The seer is not the seen
Drigdarshanashaktyorekatmateve AsmitaIn this Sadhana Padaha, the chapter of practice, we first saw that Kriya Yoga removes impurities. The first impurity was Avidya or ignorance of the real self, which is consciousness and not the tools of expression of consciousness, namely the body, mind and intellect. Consciousness may be likened to the ink, while the body, mind and intellect are like the outer cover, tip and inner tube that holds the ink in a ball point pen.
Now, in this Sutra, Patanjali says - out of ignorance or Avidya about our true self - i.e. consciousness, imagining the seen objects, people and situations, our own body, mind, intellect and Prana Shakti and thinking all that is either 'I' or myself or mine is Asmita or Ego. It is alright to have an ego. It is alright to have a pen. But the problem comes when we think that we are the body, mind and intellect. It is as wrong as to think that the letters are written by the pen, forgetting that it is the ink that flows through the pen.
This Sutra says that, of the two, the seer and the seen, the mind, instead of realising the presence of the seer, that sees through it, thinks of it as the sen. Wne I look out of the window, it is I who see what is outside and not the window. Same way, I look through the eyes, I perceive through the mind and I am different from the eyes and other parts of the body, the mind and all its thoughts and that intellect which is the officer who segregates the different thought files and takes action on each file.
Practice of Yoga can help remove this impurity of wrong understanding of the body, mind and intellect to be one self. - Swahilya Shambhavi.
9 comments:
Likes the analogy of the window!
The glass panes of the window need to be kept open or wiped clean to have a clear vision.
Yes Merging Point! On the dot!
Dear swahilya, well you succeeded in explaining a difficult matter. You found a clear and precise and rich of images language to teach us...Thank you. Happy Meditation Rainer
Welcome Rainer. It gives me so much joy to study and write on the Patanjali Yoga Sutra. Such a meditative, contemplative and learning experience for me.
Excellent analogy. Thanks for this lesson.
Welcome Mark. I learn as I write and read it again! A lesson for me too.
Knowing one's true self is the key to deliverance from ignorance to enlightenment. You've done a good job of highlighting this aspect of the Patanjali Yoga Sutra through your space. Thanks for bringing this to us.
Welcome Well Wisher. Thank you.
i found the meaning of "asmita" here. i had asked you for its meaning under some other post. ahankaara and mamakaara put together is asmitha, am i correct?
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