Adhyaasa (superimposition) in Science and Advaita

Posted on October 4, 2011 by gokulmuthu

We all perceive objects and beings with the senses, conceive ideas with the mind and we have an awareness of ourselves. Everything that we know and experience can be broadly brought under three – matter, mind and consciousness.
A goal of science and philosophy is to come up with a model that will explain all our experiences. The first question is, “Is there one fundamental entity of which the other two are made of?” If we assume, “No”, it is called pluralism. If we assume, “Yes”, then it is called monism. Based on what is considered as the fundamental entity, there are three monistic philosophies.
1. Matter as the fundamental entity – Chaaruvaaka (Realism)
2. Mind as the fundamental entity – Buddhism (Idealism)
3. Consciousness as the fundamental entity – Advaita Vedanta (no equivalent in Western philosophy)
Science follows realism, which is also called materialistic monism. Here matter is the fundamental entity. Mind emerges from matter. Consciousness emerges from mind. This concept is called “emergence” in Western philosophy. The concept of “emergence” is the equivalent of “superimposition” (adhyaasa) in Advaita Vedanta. So, in Realism, the mind is a superimposition on matter and consciousness is a superimposition on the mind. Similarly, in case of Idealism, matter and consciousness are superimpositions on the mind. In Advaita Vedanta, matter and mind are superimpositions on the consciousness. In all the three cases, finite individuality is only an imagination.
Now, the question as to which of these three is the reality is unprovable. So, any of them can be taken and a complete logical system can be built around it. However, if I choose realism, then “I” am reduced to a non-existent entity. If I choose idealism, then “I” am reduced to a temporary entity. If I choose Advaita Vedanta, then “I” become the Eternal Infinite Partless Conscious Existence.
Given these three choices, with no way to prove or disprove any of them, I would prefer Advaita Vedanta to science. I would prefer to exist eternally as Infinite Consciousness than not to exist at all.

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Hinduism and Fatalism

Posted on September 9, 2011 by gokulmuthu

One of the common misconceptions about Hinduism is that it advocates fatalism.

Fatalism with respect to individuals is a philosophical doctrine that an individual does not have full control over the events that happen in his life. There are two flavors of fatalism – whether it applies only to the future or to the present also. In the first case, my current action does not have any effect on my future. Whatever I do, I cannot change whatever that “has” to happen. The second case is more severe. I do not have freedom of action now. There is no freewill. I am forced to do whatever I do.

Before talking about Hinduism, let us see two other schools of thought and see if they are fatalistic.

Current science is based on the assumption that the fundamental nature of the world is material. The fundamental particles that make up this world of living and non-living things is matter (and energy). All thoughts are the result of chemical and electrical reactions happening in the brain. So, if all thoughts are the products of material reactions, then there is no place for a freewill, free from the influence of matter. If the fundamental nature of the world is only material, there is no place for freewill. This logically leads to fatalism.

Semitic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) hold that there is a “God” in “heaven” who has created the world and who influences the situations and actions of people. To the question why one child is born in a hut in Africa and another child is born in a big hospital in Canada, the answer given is “because God willed so”. Much of what happens in the life of a child is because of the upbringing. So, the individual is not in control of most of what happens in his/her life. Even to the question of why some people live their entire life without a chance to hear about this “God” (and His Son or Prophet) and some people live in a “pious” society, there is no better answer than “will of God”. This is obviously fatalism.

Freewill is one of the fundamental principles of Hinduism. In fact, the individual is defined as the container of the freewill. The body and mind are instruments of this individual (called Jiva) to manifest its freewill. Whenever the jiva (using its freewill) decides on a course of action, a part of the action is one of the two contributors to the current result and a part of it accumulates to a store of the effects of past actions. This store is solely responsible for the situations that the jiva faces in life. This store is the other contributor to the current result. The store can be considered as the current state of the jiva. The freewill can be considered as the input and the result can be considered as the output. So, the input results in a state change and an output. Then the jiva makes another decision (input) on the new state. This results in a state change and an output. This goes on in an endless cycle. This is a steady-state model. This model cannot explain when and how this cycle started. This model cannot explain when and how this cycle will end also. But it very satisfactorily answers the current condition and the dynamics of the world and the individual. Birth and death are mere events within this cycle. The jiva’s existence runs across innumerable births and deaths. So differences in birth and death are easily explained. This model puts the complete responsibility of the situation and the action in the hands of the individual. You cannot get more anti-fatalistic than this. This is the model that Hinduism sticks to.

