SLEEP
Advaita posits three states of consciousness, namely waking (jagrat), dreaming (svapna), deep sleep (suแนฃupti), which are empirically experienced by human beings, and correspond to the Three Bodies DoctrineThe first state is the waking state, in which we are aware of our daily world. This is the gross body.
The second state is the dreaming mind. This is the subtle body.
The third state is the state of deep sleep. This is the causal body.
‘๐๐๐คษช๐ง๐ ’ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ ๐จา ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ซษช๐๐ง๐๐ (๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ก๐)
You are awake right now, reading this (I hope!). This is called the ‘waking state’. This is very accurately defined in Vedanta Shastra – what do you experience in ‘waking state’? Only 5 things (objects/Visaya): sound, touch, color, taste, smell. How do you experience these 5? Via your 5 instruments of knowledge (jnana indriyah) = ears, skin, eyes, tongue, nose. In other words…Ears will experience sound, the skin will experience touch sensations, eyes will experience colors, etc. And the state in which you use your ears/skin/eyes/etc. to perceive sounds/touch/color/etc…is called? Waking state!
Imagine a telescope lying on the floor, will it see the stars on its own? No. Why? Because it needs you (a conscious being) to ‘use’ it and look through it. Therefore, any instrument (telescope, etc) needs a conscious being to use it for it to produce an experience (seeing the stars). Extending this logic, your eyes, skin, ears, nose, and tongue are just instruments. Therefore, they will only work (and produce experience) if a conscious being ‘uses’ them. Who is that conscious being? You! Atma. How do I (Atma) as though ‘use’ these instruments? By identifying with them. By identifying with the entire physical body (Gross/Sthula Sharira). So waking state experience is that state in which you are fully identified with your gross body. Atma is called the ‘waker’ (Vishva) in waking state.
‘๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ’ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ ๐จา ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ซษช๐๐ง๐๐ (๐๐ฏ๐๐ฉ๐ง๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ก๐)
So what is the difference between waking state and a dream? Well, they are actually both the same in that you perceive sound, touch, color, taste, and smells. Even in your dream, you see the beautiful green hills, you feel the cool breeze and taste the sweetness of a freshly made laddu! So the perception of objects is common to both waking and dream states. So, again, what is the difference? It’s all about what instrument (indriya) you use to perceive the object. In waking state you use your physical instruments (ears, eyes, tongue, etc). But in a dream, you do not use these same instruments to perceive objects. You are able to see a red flower in your dream, in spite of physical eyes being closed! You can hear the sound of the waves crashing onto the beach, but your physical ears are lying in a room with complete silence! So clearly, we do not use Jnana Indriyas (instruments of knowledge) to experience a dream.
Then how do we experience an entire world in a dream? Where does it come from? Where does it exist? It exists in your mind (antahkarana – part of your subtle body). The dream world is created from memories (vasana/samskara) of experiences you had when you were awake. In waking state, your mind has a tape recorder function continuously recording all experiences you have. These are then stored in your memory (chitta) within the mind (antahkarana). This process mostly happens automatically, subconsciously so you won’t even realize it. So when does this recording playback? In your dream. So a dream is just the mental playback of experiences in the past you had whilst you were in waking state. When does this playback occur? Only when you have withdrawn from your identification with the Gross Body (i.e. you have fallen asleep), and now only identify with the subtle body (i.e. your mind/memories).
‘๐๐๐คษช๐ง๐ ’ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ ๐จา ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ซษช๐๐ง๐๐ (๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ก๐)
You are awake right now, reading this (I hope!). This is called the ‘waking state’. This is very accurately defined in Vedanta Shastra – what do you experience in ‘waking state’? Only 5 things (objects/Visaya): sound, touch, color, taste, smell. How do you experience these 5? Via your 5 instruments of knowledge (jnana indriyah) = ears, skin, eyes, tongue, nose. In other words…Ears will experience sound, the skin will experience touch sensations, eyes will experience colors, etc. And the state in which you use your ears/skin/eyes/etc. to perceive sounds/touch/color/etc…is called? Waking state!
Imagine a telescope lying on the floor, will it see the stars on its own? No. Why? Because it needs you (a conscious being) to ‘use’ it and look through it. Therefore, any instrument (telescope, etc) needs a conscious being to use it for it to produce an experience (seeing the stars). Extending this logic, your eyes, skin, ears, nose, and tongue are just instruments. Therefore, they will only work (and produce experience) if a conscious being ‘uses’ them. Who is that conscious being? You! Atma. How do I (Atma) as though ‘use’ these instruments? By identifying with them. By identifying with the entire physical body (Gross/Sthula Sharira). So waking state experience is that state in which you are fully identified with your gross body. Atma is called the ‘waker’ (Vishva) in waking state.
‘๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ’ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ ๐จา ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ซษช๐๐ง๐๐ (๐๐ฏ๐๐ฉ๐ง๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ก๐)
So what is the difference between waking state and a dream? Well, they are actually both the same in that you perceive sound, touch, color, taste, and smells. Even in your dream, you see the beautiful green hills, you feel the cool breeze and taste the sweetness of a freshly made laddu! So the perception of objects is common to both waking and dream states. So, again, what is the difference? It’s all about what instrument (indriya) you use to perceive the object. In waking state you use your physical instruments (ears, eyes, tongue, etc). But in a dream, you do not use these same instruments to perceive objects. You are able to see a red flower in your dream, in spite of physical eyes being closed! You can hear the sound of the waves crashing onto the beach, but your physical ears are lying in a room with complete silence! So clearly, we do not use Jnana Indriyas (instruments of knowledge) to experience a dream.
