NON-DUALITY
"If ego comes into existence, everything comes into existence; if ego does not exist, everything does not exist".
-Ramana Maharshi in verse 26 of Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu,
-Ramana Maharshi in verse 26 of Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu,
3 Levels to the Path of Jnana
1) Ajata -
Mystical Illumination/Jnana/Sahaja Samadhi
The ultimate truth (pāramārthika satya) is ajāta, namely the truth that what exists is only our real nature, which is pure awareness, and that nothing else has ever been born, come into existence, appeared or happened.
Beginning-less, infinite, unbroken, Sat Chit Ananda.
Eternal, Unchanging, Self Shining = I AM.
In this ultimate truth, Ajata, there is no world, there is no appearance at all. Nothing has ever come into existence, that is the final state. Though this is the ultimate truth, it is not an appropriate teaching for the vast majority, because it denies the existence of anything other than pure awareness, which means there is no teacher, no one in need of teaching and nothing to be taught.
This dream world only exists in the view of ourself as ego. So long as we seem to be Ego, whatever world we are currently perceiving seems to be real. A teaching is useful only if it explains the appearance of ego and phenomena in such a way that it shows how we can free ourself from this appearance, so since ajāta denies their appearance, it cannot show us how to free ourself from it.
When we investigate ourselves, we will see there never was any such thing as ego. And since there never was any such thing as Ego, there never was any world.
So the ultimate experience is ajata. Ajata doesn't accept that there is any appearance at all, and there never was (Mahasunya). All phenomenon (anything that appears or disappears = not permanent) seem to exist only because we have risen as ego. When we the seeker, the ego is destroyed, what remains is what always exists which is pure awareness.
Being aware of ourselves as we actually are is the ultimate goal. But cannot be newly attained because beginningless. Once we attain it, we realize we have always been in that state and we have never risen as Ego.
**Note: In QM, this is the pure state/ wavefunction of the Universe with nothing operating on it, nothing observing it, because it is nothing (only infinite potential and fullness). But Q.M. (and science) gives no practice to know this ultimate truth, so it can never be fully understood with science because the ONLY way to KNOW IT, is to BE IT!! Science has nothing to say about Being, because nothing CAN be said!
1) Ajata -
Mystical Illumination/Jnana/Sahaja Samadhi
The ultimate truth (pāramārthika satya) is ajāta, namely the truth that what exists is only our real nature, which is pure awareness, and that nothing else has ever been born, come into existence, appeared or happened.
Beginning-less, infinite, unbroken, Sat Chit Ananda.
Eternal, Unchanging, Self Shining = I AM.
In this ultimate truth, Ajata, there is no world, there is no appearance at all. Nothing has ever come into existence, that is the final state. Though this is the ultimate truth, it is not an appropriate teaching for the vast majority, because it denies the existence of anything other than pure awareness, which means there is no teacher, no one in need of teaching and nothing to be taught.
This dream world only exists in the view of ourself as ego. So long as we seem to be Ego, whatever world we are currently perceiving seems to be real. A teaching is useful only if it explains the appearance of ego and phenomena in such a way that it shows how we can free ourself from this appearance, so since ajāta denies their appearance, it cannot show us how to free ourself from it.
When we investigate ourselves, we will see there never was any such thing as ego. And since there never was any such thing as Ego, there never was any world.
So the ultimate experience is ajata. Ajata doesn't accept that there is any appearance at all, and there never was (Mahasunya). All phenomenon (anything that appears or disappears = not permanent) seem to exist only because we have risen as ego. When we the seeker, the ego is destroyed, what remains is what always exists which is pure awareness.
Being aware of ourselves as we actually are is the ultimate goal. But cannot be newly attained because beginningless. Once we attain it, we realize we have always been in that state and we have never risen as Ego.
**Note: In QM, this is the pure state/ wavefunction of the Universe with nothing operating on it, nothing observing it, because it is nothing (only infinite potential and fullness). But Q.M. (and science) gives no practice to know this ultimate truth, so it can never be fully understood with science because the ONLY way to KNOW IT, is to BE IT!! Science has nothing to say about Being, because nothing CAN be said!
2) dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda (and ēka-jīva-vāda)/prātibhāsika view/yugapat sṛṣṭi
Injunction/Practice
What Bhagavan and advaita (and quantum mechanics via observer effect/Monistic Idealism) teaches is
dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda. There is no creation of the world independent of our perception of it. It is only by perceiving it that we create the world.
