Mind & Happiness 155

The Mind consists of 2 distinct aspects, namely the Knowing Subject, which is our root thought "I", & the Known Objects, which are all the other thoughts that are formed & experienced by this "I".  However, though it consists of these 2 distinct aspects or elements, the 1 Fundamental & Essential element of our Mind is only our causal Thought "I".

Hence, though we use the term "Mind" as a collective term for both the Thinker & its Thoughts, our Mind is in essence just the Thinker, the basic  thought "I" that thinks all other Thoughts.  This simple but important truth is expressed succinctly by Sri Ramana in Verse 18 of Upadēśa Undiyār:

"Our] Mind is only [a multitude of] thoughts.  Of all [the countless thoughts that are formed in our Mind], the thought 'I' alone is the Root [base, foundation or origin].  [Therefore] what is called 'Mind' is [in essence just this root thought] 'I'."

Just as on analysis our Mind can thus be resolved into Existence in essence only this fundamental thought "I", so on further analysis this fundamental thought "I" can in turn be resolved into being in essence only Consciousness.  Because it knows other thoughts, this thought "I" is a form of Consciousness, but because it rises or is formed only by feeling "I am such-&-such a person" & because it subsides & loses its separate form in Deep Dreamless Sleep, when it ceases to feel thus, it is not our permanent & "real" form of Consciousness, our pure Consciousness "I exist".

Because it can rise only by identifying a physical Body as "I", as it does in both Waking & Dream, it is a mixed & contaminated form of Consciousness, a "consciousness" that confuses itself with a Body, feeling mistakenly "I am this Body, an individual person called so-&-so".

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through  www.jpstiga.com 

short-cut: http://sdrv.ms/YPOgkX or http://tinyurl.com/nnyyr58  link directly to free E-book PDF files

www.jpstiga.com/

http://jstiga.wixsite.com/nonduality/

Different blogs available on:

jstiga.wordpress.com/

"There is no Creation, no Destruction, no Bondage, no longing to be freed from Bondage, no striving for Liberation, nor anyone who has attained Liberation. Know that this to be Ultimate Truth."

–  the "no creation" school of Gaudapada, Shankara, Ramana, Nome – Ajata Vada

 for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see:  www.ajatavada.com/

[A brief note of explanation – the other Blog noted below is entitled "Non-Duality & Science", & so the more Science oriented pages (from what I like to think of as a "comic book") have been posted there, while other chapters have been posted here. Science is a mental discipline that attracts some worthy admirers & participators.  Some of these, too few, are good prospects for the ancient teaching introduced here in many ways.  Otherwise certain Science topics like the Anthropic Principle, reinforce the general Theism which is a good idea in this materialistic age. A few other topics in Science, such as the Copenhagen II – Max Born – Von Neumann – Wigner model of Quantum Mechanics, are worthy entries to the extent that they introduce Consciousness into the physical Sciences. All that aside, the real topic here is the pinnacle as Advaita Vedanta, Non-Duality – that pinnacle being Ajata Vada, No–Creation. The great Teachers of the same include Sri Shankara & Sri Ramana Maharshi.  Both would support Theism in general & adaptations of Vedanta, such as Vishishtadvaita Vedanta – Qualified Non-Duality, for those not making headway in Ajata Vada, their present course of growth might be better served with a temporary involvement in Qualified Non-Duality. The scientist who perhaps best expresses the influence of Qualified Non-Duality in Science, for instance, would be the quintessential "New–Age" Quantum Physicist, Amit Goswami. And so to that source, & the Quantum Activism he currently advocates [with a 1–course  degree program], along with more than a half-dozen good books & former participation in the controversial What the Bleep movie, to him I extend enthusiastic endorsement, for that Qualified Non-Duality described in the context of Science.  I do not stand so much "with him", as much as nearby saluting his good work. Again, as here, the goal is inserting Consciousness into Science & "saving the World."]

also:  Most of this material will be long searchable via "John Stiga" etc, on the "Wayback Machine" Internet Archive.

Also related to these topics, there are now 8 Kindle books on "Amazon.com", reference-able by the author "John Stiga", each indicated as non–copyrighted, public–domain, & priced at the minimum $0.99 each.

