousness. But it takes spiritual work to overcome ignorance.

A quality to have is trust. We need to trust the scriptures when it says: “You are Consciousness.” Tat tvam asi. The scriptures guide us and have helped countless seekers over millenia. It is time-tested and trustworthy.

There comes a time in spiritual development when thinking and rationalising must end and trust begins. The scriptures explain something which is beyond person and can never be known by person. Would you ever have known by yourself that you are eternal, immortal, limitless? That is what the Vedantic scriptures and the teaching state. Trust it, hold on to it and continue the work. It is like the knowledge that water, a liquid we drink and can drown in, is actually two gases. The student has to initially trust the teacher until proven in the lab. Trust the scriptures until you can verify for yourself what the scriptures state repeatedly: “You are pure Consciousness! Tat tvam asi.”

After trusting the scriptures and having some understanding of yourself as Consciousness, then repeat those statements. Constant repetition of the statements with some knowledge, even if incomplete, is one way to overcome ignorance.

Another quality of the mind to have is the ability to relax, to be easy with yourself, to forgive yourself, even if the outside circumstances are challenging. Relax the mind if there is too much inner tension or struggle, even with trying to understand Vedanta. Use the breath technique or any technique you know and use to relax your mind. A relaxed mind will grasp any knowledge more easily than a stressed mind. This principle applies in all branches of knowledge.

Q: When I look at a pen, who is looking at it?

A: The pen is the stimulus which enters through the eyes to the physical brain and is registered in the intangible mind as an image or impression of the pen. To say I am looking at the pen is equivalent to saying I am aware of the pen.

For a beginner seeker who is still strongly identified with the mind-body person, we say it is the mind which receives and interprets the perception of the pen and the person becomes aware of the pen.

For a mature seeker who is highly convinced he/she is Consciousness, we say the impression of pen is in the mind but it is You, Consciousness-Atma which illumines and witnesses the impression of pen in the mind. That Atma is who one truly is.

Q: Where is the mind?

A: It permeates and surrounds the physical body, is bigger than the physical body. The mind is known as the subtle body made of subtle matter. The physical body is made of dense matter. Both are matter which is inert, inherently lifeless, intrinsically dead. Consciousness activates the mind and the mind in turn activates the physical body. So ultimately, we can say that Consciousness enlivens the human form by its mere presence.

The individual form is a ‘condensation’ or ‘crystallisation’ from total matter. From total causal matter comes the individual causal body. From total subtle matter, energy, comes the individual subtle body, commonly called ‘mind’. From total dense matter, stardust, comes the individual dense body. The whole form, by itself, is inert.

Consciousness pervades and enlivens. Life is the expression of Consciousness through a form making the form alive, sentient, wakeful, mindful and moving. Pure Consciousness, Brahman with the power to manifest called Maya, pervades the universe and gets a name change to Ishvara. The individual form is also pervaded and activated by Brahman which gets a name change to Atma. But Brahman and Atma are the same Consciousness. The different names are only for the sake of communication. The nature of Consciousness pervading the universe and pervading an individual form is the same Consciousness. It is called Presence-Awareness-Fulfilled, or in Sanskrit as Sat Cit Ananda. The activated individual form, a mixture of Consciousness plus mind-body matter, is called Jiva.

Q: When thoughts or feelings tell me: “You are not Consciousness. You are just fooling yourself!” then what should I do?

A: Be aware of the thought-feeling in the mind. Talk to the mind like you would talk to a child: “Hey, I understand where you are coming from, ignorance and identification. You have been covered by ignorance for so many years, lifetimes. I understand. But the scriptures and Vedanta tell me I am Consciousness. Should I believe you or should I believe the teaching? So far, I have believed in you, mind, and I end up in suffering. That is my experience and it is not good. I have had enough. Now, I want to try a different approach. I trust the teaching and I believe the teaching. I say I am Consciousness. That is final. OK?”

Replace one thought with another thought. The older thought which is more entrenched will initially resist. Keep knocking it and it will subside. This is the approach for a beginner seeker. This technique is used in psychology in which a negative thought is replaced by a positive thought. Use every doubt, question or challenge as an opportunity to reinforce: “I am Consciousness, not the mind-body.”

A mature seeker who is convinced at least 80% that he/she is Consciousness, will observe that thought or feeling, watch it appear and not identify with it. No conversation needed. Just watch, remain firm as Consciousness, have a laugh and move on. That thought-feeling will weaken and disappear, just like fog will disappear as the sun shines. Why this approach? Because you are becoming convinced you are Consciousness and nothing can shake that conviction, not even the opposite thought. “Consciousness is what I am, here and now and not the mind-body!” Simple!

This is the whole point. It reduces to: “Am I Consciousness or am I mind-body person?” Choose.

Q: I have been told that the mind is reflecting Awareness and so when I am watching thoughts and feelings, who is watching?

A: Consciousness or Awareness, the real You, watches, witnesses. That is, if you take yourself to be Consciousness. But if you are ignorant of Consciousness and take yourself to be mind-body person, then it is person who watches.

In summary

With any thought, feeling, event or experience … check yourself and ask:

“Am I person or Consciousness? Which is my conviction?”

Then answer any question, handle any matter from either viewpoint. You are free to choose. Our usual habit is to take the position of person. You know what the result is, ie. suffering.

If you have had enough of suffering and confusion, try what Vedanta says. Vedanta says to take the position of Consciousness. Be convinced at least 80% and handle whatever comes. You will experience it differently and will be freer, happier and able to handle the issue well.

Many have done it and ultimately found permanent Peace, total Security and Safety, absolute Happiness, complete Fulfilment … whatever the circumstances in life. The duality of life is driven by karma and continues exactly as ordained. With the recognition-abidance as Consciousness, you will handle whatever happens in a completely different way, one of inner freedom and mastery. This is the promise and guarantee of Vedanta to the committed seeker.

Be a committed seeker. Finally, be a Jnani. Live life as a Jnani.

Om Shanti Shanti Shantih.