[the contention or teaching (vāda) that perception (dṛṣṭi) is causally antecedent to creation (sṛṣṭi), or in other words that we create phenomena only by perceiving them, just as we do in dream]
The basic contention is that one first creates out of his mind, and then sees what his mind itself has created (Monistic Idealism)
One of the basic implications of dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda is ēka-jīva-vāda, the contention or teaching (vāda) that there is only one (ēka) jīva (ego or perceiver).
Whereas ajāta-vāda says that nothing else has ever appeared or come into existence, dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda concedes that other things have appeared and therefore seem to exist, but says that they are all just an imaginary fabrication, so they are merely an illusory appearance, and hence what they actually are is only the Self, just as what seems to be a snake is actually only a rope.
*Also referred to as the prātibhāsika view (the view that everything is pratibhāsa, a mere appearance that seems to exist only in the view of the perceiver, as in a dream)
**And further referred to as yugapat sṛṣṭi (simultaneous creation)
Note: dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda will appeal only to those who are earnestly seeking to eradicate ego, and that others will find endless reasons to object to it, so to satisfy such people it is necessary to teach some form of sṛṣṭi-dṛṣṭi-vāda that they will be willing to accept and that will help them to progress gradually to deeper levels of understanding and spiritual practice. This is why even within advaita different levels of explanation are given
Injunction/Practice
What Bhagavan and advaita (and quantum mechanics via observer effect/Monistic Idealism) teaches is
dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda. There is no creation of the world independent of our perception of it. It is only by perceiving it that we create the world.
[the contention or teaching (vāda) that perception (dṛṣṭi) is causally antecedent to creation (sṛṣṭi), or in other words that we create phenomena only by perceiving them, just as we do in dream]
The basic contention is that one first creates out of his mind, and then sees what his mind itself has created (Monistic Idealism)
One of the basic implications of dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda is ēka-jīva-vāda, the contention or teaching (vāda) that there is only one (ēka) jīva (ego or perceiver).
Whereas ajāta-vāda says that nothing else has ever appeared or come into existence, dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda concedes that other things have appeared and therefore seem to exist, but says that they are all just an imaginary fabrication, so they are merely an illusory appearance, and hence what they actually are is only the Self, just as what seems to be a snake is actually only a rope.
*Also referred to as the prātibhāsika view (the view that everything is pratibhāsa, a mere appearance that seems to exist only in the view of the perceiver, as in a dream)
**And further referred to as yugapat sṛṣṭi (simultaneous creation)
Note: dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda will appeal only to those who are earnestly seeking to eradicate ego, and that others will find endless reasons to object to it, so to satisfy such people it is necessary to teach some form of sṛṣṭi-dṛṣṭi-vāda that they will be willing to accept and that will help them to progress gradually to deeper levels of understanding and spiritual practice. This is why even within advaita different levels of explanation are given
3) sṛṣṭi-dṛṣṭi-vāda/vyāvahārika view/krama sṛṣṭi
Most Religious or scientific views of the world (Scientific materialism/Realism - Denies Q.M. interpretations that say there is no objective universe) are what are called sṛṣṭi-dṛṣṭi-vāda (first there is creation and THEN we perceive it). The world exists prior to our perception of it (classical physics, scientific materialism , Einstein). This is what most people believe. That is the world exists independent of our perception of it.
"I like to think that the moon is there even if I am not looking at it." - Albert Einstein.
[the contention or teaching that creation (sṛṣṭi) is causally antecedent to perception (dṛṣṭi), and that the world therefore exists prior to and independent of our perception of it]
One of the basic implications of sṛṣṭi-dṛṣṭi-vāda is nānā-jīva-vāda (the contention that there are many jīvas, egos or perceivers).
Many traditional advaitans believe that phenomena exist independent of ego’s perception of them, they do not accept that ego alone is what projects all phenomena, and hence they interpret ancient texts to mean that what projects everything is not ego or mind but only brahman (or brahman as īśvara, God, rather than brahman as ego). This is NOT the view of Ajata (Bhagavans view).
First God created the Universe out of such and such an element and then something else and so forth. Appeals to people who cannot believe that all of this is totally untrue. I mean sure, when I dream that is in my mind, but the world is seen by many.
