In the post Experiencer we looked at the fallacy of the belief in the experiencer. This can be seen as discriminating the real from the unreal. In order to look at any experience and understand what is real and what is not, we need to closely look at the existence of the experiencer. In this we will try to understand this from the perspective of the mind techniques to make reality out of nothing. The mind is indeed a strange phenomenon. It can make real things unreal by clouding it , and make unreal things real by grabbing our constant attention to it . The problems of life is loosing ourselves in these erroneous things mind creates for us. We mistake the subject to be an object and we fail to see the real subject since we constantly are misguided by the mind. In this post we will try to see how an experiencer which does not exist is created by the mind.
Let us look at a very simple experience. Suppose you are looking at a tree far away. What is the understanding here . " I am looking at the tree". The tree seems to be an object and perceptions fall on my retina and body-mind system processes it and understands it to be a tree. There seems to be a tree experiencer called "me" . Now actually you will admit that , you never looked at this "me" closely . You always have looked at the tree or whatever object you are experiencing . The "me" in this experience is not looked at. Actually what has happened is this. Consciousness has become aware of the thoughts in your mind about the tree. When perceptions fall in your retina , there are processes in your mind about it . We recognize these perceptions to belong to a category of object called tree. These thoughts are all that is there. Consciousness become aware of this thoughts in your mind. As long this tree looking is going on , thoughts are there and a "tree experiencer" also seem to exist. It is only a concept because of the conscious recognition of the thoughts in your mind.
Now let us turn away from the tree and look at a movie in the tv. Now there are thoughts about the movie that is happening. Now there seems to be a "Movie experiencer". Again the same process is true. Consciousness is becoming aware of the "Movie thoughts " in your mind and because of this awareness of the movie thoughts , we feel that there is a "me" watching the movie. Now question yourself this. Is the "tree experiencer the same as the movie experiencer"?. Most of would say "Yes".
What gives us this feeling?. The mind uses a technique called memory to achieve this. When the tree experience was going on, impressions are stored in our memory. It is these impressions that gives us the continuity of experiencer. Each experience is disjoint. However the mind uses the technique called memory to give a feeling of permanency of "me" who looked at the tree as well as the movie. All there is are memories of the thoughts of the tree. All there are memories of thoughts about the movie. But constantly reminding us of the past experiences , the mind produces a permanency of the experiencer called "me". Here what is real are thoughts and perceptions in consciousness. What is unreal is an imaginary construct called "me" who is the same as another "me" who experienced the movie.
We can understand this from the perspective of the consciousness as follows. There is pure consciousness everywhere. When perceptions related to a tree falls , there is a tree consciousness in the mind. Similarly there is movie consciousness and so on.
Now you almost see why the body is taken as "me". All through your life, you experience sensations of the body. The fleshiness of your body, the images of your body , etc are constantly experienced. These memories of thoughts can be used by the mind to give you a feeling of continuity of the "me" as far as "body consciousness" is concerned. While all that is there is thoughts related to the perceptions of the body, the mind tells you there is a "me" living inside your body.
In deep sleep there is a complete absence of all object consciousness and there seems to be no "me" there. Again memory is used to give you a continuity of the experiencer.
All these would be concepts only to you, until you start looking for the existence of the experiencer.
Another nice way by the mind is to use projections to create a "me".The mind asks us to consider the thoughts related to a future event and consider the "me" implied in it. Understand that there is only thoughts about a future event . There is no "me" sitting inside that set of thoughts. It is these memories and projections that provide a continuity to the experiencer.
Now look at the truth. Even though you can see there is vague concept of a experiencer, can you deny that there is consciousness which is molded into all these different consciousnesses. The tree consciousness, the movie consciousness , the body consciousness all seems to stem from a common formless , attribute -less consciousness which is illumining all these. Even in sleep you come to know about the absence of all objects through the presence of this consciousness only. So while all the object consciousness are all modifications of the source and is temporary, the existence of the source is never absent. When there is no tree , you realize the absence of tree through it only. Even when you are not experiencing the body as in sleep, you experience the bliss through that only.
