Chin Maatra: Reflections on the Oneness of Brahman

 

“Do you Dream Prabhu?”

“Yes”

“Are the Dreams that you see, real?”

“Of course, NOT”

“Why do you say so?”

“Because they are just my imaginations.  During sleep, my mind cooks these up and presents them back to my mind and awareness.  When I wake up, they are gone.”

“Hmmm, big word - Awareness, we will deal with it later.  For now, let us focus on the dreams.  Are you saying dreams are false then?”

“Obviously, they are not real, they do not really exist. Ergo, they are false.”

“Let us double click.  If dreams do not exist, what is that you saw during your sleep?  The trees, houses, friends and foes that appeared.  How did they appear”

“I see what you are getting at.  They did exist in my mind as thought and dream”

“If you were not there as the foundation, would they have existed?”

“No. My dreams can’t exist unless I exist. My mind is the reality gives them the foundation to exists”

“So, what are the dreams made up of?”

“They are my mind-stuff that they are made up of.  My thoughts, memories, fears, imaginations, creativity that are somehow projected into a screen of some sort and appears as our dream world”

“Essentially – you. Right?”

“Yes”

“So, Prabhu, in summary you are saying – You are real and the dreams that you see are not real.  But they are not non-existent, because they exist, during your sleep, as your mind-stuff.  Essentially your dreams are you, and they exist because you do.”

“Hmmm, I suppose.  But still dream is illusory, it is not real. Isn’t this illusory world called Prätibhäshika?”

“Illusory and unreal, perhaps.  But not existent? Surely not. Because they appear upon foundation of you as the person, who is an empirical reality. What I mean Prabhu, is that if we consider you to be an observed reality, that the dreams exist on that you. You are the foundation.”

“Perhaps. But that helps, how?”

“Well, this example lends itself to extrapolation into the relation between our objective or empirical reality, vyävahärika to absolute reality, the päramärthika.”

“Explain.”

“Our scriptures describe the ultimate Truth in several different ways, such as – Brahma Satyam, Jagat Mithya; Aham Brahamasmi; Tat Tvam Asi etc. all of which point to the same concept of Oneness of Reality.  The fundamental Reality is just One, the Nirguna or attribute-less Brahman. The Jagat or the observable/objective creation that we see and feel and are a part of, is a appearance in Brahman.  Maya, a power intrinsic to Brahman, is the screen, upon which Jagat appears and we perceive as our objectivity reality.”

“Deep. And what you are saying is that since Jagat is an appearance in Brahman, it is not an absolutely reality like Brahman, but nor is it Non-existence. It is a kind of dream like appearance, that is neither real nor unreal.  Perhaps that is what is meant by Jagat is Mithya!.”

“Indeed.  Let us dig deeper.  What is Jagat ‘made up of’?”  

“Well, if my dreams are essentially me, as we had established earlier.  The Jagat, as appearance within Brahman, must be ‘made up of’ Brahman itself?”

“Right you are.  That is what is meant when Jagat is described as Chin Maatra à Consciousness Alone à Brahman Alone.  In the Jagat it is the same Brahman that appears as the Ishwara. One who we know as our Lord Sri Krishna, our Lord Rama, our Lord Shiva and in some many other names.”

“Ok, I get what you say.  But how do I realize if it is True or just Words.  Am I expected to just take your word for it?”

“No. As Swami Vivekananda had said, Truth must be realized.  Bhagavad Gita has given three paths to realize truth.  Follow any one of them or follow all of them. They all lead to the same realization- The Oneness of Brahman."

That, however, is a discussion for another day!

Hare Krishna