Question:

Dear Ektaben, Following the self explorations, one question has arisen:

I have seen 2 thoughts arise in this being at different stages in life: One thought said – I have a choice over my decisions and interactions with people, situations, and things ie I have free will. A recent thought said – I have no free will, I am not the doer and I cannot ever know the dreamer’s mind (ie things are apparently outside anyone’s control.)

Whilst the latter thought would accord to reason and is far more compelling, I wonder if both thoughts are a pair of opposites which can co-exist happily on either ‘side’ of the VOID, the UNDERLYING REALITY (just like say birth and death) depending on the stand we take (ie of awareness or that of body/mind). Do the opposites arise on the basis of the projecting power of Maaya?

Answer:

Opposites arise because I-the-Witness forget my true nature as simply the void and interfere with the natural thoughts, feelings that run the body-mind in Samsara.

• • The interference itself sows further seeds.
  • Those seeds are projected as passions, fears.
  • These fears and passions give birth to Paroksha Gnyana. (Indirect knowledge due to assumption of belongingness to the fears/passions)

This is the product of the veiling power of Maaya because they arise from the forgetfulness of the witness.

In your example: the body-mind running thought is Aparoksha Gnyana (Direct wisdom from seeing the reality that everything happens automatically).

• • The body-mind is borne of the projecting power of Maaya, so is the thought of its automaticity.

The witness that had assumed itself to be the doer did not like the projected Aparoksha. It sowed the seeds of passion, fear as described in the first paragraph. The seeds gave birth to the opposite thought (Paroksha Gnyana) that I am the chooser (doer). This wrong knowledge is borne of the veiling power of Maaya.

Both are arisings dear. Both are thoughts.

Untruth & Truth – Two thoughts however contradictory are on the same side, that is why they are experienced as contradictory thoughts. It has been explained with a term in Advaita called Superimposition. There is a void in between the 2 thoughts but they appear to be superimposed.

Just like the snake and the rope, both are opposite, yet both are seen simultaneously when in error.

• • The snake is the veiling power of Maaya. It was never projected.
  • The rope is the projecting power of Maaya.

We can overcome the veiling power of Maaya & know that there is no snake (I am the doer/chooser thought) BUT we can never overcome the projecting power of Maaya, the rope itself (the body-mind running automatically without doership).

Now can they exist happily together?

Ask yourself, I know the color of the sky is not blue in reality but when I look up I still see blue. Does that bother me? Does that make me forget that the sky is not blue? Your answer lies there!

#AtmaNirvriti #AtmanandaKrishnaMenon #AdvaitaVedanta #Non-duality #Nisargadatta Maharaj