naturalism :
consciousness (shen - mind-principle, activity of buddhi, atman-cosmic consciousness)
old theories : electrical brain activity (absence of continuity), conglomeration of forces in the electromagnetic field (absence of wholeness)
new theory : there is a continuous mind principle (shen) which is the creative power of buddhi, an etheric field which is the vehicle of atma (universal mind) or the infallible mystic mind which realizes it's union with the cosmos as a whole with pure spirit as it's substrate.
buddhi is the physical structure of shen.
shen is creative power of buddhi which is infinite life force in it's most basic state.
mysticism
problems :
1) unity of brahman : within and without? (METAPHYSICS)
2) cosmic consciousness : identity of atman and brahman.
3) self-awareness of sahaja-samadhi. limit of buddhi. all-seeing in an organic sense. limited by hidden mathematical laws and immediate understanding.
4) two humans in sahaja-samadhi.
5) the effect of mysticism on society as a whole.
6) psychic abilities
7) methods and their spiritual order
8) technology and it's effect on mysticism
1)
Brahman is the entire universe, whole, without differentiation or parts. attributeless. bohm's hidden undivided wholeness or the superimplicate order (realm of infinite potential energy)
2)
Existence occurs within mind and as a fully functioning mind, we posses an intrinsic oneness with the totality of existence (a thing I call the Universal Mind)
just as consciousness is different from the structure which produces it (the brain) so is cosmic awareness different in structure. there is the absolute unconsciousness and the tao in man.
but remember the condition of a substitue self, it must pretend to fullfill the desire
for atman-consciousenss, the desire to be cosmocentric and "in charge" of or at least central to the universe.
atman is individualized brahman. atman is brahman.
•Atman = Essential Self
•Atman = Inner Self
•Atman = Individual Self
•Atman = Brahman
•Brahman = Universal Self
If we take Advaita Vedanta view then Human consciousness = Atman/Brahman and Animal Consciousness = Brahman as everything is nothing but Brahman. Then we see that Human Consciousness = Animal Consciousness. We all know that it is difficult for many of us to accept Human Consciousness = Animal Consciousness. I believe number of people who are aware of Advaita Vedanta view is quite small.
The image above is really quite amazing and shows the power of a mind that is clear. The information from our five senses can come into the cuddhi and the full power of consciosness from the Purusha can shine onto the cuddhi without any interference or distortions. The light from the soul, the Atman, is also without interference and it can shine down onto the physical world with spiritual light illuminating not only the physical world around us, but also our lower mind and all that is within us. The light from the Atman and Purusha shining in the physical world illuminates the physical world and can be seen by the Purusha, the conscious mind, when the Purusha is using a higher vehicle (see below). This information becomes another source of information of the world around us, i.e. the conscious mind can now see the spiritual light that is all around it. We would normally call this the “sixth sense” but it is very different than other five senses, as the five senses are of the physical world and the sixth sense is of the spiritual world, of the higher mind.
Most importantly, in the above diagram the light of the Atman and Purusha are now able to fill the cuddhi directly with consciousness, light, from the soul. As the Atman is directly connected to the universe and to the higher energy, or what most people call G-d, the direct illumination of the Purusha and mind by the Atman allows us to see the universal knowledge of the universe and see our true selves.
The Purusa, being connected to the universe, to a higher consciousness, and to universal knowledge, allows awareness at a higher level than the cuddhi that is tied to the ego and memory. Because the Purusa is connected to the Atman - the higher soul - it is all of our higher consciousness, all of our awareness that goes beyond ourselves. Like the cuddhi it also contains cognition, subjective and objective reasoning, and volition, but for the Purusa these do not revolve around our “I-ness”. When thought, awareness, decision, reasoning that does not involve the word “I” it is moving towards the Purusa, our higher consciousness. While the cuddhi taps into our memories, the Purusa connects into the universal knowledge. We cannot explain a decision made by the Purusa, the reason is beyond us, we just feel the reasoning is in harmony with the universe, the answers vibrate in a way that feels right. We normally call this intuition. The Purusa lets us find answers that are beyond our own memories and reasoning, to find the answers that vibrate all around us in the universal knowledge. In the dualistic philosophy, there is a separation between the physical world and the spiritual world and each person has their own individual Purusha.
In the dualistic philosophy, the physical mind that perceives the world through the five senses is considered to be separate from a non-physical, spiritual part of the mind that can perceive on a higher level. This non-physical part of your mind is called the Purusha. The Purusha is the true observer of your actions and the motivator of your actions - it is what you would normally call your “consciousness mind”. All awareness, all consciosness, comes from the Purusha. The statements "I am" or "I exist" is a reflection of consciousness and comes from the Purusha.
Once we view our “conscious mind” as being something separate from our physical mind we can begin to understand how the mind functions. The Purusha, the conscious mind, receives information from the physical word through our five senses. This information is passed from the five senses through the manas to the lower mind where Buddhi, intelligence, and smrti, memory are used to interpret the information coming from the five senses. Our sense that we are separate from the world, our “I”ness, called Ahamkara, is also part of the lower mind. This would look as follows:
""The Atman, though present in all living beings, is hidden and does not shine forth. However, He reveals His presence to the subtle intellect of the discerning person." The Atman, though present in all living beings supporting the sense organs, is invisible through the power of mAyA to the ignorant jIvas. He is visible only to the jIvas with the subtlety of discernment. We may recall here Krishna's statement in gIta 7.25 - enveloped by My yOgamAyA (cosmic illusion), I am not manifest to all; this world, deluded, knows Me not, the unborn and imperishable."
"ogacara teaches that the ultimate experience of nirvana is a non-dual experience. It is the realization that the alaya generates all experiences, all joys and sorrows, that leads one to the “Perfected” state of seeing everything as part of oneself. In the thought of Yogacara, this is true awakening.
The sixth century Chinese monk Paramartha believed that there was a “pure” consciousness (amala vijnana) which underlay the alaya. This pure consciousness is the same for everyone. Experiencing the amala is the same as the experience of nirvana. This was a result that fed into the development of the idea of the Tathagata-garbha, the innate “Buddha-nature” that one seeks to experience in Zen meditation."
"the self realized in your inmost consciousness appears in its purity, this is the tathagata-garbha, which is not the realm of those given over to mere reasoning...
pure in it's own nature and free from the categor of finite and infinite, universal mind is the undefiled buddha-womb which is wrongly apprehended by sentient beings."
"the spirit posses god essentially in naked nature and God the spirit."