The law of cause and effect in this system is given the name God. So God is a principle. An individual can give a personal facade to this principle and call it by any name – Rama, Krishna, Vishnu, Shiva, Hanuman, Ganesha, whatever. What personal face the person gives to the principle is left to the individual’s choice. A person may choose not to give a personal face and prefer to treat it as an impersonal natural law. All are welcome into the fold of Hinduism.

A person who abides by the law of the land feels secure with the law enforcement system, whereas a person who violates the law is afraid of the system. Similarly, a person who leads a moral life feels secure in the system and develops love towards God. A person who leads an immoral life always feels threatened by the system and is afraid of God. The law is inviolable and perfectly fair.

Prayer, austerities, compensatory actions, etc are also actions, which also take part in the cycle of cause and effect. The law is always fair. There is no favouritism. A person who understands the system and knows how to harness the system uses all the means available. So God cannot be accused of being partial to people who pray. He merely metes out the results of the actions of individuals.

The various forms of astrology merely indicate the store of the effects of the past actions. They do not and can not fully decide on the course of the future. Not all jivas will hold body in the world at any point of time. A number of jivas are waiting to get an opportunity to take a birth in a body. The collective store of all the jivas who are holding a body in the world defines the state of the world. The planets do not affect people. As everything, including the planets, is a part of a single huge complicated system, some people have discovered some patterns and have designed the system of astrology based on that.

Thus the Hindu model puts the complete responsibility of the situation and the action in the hands of the individual. It is the perfect non-fatalistic system.

 

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Swami Chinmayananda – The Three Principles

Posted on September 3, 2011 by gokulmuthu

The Three Principles

By Swami Chinmayananda
To realize our full spiritual Nature is to experience the fullness of life. As long as we have not attained this state of being, our intellect will continue to suggest methods for overcoming feelings of imperfection, which manifest as desires. Desires are nothing but an expression of the ignorance of our real Nature. This ignorance has made us identify with body, mind and intellect, and is the cause of our egocentric life of pains and limitations. Therefore, there is no achievement more sacred and glorious than the realization of our true identity with the unlimited, eternal Self.
The purpose of religion is to eliminate ignorance through spiritual practices until the devotee comes to gain the light of wisdom. Ignorance, manifesting as desires on the mental plane, extend themselves as actions in the world. Therefore, spiritual masters advise that the most practical way of overcoming ignorance is through controlling our actions. They suggest that we first purify, and regulate these actions. All religions advocate qualities such as goodness, kindness, tolerance, mercy and selflessness. They insist on moral and ethical perfection as the fundamental condition for spiritual evolution. Without these qualities we will end up far short of the goal, even after a lifetime of devotion and worship.
Let us try to understand the scope of these moral and ethical values as explained in Hinduism. The three corner stones upon which the temple of Hinduism has been built are self-control, non-injury and truthfulness. The vast amount of spiritual literature in India is nothing but annotations, amplifications and commentaries upon these three principles. Ancient Indians planned their individual, communal and national life upon these three fundamental duties.
When these values are practiced they enable us to master our mind, which leads to mastery over ourselves, and the world around us. Although these principles are essentially the same in all religions, differences may appear due to the way in which they were presented to meet the needs of the people of the time. These three moral codes of behavior are: self-control (brahmacharya), non-injury (ahimsa), and truthfulness (satyam). They are the source of all values, and refer to the three layers of our personality: physical, emotional and intellectual.