Mind & Happiness 154

Thus far the Mind–Brain process is very clear-cut & simple to understand.  But then something mysterious  happens.  Our Mind, which is a form of Consciousness that interfaces with our Brain, then somehow interprets all this electro-chemical activity by forming images within itself that we believe to correspond to the shape, color & size of external objects, & to their relative distance from our Body.  But all we actually know when we see something is the image that our Mind has formed within itself.

Our belief that such images correspond to actual external objects, & all our scientific explanations of the supposed process by which Light from those objects stimulates our Mind to form such Umages, are also only Images or thoughts that our Mind has formed within itself.  The same applies to all the Images of Sound, Smell, Taste, & Touch that our Mind forms within itself,

supposedly in response to external stimuli.

Therefore all that we know of the external World is actually only the Images or Thoughts that our Mind is constantly forming within itself.  Do we not have to accept, therefore, that the World that we think we perceive outside our self may in fact be nothing other than thoughts that our Mind has formed within itself, just as the Worlds that we see in our Dreams are ?  Even if we are not ready to accept the fact that the World may actually be nothing but our own Thoughts, must we not at least accept the fact that the World as we know it & as we ever can know it, is indeed nothing but  thoughts ? [ala George Berkekey etc.]

Of all the thoughts that are formed in our Mind, the 1^st is the thought "I".  Our Mind 1^st forms itself as the thought "I", & only then does it form other thoughts.  Without an "I" to think or know them, no other thoughts could be formed.

All the other thoughts that are formed in our Mind are constantly coming & going, rising & then subsiding, but the thought "I" persists so long as our Mind itself persists.  Thus the thought "I" is the root of all other thoughts, & is the one Essential thought without which there would be no such thing as "Mind" & no such action as "thinking".

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through  www.jpstiga.com 

short-cut: http://sdrv.ms/YPOgkX or http://tinyurl.com/nnyyr58  link directly to free E-book PDF files

www.jpstiga.com/

http://jstiga.wixsite.com/nonduality/

Different blogs available on:

jstiga.wordpress.com/

"There is no Creation, no Destruction, no Bondage, no longing to be freed from Bondage, no striving for Liberation, nor anyone who has attained Liberation. Know that this to be Ultimate Truth."

–  the "no creation" school of Gaudapada, Shankara, Ramana, Nome – Ajata Vada

 for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see:  www.ajatavada.com/

[A brief note of explanation – the other Blog noted below is entitled "Non-Duality & Science", & so the more Science oriented pages (from what I like to think of as a "comic book") have been posted there, while other chapters have been posted here. Science is a mental discipline that attracts some worthy admirers & participators.  Some of these, too few, are good prospects for the ancient teaching introduced here in many ways.  Otherwise certain Science topics like the Anthropic Principle, reinforce the general Theism which is a good idea in this materialistic age. A few other topics in Science, such as the Copenhagen II – Max Born – Von Neumann – Wigner model of Quantum Mechanics, are worthy entries to the extent that they introduce Consciousness into the physical Sciences. All that aside, the real topic here is the pinnacle as Advaita Vedanta, Non-Duality – that pinnacle being Ajata Vada, No–Creation. The great Teachers of the same include Sri Shankara & Sri Ramana Maharshi.  Both would support Theism in general & adaptations of Vedanta, such as Vishishtadvaita Vedanta – Qualified Non-Duality, for those not making headway in Ajata Vada, their present course of growth might be better served with a temporary involvement in Qualified Non-Duality. The scientist who perhaps best expresses the influence of Qualified Non-Duality in Science, for instance, would be the quintessential "New–Age" Quantum Physicist, Amit Goswami. And so to that source, & the Quantum Activism he currently advocates [with a 1–course  degree program], along with more than a half-dozen good books & former participation in the controversial What the Bleep movie, to him I extend enthusiastic endorsement, for that Qualified Non-Duality described in the context of Science.  I do not stand so much "with him", as much as nearby saluting his good work. Again, as here, the goal is inserting Consciousness into Science & "saving the World."]

also:  Most of this material will be long searchable via "John Stiga" etc, on the "Wayback Machine" Internet Archive.

Also related to these topics, there are now 8 Kindle books on "Amazon.com", reference-able by the author "John Stiga", each indicated as non–copyrighted, public–domain, & priced at the minimum $0.99 each.