(purpose for these lessor approaches is to get people to find the source and go within. Each lessor teaching is only to suit the capacity of the learner. Teachers seem to contradict themselves, but they are always giving each person, custom advice based on their development. But ultimately the absolute can only be one.
* Also referred to as the vyāvahārika view (which in this context means the view that the world exists independent of our perception of it)
** And further referred to as krama sṛṣṭi (step-by-step or gradual creation)
Most Religious or scientific views of the world (Scientific materialism/Realism - Denies Q.M. interpretations that say there is no objective universe) are what are called sṛṣṭi-dṛṣṭi-vāda (first there is creation and THEN we perceive it). The world exists prior to our perception of it (classical physics, scientific materialism , Einstein). This is what most people believe. That is the world exists independent of our perception of it.
"I like to think that the moon is there even if I am not looking at it." - Albert Einstein.
[the contention or teaching that creation (sṛṣṭi) is causally antecedent to perception (dṛṣṭi), and that the world therefore exists prior to and independent of our perception of it]
One of the basic implications of sṛṣṭi-dṛṣṭi-vāda is nānā-jīva-vāda (the contention that there are many jīvas, egos or perceivers).
Many traditional advaitans believe that phenomena exist independent of ego’s perception of them, they do not accept that ego alone is what projects all phenomena, and hence they interpret ancient texts to mean that what projects everything is not ego or mind but only brahman (or brahman as īśvara, God, rather than brahman as ego). This is NOT the view of Ajata (Bhagavans view).
First God created the Universe out of such and such an element and then something else and so forth. Appeals to people who cannot believe that all of this is totally untrue. I mean sure, when I dream that is in my mind, but the world is seen by many.
(purpose for these lessor approaches is to get people to find the source and go within. Each lessor teaching is only to suit the capacity of the learner. Teachers seem to contradict themselves, but they are always giving each person, custom advice based on their development. But ultimately the absolute can only be one.
* Also referred to as the vyāvahārika view (which in this context means the view that the world exists independent of our perception of it)
** And further referred to as krama sṛṣṭi (step-by-step or gradual creation)
The deepest mystery of the non-dual traditions of Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism declare that nothing ever happens and nothing exists. This shocking revelation must be experienced in a nondual realization which is the highest samadhi called Sahaja Samadhi. From this enlightening vantage point, it is clearly seen that the mind projects the body and universe and even God.
That is this highest state of Enlightenment, there is no longer a mind, no longer an ego, or separate person, body or world. There is just the One without a second. The nondual Kosmos that is unborn, eternal, changeless and blissfully aware. And the mystical traditions all proclaim THOU ART THAT!
This One is called by many names, a few that resonate with me are the nondual Self, Universal consciousness, Primordial awareness, Ultimate Reality, Being, Godhead. But it is utterly beyond words and can only be experienced (nondually). Personally I still like the word God instead of Plotinus' nondual Godhead. As long as you realized God is all there is INCLUDING the SEER. That is God is a sum total of the Universe around you + you (the Seer, Witness, Experiencer etc). This mystical union of Subject and Object is actually always Present (which Quantum Physics Validates, but we mistakingly identify with the "I am the body" or "I am the Ego" idea.
That is this highest state of Enlightenment, there is no longer a mind, no longer an ego, or separate person, body or world. There is just the One without a second. The nondual Kosmos that is unborn, eternal, changeless and blissfully aware. And the mystical traditions all proclaim THOU ART THAT!
This One is called by many names, a few that resonate with me are the nondual Self, Universal consciousness, Primordial awareness, Ultimate Reality, Being, Godhead. But it is utterly beyond words and can only be experienced (nondually). Personally I still like the word God instead of Plotinus' nondual Godhead. As long as you realized God is all there is INCLUDING the SEER. That is God is a sum total of the Universe around you + you (the Seer, Witness, Experiencer etc). This mystical union of Subject and Object is actually always Present (which Quantum Physics Validates, but we mistakingly identify with the "I am the body" or "I am the Ego" idea.