So in short the mind fools into believing in experiences through the use of memory and projections. It uses these techniques to give permanency to what is not permanent , which are thoughts and perceptions and an imaginary "me". By producing them it clouds the underlying truth of pure consciousness which was the source of it all. In vedanta we call them sankalpa and vikalpa .
If we can constantly discriminate the unreal experiencer from the underlying essence , how can we ever suffer?. What is there to achieve ? What are life's problems?.
Let us look at a very simple experience. Suppose you are looking at a tree far away. What is the understanding here . " I am looking at the tree". The tree seems to be an object and perceptions fall on my retina and body-mind system processes it and understands it to be a tree. There seems to be a tree experiencer called "me" . Now actually you will admit that , you never looked at this "me" closely . You always have looked at the tree or whatever object you are experiencing . The "me" in this experience is not looked at. Actually what has happened is this. Consciousness has become aware of the thoughts in your mind about the tree. When perceptions fall in your retina , there are processes in your mind about it . We recognize these perceptions to belong to a category of object called tree. These thoughts are all that is there. Consciousness become aware of this thoughts in your mind. As long this tree looking is going on , thoughts are there and a "tree experiencer" also seem to exist. It is only a concept because of the conscious recognition of the thoughts in your mind.
Now let us turn away from the tree and look at a movie in the tv. Now there are thoughts about the movie that is happening. Now there seems to be a "Movie experiencer". Again the same process is true. Consciousness is becoming aware of the "Movie thoughts " in your mind and because of this awareness of the movie thoughts , we feel that there is a "me" watching the movie. Now question yourself this. Is the "tree experiencer the same as the movie experiencer"?. Most of would say "Yes".
What gives us this feeling?. The mind uses a technique called memory to achieve this. When the tree experience was going on, impressions are stored in our memory. It is these impressions that gives us the continuity of experiencer. Each experience is disjoint. However the mind uses the technique called memory to give a feeling of permanency of "me" who looked at the tree as well as the movie. All there is are memories of the thoughts of the tree. All there are memories of thoughts about the movie. But constantly reminding us of the past experiences , the mind produces a permanency of the experiencer called "me". Here what is real are thoughts and perceptions in consciousness. What is unreal is an imaginary construct called "me" who is the same as another "me" who experienced the movie.
We can understand this from the perspective of the consciousness as follows. There is pure consciousness everywhere. When perceptions related to a tree falls , there is a tree consciousness in the mind. Similarly there is movie consciousness and so on.
Now you almost see why the body is taken as "me". All through your life, you experience sensations of the body. The fleshiness of your body, the images of your body , etc are constantly experienced. These memories of thoughts can be used by the mind to give you a feeling of continuity of the "me" as far as "body consciousness" is concerned. While all that is there is thoughts related to the perceptions of the body, the mind tells you there is a "me" living inside your body.
In deep sleep there is a complete absence of all object consciousness and there seems to be no "me" there. Again memory is used to give you a continuity of the experiencer.
All these would be concepts only to you, until you start looking for the existence of the experiencer.
Another nice way by the mind is to use projections to create a "me".The mind asks us to consider the thoughts related to a future event and consider the "me" implied in it. Understand that there is only thoughts about a future event . There is no "me" sitting inside that set of thoughts. It is these memories and projections that provide a continuity to the experiencer.
Now look at the truth. Even though you can see there is vague concept of a experiencer, can you deny that there is consciousness which is molded into all these different consciousnesses. The tree consciousness, the movie consciousness , the body consciousness all seems to stem from a common formless , attribute -less consciousness which is illumining all these. Even in sleep you come to know about the absence of all objects through the presence of this consciousness only. So while all the object consciousness are all modifications of the source and is temporary, the existence of the source is never absent. When there is no tree , you realize the absence of tree through it only. Even when you are not experiencing the body as in sleep, you experience the bliss through that only.
So in short the mind fools into believing in experiences through the use of memory and projections. It uses these techniques to give permanency to what is not permanent , which are thoughts and perceptions and an imaginary "me". By producing them it clouds the underlying truth of pure consciousness which was the source of it all. In vedanta we call them sankalpa and vikalpa .
If we can constantly discriminate the unreal experiencer from the underlying essence , how can we ever suffer?. What is there to achieve ? What are life's problems?.
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