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Thursday, May 6, 2010

Study in Coexistence for Consciousness-Development

Human-being is a combined expression of two distinct entities - body and self. Jeevan is self - distinct from body, which enlivens the body, in itself it is a constitutionally-complete atom that expresses consciousness - i.e. it is the aspect of human-being that thinks, believes, visualizes, conceptualizes, understands, and experiences. Body is a bio-physical organism - composed of inert-atoms and molecules. Self is "more-developed" than body - and it uses body for its conscious-need of fulfillment based on its beliefs and understanding. As jeevan enlivens the body, the sensory-activities start happening in body - which it recognizes. There is a "sense of fulfillment" to self through sensory-activities - i.e. touching, seeing, smelling, tasting, and hearing. However, since body is inert - the sensory-activities are exhaustible, and the "sense of fulfillment" that self gets from them starts waning after some time. Self's awareness about itself, or self's concept of itself, or self-identity (who I am?) gets derived from this sense of fulfillment. In the absence of self's not being aware of any other source for its fulfillment, and its getting the sense of fulfillment from sensory-activities - however temporary - self starts believing itself to be body! This is the root of illusion of self.

Self's believing itself to be the inert body it enlivens is its inertia or bondage. While jeevan or self is not an inert-entity - it is a conscious-entity, which is inexhaustible. The inertia of jeevan is not "external" to it and it's the shackle of self's own making - as an imaginary and incorrect belief. Self stays unfulfilled, and cannot realize itself while it is caught up on this "limiting-belief". This "limiting-belief" of self causes conflicts in all dimensions of human-living - therefore it is also called "illusion". Self's need is continuity of fulfillment, which it cannot get in any which way through sensory-activities.

Both animals and humans are combined expressions of jeevan and body. However, there is one crucial distinction which makes humankind qualitatively-distinct from animalkind - and that is the enrichment of brain. Brain in human-beings is fully-enriched - therefore jeevan is able to express imagination and free-will through living. In animals, brain is not fully-enriched, and jeevan can only express desire to live and this "inertia" of jeevan - of believing self to be body - is "optimal" and "natural" there. While expression of imagination and free-will in humankind keeps trying to overcome this inertia - and there is always a friction and struggle in self, which gets manifested in living also. Unless the "limiting-belief" of self is replaced by the correct-understanding about immortality and inexhaustiblity of self, and mortality and exhaustibility of body - there is no fulfillment of self, the inertia continues to be there, and there's no respite from conflicts. Such conflict-ridden and unfulfilled living of human-being is called "animal-consciousness". Animal-consciousness is "non-optimal" and "unnatural" for humankind.

Every entity of Nature evidences an "optimal" and "natural" state of beingness - in which it realizes its purpose, by being useful and complementary in the holistic order. The purposefulness of existence leads to emergence of natural-orders - from material-order, to pranic-order, to animal-order, and finally the human-beings. Human-being is also an entity of nature - however, it is unable to evidence this "optimal" and "natural" state of beingness due to this "inertia of self". Human-being has a natural-expectation for achieving an "optimal" and "natural" state for itself - which is the state of effortlessness, where there is continuity of fulfillment. Self keeps using its imagination and free-will towards this end all the time. This incessant activity is going on all the time with every human-being - unknowingly!

Human-being needs consciousness-development to reach its natural and optimal state of being. Whatever human-being may have done, thought, and said till now - has remained in the purview of animal-consciousness. Point of fulfillment of human-imagination has remained elusive from humankind. Inertia of self couldn't be gotten rid of. Scientific-materialism line of thinking tried to address humankind's fulfillment through achieving a state where there's continuity of "feeling good". Idealism line of thinking declared that fulfillment of self is not in sensory-activities - but whatever it tried to explain/sermonize for fulfillment remained mysterious, and unachievable for all.

Study in Coexistence is the way proposed in Madhyasth-Darshan for consciousness-development in a human-being. It is proposed as "alternative" to humankind for realization of its natural-expectation of fulfillment, and getting rid of the inertia or bondage of self. Self studies to attain clarity, and then experiences in knowledge, and thereby becomes able to recognize itself to be in coexistence - as attainment of its natural and optimal state of being. This study requires - Guidance, Curiosity, Imagination, Practice, and Discipline.

1. Guidance: Study of Madhyasth-Darshan happens under the able guidance of a human-being who has attained the experience in knowledge as continuity of fulfillment. The guide would be a living-evidence of this knowledge - and would be realizing justice, dharma, and truth in living, and thereby would be an inspiration. In the absence of guide, it is not study but a blue-sky exploration. The guide puts forth the proposals of the way existence is, for student's evaluation. Guide is capable of assessing the student's progress with study, and inspires the student for further progress with compassion. Study of Madhyasth-Darshan is an expression of coexistence of guide and student.

2. Curiosity: Curiosity for knowledge is essential for study in coexistence to happen. The curiosity is the receptivity of student. Curiosity for knowledge needs to be acute for achieving the break-through of consciousness-development. Curiosity is the defining-trait of a student. Curiosity is to have evaluated the past ways of living, thinking, and doing for their worth and having seen their limitations. Unless this evaluation is complete, and one has actually seen how past ways of living end up in deadlock - one hasn't really made space for accepting "the alternative" for oneself. Curiosity is to have the dire-need for knowing something more. Curiosity gets kindled upon seeing the evidence of knowledge in the Guide's living, and seeing the lack of that knowledge in oneself. If one believes oneself to be already having the knowledge, then the curiosity is not there, or is blunt.

3. Imagination: The proposals of Madhyasth-darshan, in words, indicate realities in existence. The student extends his imagination inspired by the guidance of teacher, to fulfill its curiosity for knowledge. The limit of words is that they can indicate reality to imagination. Imagination is the conscious-power that can expand and touch the realities in existence. Every human-being has imagination, as a birth-right. Imagination is a reality about human-being, which is naturally-inclined for knowledge. Study of Madhyasth-Darshan is neither about stilling the imagination, nor about free-wheeling it. It is about letting one's imagination be guided to realities of existence.

4. Practice: There are no meditation practices suggested which would aid in study of Madhyasth-Darshan. The numerous practices of meditation from different schools of thoughts of east or west are in no way connected, or are helpful for the study of Madhyasth-Darshan. The Practice advised here is to evaluate - How far I could live with justice in my relationships? How far I could realize resolution in my situations? How far I could assist others for enabling them for awakening? Practice is the way of connecting theory of Madhyasth-Darshan with one's living. Practice is about emulating the Guide for realization of resolution and prosperity in one's own context of living. It is to test the validity of the proposals in one's living situations.

5. Discipline: The study of Madhyasth-Darshan is about humanness, and for enabling oneself for realization of humane-conduct. This study gradually builds discernment in self on what is "right" and what is "wrong" for a human-being's harmonious living. Discipline is - Doing the "right", and not doing the "wrong" to the extent one has understood about humanness. Lack of this discipline becomes a hindrance for acceptance of realities. Discipline is the "honesty" one displays towards what one is studying. Discipline gets replaced by Natural-Control of senses upon completion of Study in Coexistence.

Study in Coexistence is akin to the one lamp lighting another. It is the way awakening of one person gets transferred to another. It is the way the awakened human-tradition will get realized on our Earth.

Source: Madhyasth Darshan, while studying it.

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