SOME THOUGHTS ON SELF( ATMA)---6

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Dear Friends, Atman witnesses all activities at physical, mental and intellectual levels without itself getting involved or affected by them. If we desire to attain self-realization, we need to practise witnessing of our own perceptions, emotions and thoughts arising within ourselves. The Sadhana starts when we try to observe, in a detached mood, the world and its manifold activities without indiscriminately indulging or getting involved in them. When we reach such a state, we next direct the art of witnessing inward towards our own actions,emotions and thoughts. If we succeed in doing that we will remain remain detached and not get affected by them. Thus by disassociation with the body, mind and intellect and their functions and by attuning to the Atma within we will gradually merge with the divine Self.

 

Atma appears to be active when the sense organs are functioning to a non-discriminating person. This can be compared to the moon appearing to be moving when the clouds are moving. On a moonlit night, the movement of the clouds creates an illusion that the moon is moving. The illusion occurs because our attention is focussed upon the clouds. However, if we shift the focus of our attention from the clouds to the moon, we realise that only the clouds are moving . Similarly, we imagine the Atman to be active because our attention is centred on the equipment of the body, mind and intellect. No sooner we withdraw our attention from these equipment and direct it upon the Self within us, we realise that the activities belong to the equipment and not to the Atma.

 

The metaphor of the clouds in the previous para suggests a few interesting points of comparison. For instance, we notice the motion of the clouds because the moon remains motionless in the background. Any movement is recognized or identified with reference to a motionless factor. Similarly, we perceive changes occurring in the different layers of the human personalty because of a changeless, substratum, which is the supreme Self(Atma). Furthermore, the clouds themselves are visible only in the light of the moon. So also, we are conscious of the human equipment and their activities because of the presence of the pure Consciousness(Atma) in us.

(to be continued)

G.Balasubramanian