Question:

Is my understanding correct?

• • Mahadaakasha = body-mind complex/intellect/memory/ego – the dream character
  • Chidaakasha: the witness consciousness.
  • Paramaakasha: Pure consciousness/dreamer

There is identification as the dream character and all the labels in the dream. There is forgetfulness that I am the pure consciousness (dreamer). In reality, the dream character(I) does not exist, only consciousness does.

Answer:

Yes, that’s correct dear but just a little tweak is required there. Intellect/Memory/Ego come under Chidaakasha. Add Senses and Breath under Mahadakasha. But let’s not stop there and attempt to move to a higher understanding.

Ask yourself the further self-inquiry questions:

• • Just because it does not exist now, do you say that the dream did not happen? NO. You say that the dream happened. The dream character was there. The dream world was there. We cannot really say that they did not exist during the dream phase. They were experienced, certainly.
  • Are they there now? Are they permanent existing entities? NO. They were experienced but are not there now. When awakened from the dream, we say that they were simply illusions.

With this understanding, look at your waking world:

Doesn’t this waking world disappear into nothingness consistently?

• • Examine every thought, don’t thoughts arise and disappear consistently?
  • Examine every feeling, don’t feelings arise and disappear consistently?
  • Examine every sensation, don’t sensations arise and disappear consistently?
  • Examine every perception of sight, doesn’t sight arise and disappear consistently?
  • Examine every perception of sound, doesn’t sound arise and disappear consistently?
  • Examine every perception of smell, doesn’t smell arise and disappear consistently?
  • Examine every perception of touch, doesn’t touch arise and disappear consistently?
  • Examine every perception of taste, doesn’t taste arise and disappear consistently?

Is there anything to your waking world that is outside of these thoughts, feelings, sensations, and perceptions?

If there is nothing in your waking world that does not appear and disappear constantly, then how can you consider it as real or permanent?

In Reality, the waking world is nothing but a waking dream. The body-mind is nothing but the waking dream character. The waking dream character and the waking dream world appear and disappear continuously. The only problem is that Memory is creating a false illusion of continuity.  You only assume that they are permanent because of this false continuity projection. That projection makes you forget your true nature.

The true nature of everything is Awareness/Consciousness into which the waking dream character + waking dream world dissolve back continuously. It is not that they are false. They are not false. They are simply illusions.

Just like the sky is NOT blue. You know that. You have even done experiments on the refraction of light and have proved that to yourself in the school laboratory. But when you look up at the sky, you still see blue. The blue color of the sky is an illusion.

Similarly, the waking world is simply like a dream. It continuously appears and disappears. Memory creates a false illusion of continuity. When you do a thorough self-inquiry, you can see this very clearly. Yet when you look at the waking world, it appears real and permanent, but like the sky it is simply an illusion.

As Consciousness/ Primordial Awareness is the source therefore only Consciousness is!

Contemplate! Share your understanding below in the comments section with the Sangha!

#AdvaitaVedanta #Non-Duality