'TURIYA' is the fourth state of consciousness; beyond 'space', 'time' and 'causation'- the substratum for the three states of consciousness (wakeful-dream and deep sleep)- which is nothing but the efficient and the material cause of the phenomenal world; the omnipresent, omnipotent, eternal, all-pervading, transcendental reality; unaffected by birth, growth, disease, old age and death; available in abundance for everybody; already attained by everybody; without being aware of- as one`s own 'SELF' or 'TRUTH', BEING, EXISTENCE, CONSCIOUSNESS and BLISS.
~SWAATHMAARAAMAN
It is only in the waking state that you describe the experience of sleep as being unawareness; therefore the (essential) consciousness when asleep is the same as that when awake. If you know what this waking consciousness (essentially) is, you will know the consciousness which witnesses all the three states. Such consciousness could be found by seeking the consciousness as it was in sleep.
D.: In that case, I fall asleep.
M.: No harm!
D.: It is a blank.
M.: For whom is the blank? Find out. You cannot deny yourself at any time. The Self is ever there and continues in all states.
D.: Should I remain as if in sleep and be watchful at the same time?
M.: Yes. Watchfulness is the waking state. Therefore the state will not be one of sleep, but sleepless sleep. If you go the way of your thoughts you will be carried away by them and you will find yourself in an endless maze.
D.: So, then, I must go back tracing the source of thoughts.
M.: Quite so; in that way the thoughts will disappear and the Self alone will remain. In fact there is no inside or outside for the Self. They are also projections of the ego. The Self is pure and absolute.
Talks with Sri 'Ramana Maharshi'
No comments:
Post a Comment