THE "I" THAT KNOWS "ME"
"There was a young man who said though, it seems that I know that I know, but what I would like to see is the I that knows me when I know that I know that I know." Alan Watts.
Buddhism states that all the individual is is a temporary collection of momentary events that are constantly in flux in their causal relationship to each other, with a consciousness that expires when the individual expires. But what of this consciousness while we have it?
Vedanta offers perhaps the best explanation of consciousness by separating it into four domains. The first is waking consciousness (jagaritasthana) where the individual makes a distinction between subject and object. It is here that self-awareness occurs because he sees a difference between himself and other people. The second domain is that of dream consciousness (svapna-sthana) which, by way of symbolic images and actions, reorganizes and resets the mind. Fears and anxieties are purged. The third domain is deep, dreamless sleep (susupti) which is a sinking back into a type of nonconsciousness in which subject and object, self and other, are no longer distinguished. Psychic phenomena such as extrasensory perception may be experienced here. The final domain is transcendental or superconsciousness (turiya) also referred to as the trans-cognitive state (anubhava). The Mandukya Upanishad, which analyzes all the states of consciousness, describes turiya both negatively and positively. On the one hand it is neither subjective nor objective experience, neither consciousness nor unconsciousness, not sensual knowledge, not relative knowledge, not inferential knowledge. Rather, on the other hand, it is pure unitary intuitional consciousness, ineffable peace, in short, the Atman itself. It is here where union with the Brahman occurs.
The Atman, or watcher, is the "I" that knows "me." Yet there are other I's that know me. There is the I that is my physical body, which grows my hair, beats my heart, and colors my eyes. The I that is my social self also knows me. It maintains an appearance, has a personality, displays a demeanor, and speaks in ways that others will recognize it. Other I's that know me are my psychological I, my emotional I, and my intellectual I.
The transcendental I, though, the Atman, is the most intriguing because, in the end, it is beyond definition. More recent interpretations have it as spirit or soul, but the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, the oldest of the Upanishads, states that "Atman is not this, not that." Still, it is with us always. When we experience Brahman, the divine, it is through the eyes of the Atman that we see it. Yet the Atman does not see itself, just as we do not see our own eyes. The Atman is the "I" that knows "me" that cannot be known itself.
Buddhism states that all the individual is is a temporary collection of momentary events that are constantly in flux in their causal relationship to each other, with a consciousness that expires when the individual expires. But what of this consciousness while we have it?
Vedanta offers perhaps the best explanation of consciousness by separating it into four domains. The first is waking consciousness (jagaritasthana) where the individual makes a distinction between subject and object. It is here that self-awareness occurs because he sees a difference between himself and other people. The second domain is that of dream consciousness (svapna-sthana) which, by way of symbolic images and actions, reorganizes and resets the mind. Fears and anxieties are purged. The third domain is deep, dreamless sleep (susupti) which is a sinking back into a type of nonconsciousness in which subject and object, self and other, are no longer distinguished. Psychic phenomena such as extrasensory perception may be experienced here. The final domain is transcendental or superconsciousness (turiya) also referred to as the trans-cognitive state (anubhava). The Mandukya Upanishad, which analyzes all the states of consciousness, describes turiya both negatively and positively. On the one hand it is neither subjective nor objective experience, neither consciousness nor unconsciousness, not sensual knowledge, not relative knowledge, not inferential knowledge. Rather, on the other hand, it is pure unitary intuitional consciousness, ineffable peace, in short, the Atman itself. It is here where union with the Brahman occurs.
The Atman, or watcher, is the "I" that knows "me." Yet there are other I's that know me. There is the I that is my physical body, which grows my hair, beats my heart, and colors my eyes. The I that is my social self also knows me. It maintains an appearance, has a personality, displays a demeanor, and speaks in ways that others will recognize it. Other I's that know me are my psychological I, my emotional I, and my intellectual I.
The transcendental I, though, the Atman, is the most intriguing because, in the end, it is beyond definition. More recent interpretations have it as spirit or soul, but the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, the oldest of the Upanishads, states that "Atman is not this, not that." Still, it is with us always. When we experience Brahman, the divine, it is through the eyes of the Atman that we see it. Yet the Atman does not see itself, just as we do not see our own eyes. The Atman is the "I" that knows "me" that cannot be known itself.
posted by Donald L. Simons at
6:42 AM
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