Self Control

The physical body longs for contact with the world of objects in order to gain sense gratification. The eyes wish to see beautiful forms and colors, the tongue craves good food, the nose likes to smell pleasant fragrances and so on. But when we continue to live only for the gratification of our sensual demands, passions multiply and ultimately consume us. To avoid such a condition, discipline (brahmacharya) at the physical level is prescribed. The meaning of the word brahmacharya has been so badly distorted that the real value of this discipline has been lost. Brahmacharya is an attitude of intelligent contact with the world. It does not mean a total denial of the sense enjoyments, but only insists on not overdoing anything. Thus to read, watch television, talk, or walk too much, or to eat a morsel more than necessary would be considered as breaking the vow of brahmacharya. When we live in self-control we discover in ourselves a renewed dynamism, and become pillars of strength in society. If this sacred doctrine is not followed, we abdicate our freedom and become slaves to the ever-changing circumstances of life. Thus, brahmacharya is a value to be lived at the physical level.

Non-Injury

The second discipline, prescribed for the mental level, is non-injury (ahimsa). Ahimsa does not simply mean non-killing or non-injury at the physical level. It is to be understood as a mental attitude regarding our relationship with others. Non-injury is the spirit that should dominate the realm of our motives. Sometimes it is necessary that our actions be cruel although the underlying motive is totally loving and kind. Shakespeare beautifully expressed this idea in Hamlet, “I am cruel only to be kind.” For example, a surgeon may outwardly appear to be cruel while performing an operation but is motive is honorable. Such actions, though causing physical pain, would be considered as ahimsa. Non-injury is not a passive ineffectual attitude. Restraining the wicked to protect the good is the very creed of every true Hindu.
Thus, non-injury as advised by the architects of the Hindu culture is a value of life to be applied at the level of our motives. Our motives should be blessed and pure without any cruelty or hatred. In the execution of a pure motive, we may have to weed out the thorny shrubs to make the garden beautiful again.

Truthfulness

Satyam or truthfulness is the means to govern our inner world of mind and intellect. The outer world is a great university providing us with innumerable opportunities from which to learn. When these experiences have been well churned in our mind and the intellect has come to a firm decision, we must have the honesty and conviction to act upon it. When we do not make the full use of our mind and intellect, they lose their efficiency and we suffer as a result. Religion constantly reminds us to exercise our mind and intellect through its insistence upon the principle, “Be truthful to your previously gained wisdom.”
Thus, truthfulness enjoins us to live according to our intellectual convictions. We all have ideals, but we often fall prey to our senses and compromise with them. This is dishonest living. Our dignity depends on our ability to live up to our convictions at all times.
The edifice of life stands on these three great principles. By following them we can integrate our personality and gain inner health. It is by this method alone that we can enjoy living in the world and develop the strength and courage to overcome all our problems in life.
When a person has learned to live in perfect self-control, ever vigilant to gather knowledge from life’s experiences, practicing non-injury in his motives, and being truthful to his convictions, he becomes the chosen child of nature to be lifted to the top of the evolutionary ladder.
It is true, no doubt, that there are only a few in society who practice these great principles, but those few grow to such a stature that they lead the world with an irresistible spiritual power. It is these people of heroic personality, with integrated head and heart who will continue to guide humanity to new levels of spiritual evolution.
 