![Picture](/uploads/4/5/1/6/4516117/published/127001611-1487370088120911-566166693203648658-n.jpg?1654376278)
Before we look at Quantum Physics, lets see what Ramana Maharshi (and Advaita Vedanta) has to say:
Vedanta states that the Cosmos springs into view simultaneously with the seer. There is NO evolution or detailed 'process' of creation. This is said to be yugapat srshti which means "instantaneous creation". It is quite similar to creations in a dream where the experiencer springs up simultaneously with the objects of experience. Think about your dreams, notice how things all just rise up and appear along with you the seer or witness in the dream.
When this is stated some people are not satisfied because they are so rooted in objective knowledge. They seek to find out how there can be a sudden creation. They argue that an effect must always be preceded by a cause. In short they desire an explanation for the existence of the world, which they see around them. Then the scriptures [and science] satisfy their curiosity by such theories of creation. This method of dealing with the subject is called krama srshti (gradual creation). But the true seeker can be content with yugapat srshti - instantaneous creation.
As Ramana states: "One sees an edifice in his dream. It rises up all of a sudden. Then he begins to think how it should have been already built brick by brick by so many laborers during such a long time. Yet he does not see any builders working. So also with the theory of evolution. Because he finds himself a man, he thinks he has developed to that stage from the primal state of the amoeba."
Vedanta states that the Cosmos springs into view simultaneously with the seer. There is NO evolution or detailed 'process' of creation. This is said to be yugapat srshti which means "instantaneous creation". It is quite similar to creations in a dream where the experiencer springs up simultaneously with the objects of experience. Think about your dreams, notice how things all just rise up and appear along with you the seer or witness in the dream.
When this is stated some people are not satisfied because they are so rooted in objective knowledge. They seek to find out how there can be a sudden creation. They argue that an effect must always be preceded by a cause. In short they desire an explanation for the existence of the world, which they see around them. Then the scriptures [and science] satisfy their curiosity by such theories of creation. This method of dealing with the subject is called krama srshti (gradual creation). But the true seeker can be content with yugapat srshti - instantaneous creation.
As Ramana states: "One sees an edifice in his dream. It rises up all of a sudden. Then he begins to think how it should have been already built brick by brick by so many laborers during such a long time. Yet he does not see any builders working. So also with the theory of evolution. Because he finds himself a man, he thinks he has developed to that stage from the primal state of the amoeba."
Projectors and Projection Operators -
Note: Universe is a 4D- Holographic Projection (apparently), but can be defined on a 2D surface using Quantum Mathematics which would imply the Universe being more like a Quantum Computer (unlike normal movies that project from 2D to 2D.
Complex Numbers carry and EXTRA Dimension not found in Real Numbers. THIS is quantum complex algebra IS the most accurate language there is for the Nondual Realm (Ordinary language is classical, dualistic and 2 dimensionally limited).
Projection Operator is appropriately named! Defines the collapse of the wavefunction using Dirac Notation.
We are consciousness are LITERALLY projecting the Universe we see (as consciousness - imaginations / film projector analogy)
Just as the pictures appear on the screen as long as the film throws the shadows through the lens, so the phenomenal world will continue to appear to the individual in the waking and dream states as long as there are latent mental impressions. Just as the lens magnifies the tiny specks on the film to a huge size and as a number of pictures are shown in a second so the mind enlarges the sprout-like tendencies into tree-like thoughts and shows in a second innumerable worlds.
Again, just as there is only the light of the lamp visible when there is no film, so the Self alone shines without the triple factors when the mental concepts in the form of tendencies are absent in the states of deep sleep, fainting, trance and samadhi.
Just as the lamp illumines the lens, etc., while remaining unaffected, the Self illumines the Ego (Chidabhasa), etc. while remaining unaffected.
Note: Universe is a 4D- Holographic Projection (apparently), but can be defined on a 2D surface using Quantum Mathematics which would imply the Universe being more like a Quantum Computer (unlike normal movies that project from 2D to 2D.
Complex Numbers carry and EXTRA Dimension not found in Real Numbers. THIS is quantum complex algebra IS the most accurate language there is for the Nondual Realm (Ordinary language is classical, dualistic and 2 dimensionally limited).
Projection Operator is appropriately named! Defines the collapse of the wavefunction using Dirac Notation.
We are consciousness are LITERALLY projecting the Universe we see (as consciousness - imaginations / film projector analogy)
Just as the pictures appear on the screen as long as the film throws the shadows through the lens, so the phenomenal world will continue to appear to the individual in the waking and dream states as long as there are latent mental impressions. Just as the lens magnifies the tiny specks on the film to a huge size and as a number of pictures are shown in a second so the mind enlarges the sprout-like tendencies into tree-like thoughts and shows in a second innumerable worlds.
