Question:

Didi, I am puzzled by what I think I heard – when explaining Drishti-Shristi Vada, I believe you said that along with the Creation the Witness is born … and at night when the Creation dissolves the Witness also dissolves.

But from experience, the Witness (Awareness, Consciousness) is present when I dream, not yet sure about Deep Sleep. So how can the Witness dissolve every night? Am I miss something?

Answer:

We were talking about the ‘Witness’ collapsing into the Pure Consciousness when one enters deep sleep.

In Drishti-Srishti Vada, [Advaita level 2], there is a clear recognition that the witness and the witnessed-object arise and fall together. The Witness is like a superficial structure of Consciousness or we can loosely call it a function of Consciousness. When there is no need for knowing/witnessing anything, then the structure/function collapses. When the witness collapses, there is simply Pure Consciousness.

In the waking state and dream states, the witness has something to witness constantly, either physical objects or mental objects, whereas it has no object to witness in the deep sleep. Thus the witness collapses into its own self. That is why you do not remember anything of the deep sleep state because there is nothing to witness. The Consciousness is resting.

When you progress to Ajaata Vada [Advaita level 3], you stop using the words like ‘witness’, ‘knower’, etc. Then it is only Pure Consciousness. Attempt to recognize it by self-exploration instead of learning this intellectually.

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