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Attitudes Towards Work

Posted on August 29, 2011 by gokulmuthu

An edited version of this article was published in the March 2013 issue of Vedanta Kesari, A cultural and spiritual monthly of the Ramakrishna Order.
Work is something which I am constantly engaged in. Work is the way by which I interact with the world. There are two components to work – action and result. Action is what flows from me to the world. Result is what flows from the world to me. This strictly follows the law of cause and effect. “As I sow, so shall I reap.” As my current action is one of the contributors towards the result, depending on the situation, sometimes I get the desired result and sometimes I don’t get the desired result. The other factor – situation – is the result of the accumulated, unfructified effect of all my previous actions. God is defined as the personification of this law of cause and effect – karma phala daata. God is also defined as the substratum of me, the world and all its animate and inanimate things. God is the material of which everything is made of – jagat kaaranam.
Having this background of Vedanta, there are several attitudes possible towards work.
1. I want some result. I work towards the result. If I get the desired result, I jump with joy, become greedy for more and become proud of my result. If I do not get the desired result, I become depressed, get angry and become jealous of others who have got the result that I was seeking.
This is a wrong attitude resulting from non-understanding.
2. I understand that my own past actions and my current actions are responsible for the result. I believe in the fairness of the system of cause and effect. If I get the desired result, I am happy. I will see how I can get more of the desired result. If I do not get the desired result, I will try harder to overcome the effects of my past actions, which were, knowingly or unknowingly in the opposite direction.
To enable a better and deeper acceptance of the fairness of the system of cause and effect, I personify it as God. I seek the blessings of God before I start the action, by physically offering something. When the action is complete, if I get the desired result, I physically offer something to God as a token of gratitude.
This is a better attitude considering God as the karma phala daata. It makes me less ego-entric and more God-centric.
3. I understand, there is a higher purpose to work. The result is only an incidental temporary phenomenon. What is more permanent is the lesson that I have learned, in both success and failure. Every work that I do makes a change in me as a person. Every work polishes me and make me a better person with a better understanding of myself and the world. Every work is a file to round of the rough edges in my personality and make me more wholesome.
I also understand that God is the system. The world is not different from God. So my very action is an offering to God. The result is His response to my offering. Work is not separate from worship. Work itself is worship. The person starts with the attitude, “Whatever I do, I do it FOR you.” and finally ends with the attitude, “Whatever I do, I do it TO you.”
This is the best attitude considering God as the jagat kaaranam. It leads to spiritualization of all works making my whole life a spiritual endeavour.
 