Again, just as there is only the light of the lamp visible when there is no film, so the Self alone shines without the triple factors when the mental concepts in the form of tendencies are absent in the states of deep sleep, fainting, trance and samadhi.
Just as the lamp illumines the lens, etc., while remaining unaffected, the Self illumines the Ego (Chidabhasa), etc. while remaining unaffected.
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We Project the Universe with Our Mind every day....
Vedanta states that the cosmos springs into view simultaneously with the seer. There is no detailed process of creation. This is said to be yugapat srshti a Tamil word which means "instantaneous creation". It is quite similar to creations in a dream where the experiencer springs up simultaneously with the objects of experience. This is the collapse of the Universal wavefunction in the region of spacetime you happen to be in.
When this is stated some people are not satisfied because they are so rooted in objective knowledge. They seek to find out how there can be a sudden creation. They argue that an effect must always be preceded by a cause. In short they desire an explanation for the existence of the world, which they see around them. Then the scriptures [and science] satisfy their curiosity by such theories of creation. This method of dealing with the subject is called krama srshti (gradual creation). But the true seeker can be content with yugapat srshti - instantaneous creation.
One sees an edifice in his dream. It rises up all of a sudden. Then he begins to think how it should have been already built brick by brick by so many laborers during such a long time. Yet he does not see any builders working. So also with the theory of evolution. Because he finds himself a man, he thinks he has developed to that stage from the primal state of the amoeba.
Vedanta states that the cosmos springs into view simultaneously with the seer. There is no detailed process of creation. This is said to be yugapat srshti a Tamil word which means "instantaneous creation". It is quite similar to creations in a dream where the experiencer springs up simultaneously with the objects of experience. This is the collapse of the Universal wavefunction in the region of spacetime you happen to be in.
When this is stated some people are not satisfied because they are so rooted in objective knowledge. They seek to find out how there can be a sudden creation. They argue that an effect must always be preceded by a cause. In short they desire an explanation for the existence of the world, which they see around them. Then the scriptures [and science] satisfy their curiosity by such theories of creation. This method of dealing with the subject is called krama srshti (gradual creation). But the true seeker can be content with yugapat srshti - instantaneous creation.
One sees an edifice in his dream. It rises up all of a sudden. Then he begins to think how it should have been already built brick by brick by so many laborers during such a long time. Yet he does not see any builders working. So also with the theory of evolution. Because he finds himself a man, he thinks he has developed to that stage from the primal state of the amoeba.
Life is a Cinema and we are the screen
In the old days a movie theatre used to be known as a “bioscope”. From the perspective of Advaita, this is a beautiful word, loaded with meaning. “Bioscope” is a combination of the Greek words “bíos” = life and “skopéō” = I look at. So, when I’m at the cinema, I am looking at life. Now, according to Advaita, you are always at the cinema, namely, the cinema of Consciousness, witnessing the movie of life. Thus, ever since Ramana Maharshi, film has been a beloved metaphor among Advaita teachers.
The peaceful screen
Especially the relation between screen and film is frequently used to clarify the relation between Consciousness and the phenomena appearing in Consciousness. Just as the screen is not dependent on the main character appearing in the movie, so Consciousness is not dependent on the person we are so intimately aware of. In other words: Consciousness isn’t personal, because the person is just one of the countless objects appearing in Consciousness. Consciousness is trans-personal, the Universal Self underlying everything and everyone.
All our thoughts, feelings and sensory experiences appear in Consciousness, but do not touch it. Consciousness remains unmoved, just as a movie screen remains unaffected by the film appearing on it. It doesn’t matter what kind of film it is – war movie, romcom, slasher movie, porn flick, historical epic, psychological thriller – the screen in itself remains the same: empty, colorless, spotless, receptive to all images. In the same way, Consciousness can host all possible experiences, thoughts and feelings, but is not affected by them.