Then how do we experience an entire world in a dream? Where does it come from? Where does it exist? It exists in your mind (antahkarana – part of your subtle body). The dream world is created from memories (vasana/samskara) of experiences you had when you were awake. In waking state, your mind has a tape recorder function continuously recording all experiences you have. These are then stored in your memory (chitta) within the mind (antahkarana). This process mostly happens automatically, subconsciously so you won’t even realize it. So when does this recording playback? In your dream. So a dream is just the mental playback of experiences in the past you had whilst you were in waking state. When does this playback occur? Only when you have withdrawn from your identification with the Gross Body (i.e. you have fallen asleep), and now only identify with the subtle body (i.e. your mind/memories).
But sometimes I feel I had dreams which I never experienced whilst awake? Yes. There are number explanations: you may have had the experiences in previous lifetimes, you can combine elements of different waking experiences to produce a seemingly new dream, premonitions of future events (by definition) are not considered as dreams – rather freak yogic experiences.
Hence, the dream state is that state in which you identify with your subtle body (mind) and experience a mental world born of your memories (vasanas) from previous waking state experiences. Atma is called the ‘dreamer’ (taijasa) in the dream state.
‘๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ’ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ (๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ก๐)
So what is the difference between a dream and deep sleep? In ‘deep sleep’, you are asleep without having any dreams, your mind is temporarily inactive or dormant. In a dream, your mind is very much active. So deep sleep means dreamless sleep.
Therefore, the deep sleep state is characterized by an absence of any particular experience! Unlike waking and dream states where particular objects (sounds, colors, etc.) are very much experienced. It’s like when you say: “The room is empty”. You are experiencing an absence of things in the room. And this is an experience you have, else you could never say “the room is empty”. So you can validly experience an absence of something. Hence deep sleep is that state in which: (a) I do not know anything (i.e. because there is an absence of any particular experience); (b) I sleep happily (everyone enjoys a deep, restful, worry-free sleep! My identity with all my everyday problems is temporarily dormant in deep sleep).
In deep sleep, it is evident I do not identify with my gross or subtle bodies as nothing is experienced, hence I identify with my causal (karana) body during deep sleep. All differences are resolved in the causal body, the mind is in an unmanifest state, hence there can be no experience in deep sleep. Atma is called the ‘Sleeper’ (prajna) in deep sleep.
‘๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ’ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ (๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ก๐)
So what is the difference between a dream and deep sleep? In ‘deep sleep’, you are asleep without having any dreams, your mind is temporarily inactive or dormant. In a dream, your mind is very much active. So deep sleep means dreamless sleep.
Therefore, the deep sleep state is characterized by an absence of any particular experience! Unlike waking and dream states where particular objects (sounds, colors, etc.) are very much experienced. It’s like when you say: “The room is empty”. You are experiencing an absence of things in the room. And this is an experience you have, else you could never say “the room is empty”. So you can validly experience an absence of something. Hence deep sleep is that state in which: (a) I do not know anything (i.e. because there is an absence of any particular experience); (b) I sleep happily (everyone enjoys a deep, restful, worry-free sleep! My identity with all my everyday problems is temporarily dormant in deep sleep).
In deep sleep, it is evident I do not identify with my gross or subtle bodies as nothing is experienced, hence I identify with my causal (karana) body during deep sleep. All differences are resolved in the causal body, the mind is in an unmanifest state, hence there can be no experience in deep sleep. Atma is called the ‘Sleeper’ (prajna) in deep sleep.
๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ฒ๐
Advaita also posits the fourth state of Turiya, which some describe as pure consciousness, the background that underlies and transcends these three common states of consciousness. Turiya is the state of liberation, where according to the Advaita school, one experiences the infinite (ananta) and non-different (advaita/abheda), that is free from the dualistic experience, the state in which ajativada, non-origination, is apprehended. According to Candradhara Sarma, Turiya state is where the foundational Self is realized, it is measureless, neither cause nor effect, all-pervading, without suffering, blissful, changeless, self-luminous, real, immanent in all things and transcendent. Those who have experienced the Turiya stage of self-consciousness have reached the pure awareness of their own non-dual Self as one with everyone and everything, for them the knowledge, the knower, the known becomes one, they are the Jivanmukta.
Advaita traces the foundation of this ontological theory in more ancient Sanskrit texts. For example, chapters 8.7 through 8.12 of Chandogya Upanishad discuss the "four states of consciousness" as awake, dream-filled sleep, deep sleep, and beyond deep sleep. One of the earliest mentions of Turiya, in the Hindu scriptures, occurs in verse 5.14.3 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. The idea is also discussed in other early Upanishads.
Adi Shankara described, on the basis of the ideas propounded in the Mandukya Upanishad, the three states of consciousness, namely waking (jรฅgrata), dreaming (svapna), and deep sleep (susupti), which correspond to the three bodies:
The first state is that of waking consciousness, in which we are aware of our daily world. "It is described as outward-knowing (bahish-prajnya), gross (sthula) and universal (vaishvanara)" This is the gross body.
The second state is that of the dreaming mind. "It is described as inward-knowing (antah-prajnya), subtle (pravivikta), and burning (taijasa)". This is the subtle body.
The third state is the state of deep sleep. In this state, the underlying ground of consciousness is undistracted. "[T]he Lord of all (sarv’-eshvara), the knower of all (sarva-jnya), the inner controller (antar-yami), the source of all (yonih sarvasya), the origin and dissolution of created things (prabhav-apyayau hi bhutanam)". This is the causal body.
In the waking consciousness, there is a sense of 'I' (self-identity) and awareness of thoughts. In the sleep or dream state, there is no or little sense of 'I'; however, there are thoughts and the awareness of thoughts. Waking and dreaming are not true experiences of Absolute Reality and metaphysical truth, because of their dualistic natures of subject and object, self and not-self, ego, and non-ego.
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