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Pilgrimage

Posted on August 18, 2011 by gokulmuthu

I went on a pilgrimage with Swami Paramasukhananda (Anand Maharaj) of Ramakrishna Math, Ulsoor, along with nine other volunteers of the Math. It was an excellent trip. Here is the list of places visited:
Ramakrishna Mission, New Delhi – This is the place where Swami Ranganathananda gave lectures for several years. His lectures used to be attended by great leaders of the nation here. The mission has a lot of social service activities like hospital, library, tuitions, etc., apart from spiritual activities like temple, book stall, lectures, etc.
Akshardham, New Delhi – This is a poetry in stone. A trip to New Delhi is not complete without visiting this place.
Ramakrishna Mission, Jammu – Ramakrishna Mission runs a charitable dispensary and tuitions for school children here.
Vaishno Devi Temple, Katra – The temple is on a mountain. It need trekking (or riding on a pony). The deity is in the form of set of three natural pindas representing Lakshmi, Sarasvati and Parvati. A lot of people were visiting the temple as a token of gratitude for fulfilled prayers.
Ramakrishna Mission, Srinagar – Ramakrishna Mission run a charitable dispensary here. There is an old Shiva temple within the premises.
Ksheer Bhavani Temple, Srinagar – The deity here is in the middle of a small pond. The color of the water in the pond is said to change naturally. If the color is red or black, it indicates some impending calamity. Swami Vivekananda visited this temple and spent a few days here. There are interesting incidents in his life that happened near this temple.
Sankaracharya Temple, Srinagar – This beautiful temple is on the top of a hill. The top of the temple can be seen from Dal Lake. Adi Sankaracharya did tapas here. He meditated on the condition of the country and on how to revive the glorious Indian culture, religion and spirituality. It is here that occurred to him to found four monasteries at the four corners of India – Badrinath, Puri, Sringeri and Dwaraka, establish the Dasanami system of monastic traditions, etc. In this way, this temple is to Sankaracharya, as the Vivekananda rock at Kanyakumari is to Swami Vivekananda, sitting where, he meditated for three days on reviving the Indian society.
Sharika Devi Temple, Srinagar – This is a the base of the Hari Parbat. There is a natural Sri Chakra on a rock face, which is the deity here. Srinagar is said to have got its name from this temple.
Amarnath Temple – The coolest Shiva temple. 🙂 The deity is in the form of a natural ice stalagmite in a huge cave. The form keeps growing and melting away in summer. When the form is there, it called darshan with form (sahaakaar). When the form is not there, it called darshan without form (niraakaar). When we went the Lord chose to give us niraakaar darshan. There are two route to the cave. The route from Baltal is a short (14 km) but strenuous one. It takes one day to go and one day to return. The route from Chandanwari is a long one (46 km) but a smooth climb most of the way. It takes about three days to go and two days to return. Both the routes are very scenic. We took the Baltal route. Along the way there are bhandaras where people provide free food, drink and stay. Their zest to serve the pilgrims is something which should be seen to be believed. They keep announcing on a mic-system “Hot chapatis freshly made are ready. Please come”, “We provide bed and blankets for your stay. Please come and stay with us.”, etc. The variety and quality of food they serve is amazing. These bhandaras are a unique experience.
Chinmaya Mission, Sidhbari, Himachal Pradesh – This beautiful ashram over looking majestic mountains has the samadhi of  the great teacher of Vedanta – Swami Chinmayananda. They run a free residential three year course of Vedanta for men and women of age 20-30 in Hindi. Chinmaya Mission at Mumbai runs the same course in English. Check it out if you are interested. The Chinmaya Organisation for Rural Development (CORD) does a lot of social service activities in this region.
Kangra Devi Temple, Himachal Pradesh – This is one of the Shakti Peethas. Sati Devi’s feet are believed to have fallen here. The deity is in the form of a natural round linga.
Cintapurni Devi Temple, Himachal Pradesh – This is one of the Shakti Peethas. Sati Devi’s chest is believed to have fallen here. The deity is in the form of a natura round linga.
Jwalamukhi Temple, Himachal Pradesh – This is one of the Shakti Peethas. Sati Devi’s tongue is believed to have falled here. The deity is in the form of natural fire burning at several places in the sanctum.
Baijnath Temple, Himachal Pradesh – This is a beautiful Shiva temple with wonderful architecture and sculptures.
Aghanjar Mahadev Temple, Himachal Pradesh – The deity in this temple is a dhuni (fire place) which is being kept burning for more than 500 years. A beautiful fast stream runs behind the temple. The place is very scenic. We had a nice talk with the mahant of this temple. He made nice tea for us. He spoke a lot about service to others.
Chamunda Temple, Himachal Pradesh – This is beautiful temple in a very scenic place.
Buddhist Temple, Himachal Pradesh – This is the seat of the Dalai Lama of Tibet, who lives in exile in India. There is a nice museum on Tibet here.
Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab – The holiest place of the Sikhs. This beautiful temple in the middle of a huge pond, plated with gold, with beautiful paintings and precious stones in-laid in marble is a place to visit several times. Constant bhajans and reading from holy books is done by devotees in and around the temple. The bhandara (langar) here serves simple food to all visitors. The specialty is that the entire langar is run by volunteers – cutting vegetables, making dough, cooking, serving, washing, etc are all done by volunteers. Anyone is free to take part in this work too.
The entire trip was filled with a lot of travel with the company of Anand Maharaj and other friends. Anand Maharaj was telling a lot of stories, discussing deep philosophy, giving a lot of instructions on spiritual life, etc. It was a very good satsangh for 15 days.
Two things I observed as the running theme of the entire trip:
1. Almost all the temples we visited had no human-like form of the deity. Almost every where God in the sanctum was in the form of a small natural stone without any definite shape, fire, ice, words, etc. When the train was crossing Godavari river there was a big commotion in the train, with everyone trying to get a glimpse of the holy river, worshiping, dropping coins as offering, etc. It was an amazing sight to see. My humble salutations to the spirit of India which sees God in everything in the world.
2. Almost every where, we could see the spirit of service to devotees and other human beings. Every monk we had a chance to talk to was talking of service to other human beings as the highest worship of God. Almost every temple that we visited had people putting this concept into practice. My humble salutations to the spirit of India which sees God in every human being.
You can see a selection of photos of the places here: http://picasaweb.google.com/gokulmuthu Pick the right albums based on the date. All the albums of this trip were uploaded on August 16th 2011. At almost all the temples in Jammu and Kashmir, cameras were not allowed for security reasons. So I could not take pictures.

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