There can be intense sadness, but the Consciousness perceiving this is not sad. There may be happiness, but the perceiving Consciousness is not happy. There may be confusion, but the Consciousness witnessing this confusion is not confused; it is rather absolutely clear. Whatever appears in Consciousness, the latter always remains the same: pure, empty, light, spacious, boundless, open to all possible phenomena. As the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (3.5.1) puts it: Consciousness – the Self, the Atman-Brahman – is “the one who is beyond hunger and thirst, beyond sorrow and delusion, beyond old age and death.” Thus, Ramana Maharshi used to say that Enlightenment is like realizing you are the movie screen and not what appears on the screen:
"So many pictures pass over the cinema screen: fire burns away everything; water drenches all; but the screen remains unaffected. The scenes are only phenomena which pass away leaving the screen as it was. Similarly, the world phenomena simply pass on before the sage (jnani), leaving him unaffected." (Maharshi 1955: 457)
The self-aware screen
From the viewpoint of Advaita, however, the comparison of Consciousness with a movie screen is not entirely perfect. After all, this analogy leaves a number of separations intact, namely, between the screen, the projected film images, the projector and the popcorn-eating audience. To make the film metaphor better suited for Advaita, we should add that all these elements are one. That is to say, Consciousness is like a television or computer screen that produces the film appearing on it and is simultaneously its own audience, i.e. the screen perceives itself.
Identifying with the main character
As the quote from Spira indicates, the medium of film is also suitable to explain the Advaitic view on ignorance (avidya) and how it works, i.e. the mechanism of superimposition (adhyasa). Ignorance, according to Advaita, consists in the fact that we, as Consciousness, confuse ourselves with what appears in Consciousness, especially the person whose fortunes and travails we experience from within. Superimposition means that we project the properties of the perceiving Consciousness – such as immutability – onto the perceived person, with the result that we suffer: after all, body and mind change constantly, eventually they deteriorate and in the end they die…
Something very similar to superimposition happens with a good film: we sympathize with the main character to such a degree that we feel what he or she feels. We become excited when the main character is in danger, we get angry when he or she is treated unfairly, we feel romantic when he or she falls in love, and so on. In this way, we temporarily forget who we really are, the popcorn-eating viewer slumping on the couch. Likewise, in ignorance, we forget what we really are, the witness (sakshin), as we confuse ourselves with the fascinating life we are witnessing. And so we suffer: we see the ups and downs of the main character in the movie of life as our own ups and downs. Enlightenment, to repeat, is the liberating insight that we are not – or not just – that character, but first and foremost Consciousness, the spotless white screen on which (and to which) the film of life appears.
“Consciousness has produced this play. Consciousness has written the script. Consciousness is playing all the characters. And Consciousness is witnessing the play. It’s a one man show.”
This playing with camera perspective can make empathic identification with a movie character almost irresistible. This holds in particular for the so-called point-of-view (POV) shot, where the camera takes the position of one of the characters: the viewer sees what the character sees. The hero runs through a city centre in a wild chase, grabs his gun and finally shoots the bad guy; with a POV shot, you see the scene almost literally through the eyes of the hero. Remaining an impassioned spectator is then nearly impossible.
With POV shots, you are irresistibly pulled into the character from whose perspective you see the scene unfold. In the light of Advaita, we could say that Consciousness is the most brilliant film director who uses only POV shots. Thus, we continuously see the film of life from the main character’s perspective – and we not only see it, we also experience smelling, hearing, feeling, thinking and willing from that individualized perspective. In that sense, conscious experience is the ultimate POV shot, including all sensory and psychic modalities.
Just as a POV shot is in the film you are watching and is not your perspective on the film, so the individual perspective of experience is not a perspective on experience but in it. The perspective of experience seems to be the perspective of the perceiving Consciousness, but in reality the perspective is ingrained in the experience which is neutrally perceived by Consciousness.
In short, the perspective is in the observed, not in the observer. The observer himself is without perspective or – what amounts to the same thing – the observer perceives everything from “God’s point of view”. For Advaita, after all, God is Consciousness, Atman is Brahman. In Brahman’s cinema there is only one spectator, watching an endless film with countless main characters.
To make film an even more suitable metaphor for Advaita, then, we also need to eliminate the duality between film on the one hand and the screen-spectator on the other. That is to say: what appears in Consciousness is ultimately not separate from Consciousness itself. So, instead of a conventional film screen on which the images are projected from outside, it is better to compare Consciousness with a television or computer screen that itself produces the images appearing on it.
“It is necessary to make this distinction because we usually identify with an object, a fragment. We don’t think “I am the table, I am my clothes, I am my car”. However, we do think “I am my body and the rest is not me”. In order to remove this identification the Advaita tradition uses a two-step process. In the first step it says “You are not that which is perceived, you are the perceiver”. In this step we reject everything that is perceived as not being ourselves. We reject the table, the car, the clothes, the body, and the mind, and this leads us to the experience of pure consciousness. Then, as the universe of names and shapes reappears, it is understood to reappear in the light of consciousness, out of consciousness, as a projection of consciousness. Therefore, the second step is: “Everything is consciousness. Consciousness is the source and substance of everything.”” (Lucille 2006: 109)
When we realize “I am that Consciousness”, the cold detachment of the first and negative phase turns into the all-embracing love of the second phase, as if you suddenly find yourself embracing the entire world with your consciousness – which, in a way, is indeed the case. You realize that your essence, pure Consciousness, manifests itself in all phenomena, being “the source and substance of everything”. You literally become the Love that lets everything be. In a sense, you are again your body and mind, but to the same extent that you are the entire universe. The limited identification with the body-mind is exploded to cosmic proportions and becomes identification with reality-as-a-whole. You are no longer that singular main character in the film of life, from now on you are the film as a whole, with all its characters, dramas and changing stages – a film which you now experience as the most intimate expression of your deepest essence.
In the old days a movie theatre used to be known as a “bioscope”. From the perspective of Advaita, this is a beautiful word, loaded with meaning. “Bioscope” is a combination of the Greek words “bíos” = life and “skopéō” = I look at. So, when I’m at the cinema, I am looking at life. Now, according to Advaita, you are always at the cinema, namely, the cinema of Consciousness, witnessing the movie of life. Thus, ever since Ramana Maharshi, film has been a beloved metaphor among Advaita teachers.
The peaceful screen
Especially the relation between screen and film is frequently used to clarify the relation between Consciousness and the phenomena appearing in Consciousness. Just as the screen is not dependent on the main character appearing in the movie, so Consciousness is not dependent on the person we are so intimately aware of. In other words: Consciousness isn’t personal, because the person is just one of the countless objects appearing in Consciousness. Consciousness is trans-personal, the Universal Self underlying everything and everyone.
All our thoughts, feelings and sensory experiences appear in Consciousness, but do not touch it. Consciousness remains unmoved, just as a movie screen remains unaffected by the film appearing on it. It doesn’t matter what kind of film it is – war movie, romcom, slasher movie, porn flick, historical epic, psychological thriller – the screen in itself remains the same: empty, colorless, spotless, receptive to all images. In the same way, Consciousness can host all possible experiences, thoughts and feelings, but is not affected by them.
There can be intense sadness, but the Consciousness perceiving this is not sad. There may be happiness, but the perceiving Consciousness is not happy. There may be confusion, but the Consciousness witnessing this confusion is not confused; it is rather absolutely clear. Whatever appears in Consciousness, the latter always remains the same: pure, empty, light, spacious, boundless, open to all possible phenomena. As the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (3.5.1) puts it: Consciousness – the Self, the Atman-Brahman – is “the one who is beyond hunger and thirst, beyond sorrow and delusion, beyond old age and death.” Thus, Ramana Maharshi used to say that Enlightenment is like realizing you are the movie screen and not what appears on the screen:
"So many pictures pass over the cinema screen: fire burns away everything; water drenches all; but the screen remains unaffected. The scenes are only phenomena which pass away leaving the screen as it was. Similarly, the world phenomena simply pass on before the sage (jnani), leaving him unaffected." (Maharshi 1955: 457)
The self-aware screen
From the viewpoint of Advaita, however, the comparison of Consciousness with a movie screen is not entirely perfect. After all, this analogy leaves a number of separations intact, namely, between the screen, the projected film images, the projector and the popcorn-eating audience. To make the film metaphor better suited for Advaita, we should add that all these elements are one. That is to say, Consciousness is like a television or computer screen that produces the film appearing on it and is simultaneously its own audience, i.e. the screen perceives itself.
Identifying with the main character
As the quote from Spira indicates, the medium of film is also suitable to explain the Advaitic view on ignorance (avidya) and how it works, i.e. the mechanism of superimposition (adhyasa). Ignorance, according to Advaita, consists in the fact that we, as Consciousness, confuse ourselves with what appears in Consciousness, especially the person whose fortunes and travails we experience from within. Superimposition means that we project the properties of the perceiving Consciousness – such as immutability – onto the perceived person, with the result that we suffer: after all, body and mind change constantly, eventually they deteriorate and in the end they die…
Something very similar to superimposition happens with a good film: we sympathize with the main character to such a degree that we feel what he or she feels. We become excited when the main character is in danger, we get angry when he or she is treated unfairly, we feel romantic when he or she falls in love, and so on. In this way, we temporarily forget who we really are, the popcorn-eating viewer slumping on the couch. Likewise, in ignorance, we forget what we really are, the witness (sakshin), as we confuse ourselves with the fascinating life we are witnessing. And so we suffer: we see the ups and downs of the main character in the movie of life as our own ups and downs. Enlightenment, to repeat, is the liberating insight that we are not – or not just – that character, but first and foremost Consciousness, the spotless white screen on which (and to which) the film of life appears.
“Consciousness has produced this play. Consciousness has written the script. Consciousness is playing all the characters. And Consciousness is witnessing the play. It’s a one man show.”
This playing with camera perspective can make empathic identification with a movie character almost irresistible. This holds in particular for the so-called point-of-view (POV) shot, where the camera takes the position of one of the characters: the viewer sees what the character sees. The hero runs through a city centre in a wild chase, grabs his gun and finally shoots the bad guy; with a POV shot, you see the scene almost literally through the eyes of the hero. Remaining an impassioned spectator is then nearly impossible.
With POV shots, you are irresistibly pulled into the character from whose perspective you see the scene unfold. In the light of Advaita, we could say that Consciousness is the most brilliant film director who uses only POV shots. Thus, we continuously see the film of life from the main character’s perspective – and we not only see it, we also experience smelling, hearing, feeling, thinking and willing from that individualized perspective. In that sense, conscious experience is the ultimate POV shot, including all sensory and psychic modalities.
Just as a POV shot is in the film you are watching and is not your perspective on the film, so the individual perspective of experience is not a perspective on experience but in it. The perspective of experience seems to be the perspective of the perceiving Consciousness, but in reality the perspective is ingrained in the experience which is neutrally perceived by Consciousness.
In short, the perspective is in the observed, not in the observer. The observer himself is without perspective or – what amounts to the same thing – the observer perceives everything from “God’s point of view”. For Advaita, after all, God is Consciousness, Atman is Brahman. In Brahman’s cinema there is only one spectator, watching an endless film with countless main characters.
To make film an even more suitable metaphor for Advaita, then, we also need to eliminate the duality between film on the one hand and the screen-spectator on the other. That is to say: what appears in Consciousness is ultimately not separate from Consciousness itself. So, instead of a conventional film screen on which the images are projected from outside, it is better to compare Consciousness with a television or computer screen that itself produces the images appearing on it.
“It is necessary to make this distinction because we usually identify with an object, a fragment. We don’t think “I am the table, I am my clothes, I am my car”. However, we do think “I am my body and the rest is not me”. In order to remove this identification the Advaita tradition uses a two-step process. In the first step it says “You are not that which is perceived, you are the perceiver”. In this step we reject everything that is perceived as not being ourselves. We reject the table, the car, the clothes, the body, and the mind, and this leads us to the experience of pure consciousness. Then, as the universe of names and shapes reappears, it is understood to reappear in the light of consciousness, out of consciousness, as a projection of consciousness. Therefore, the second step is: “Everything is consciousness. Consciousness is the source and substance of everything.”” (Lucille 2006: 109)
When we realize “I am that Consciousness”, the cold detachment of the first and negative phase turns into the all-embracing love of the second phase, as if you suddenly find yourself embracing the entire world with your consciousness – which, in a way, is indeed the case. You realize that your essence, pure Consciousness, manifests itself in all phenomena, being “the source and substance of everything”. You literally become the Love that lets everything be. In a sense, you are again your body and mind, but to the same extent that you are the entire universe. The limited identification with the body-mind is exploded to cosmic proportions and becomes identification with reality-as-a-whole. You are no longer that singular main character in the film of life, from now on you are the film as a whole, with all its characters, dramas and changing stages – a film which you now experience as the most intimate expression of your deepest essence.