Sri Ramakrishna Math : The Vedanta Kesari, Relevance of Non-dualism

Swami Nihsreyasananda (1899-1991), was an eminent monk of the Ramakrishna Order, well-known for his depth of scholarship. He was an Editor of the Prabuddha Bharata and did pioneering work in spreading the message of Vedanta in Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa.

Anybody and everybody is consciousness, Brahman. That is a final formula. All this universe which is accepted here is Brahman, and the conscious principle which I see in everybody is also Brahman.

No change is necessary at the level of Brahman. I don't have to become that Unit, I am that Unit already. I have not forfeited that. Saying that a person wants to become that Unit is just an expression. Unity is not a thing to be gained hereafter, with anxiety for the future and regrets for the past. It is always the same, constant, unaffected by time, space and circumstances.

Only in philosophy we speak of name, form and causality. In truth, nothing has caused anything to happen. So, we can't do it by meditation. Meditation is not an attempt to transform something into something else. It is an expression of something which already exists. Real transcendental meditation means that a man has understood his real transcendence; his thoughts are a series of noble thoughts. You will have peace, and you will not exert yourself like the ignorant people. It will come naturally, spontaneously, as a sun beams naturally and not deliberately by concentration. The sun does not meditate in order to beam, he naturally does it. What else could he do? What can the realised man do except being that, living in adoration, in peace. There is no artificiality behind it. It must come spontaneously.

If a man knows that he is the king, then he doesn't exert to become the king, but he is serious about his kingship, never suspecting that anybody can depose him. So anybody who sees multiplicity tries to benefit from him who sees unity. Yes, let him be there, let him take, stand and receive. Knowing that I am the king, how can I behave in an unkingly fashion? I can't ignore that which is already there.

Next we come to the cause of the phenomenal universe. There exists no other material cause of the universe. The spider manufactures its web from within itself. The poet makes poetry without extra labour. The point is that he should have the talent, the faculty, and he becomes a poet, he will compose poetry. One poem being made, he doesn't even attempt to make a second one with a bang. He will not meditate on that point again and again. He will simply write another poem, a new one, an original one. This universe is a poem, daily changing with the thoughts, chapter after chapter. It enters the mind of a poet; unending poetic capacity is there. This is poetry. Because I have written a poem or two, I must be a poet--that is not the case. This whole universe is my composition, my poetry. Somebody loves me, somebody doesn't want me, that somebody may very well please himself, I am unaffected by that. I am constant like the sky. I will deal with everybody alike.

'Multiplicity' means that this may be the cause, or that may be the cause. But unity--the other end of the telescope so to speak--that alone is real. No time to wink, no seconds for the eye to open and close--no seconds. God being a poet, decided to create poetry and he composed poems. This entire dream experience is His poem and nothing else. So you have to find out what the real standpoint is.

All this that is in front is but the ultimate reality that you want to understand. All this is God, God alone, God on the left and God on the right. Right and left will have meaning only so long as I am in the centre. All this is Brahman alone. Just as the sunbeam, when placed against rain, looks like a rainbow, so also Brahman appears as this manifold universe. It is one appearing as many that is called creation.

There are three states: waking, dreaming and deep sleep. These three states are there in your consciousness, though probably you don't see them as such. But the witness sees himself waking, dreaming, sleeping. The real 'I' has no state at all. It is all immanent, as well as transcendent, beyond duality. The waking state is so real to us; but then the dream state also is real to us while dreaming.

A plain sheet of glass is put, and a beam goes through it. After that a red one is put, the beam again goes through. Then after that a yellow one is put, and so on. Light is light, it is only a change in the glass. The change is made, and the light got coloured. So are the three states. The light goes through, coloured by the states. I create these states.

From a higher perspective, only two states exist. One is the waking state with the phenomena, and after that what one calls the dreamless sleep. From this higher position, the observer is constant. It is like the sky. Daily, clouds come and go. This is the phenomenon. Then nobody comes or goes. That is the state called dreamless sleep. But beyond all is the Reality which is God, so to speak. And God says, 'My dear fellow, you can stand where you are, you can bask in my sunshine if you like. If you go, it doesn't matter to me. Come if you want, stay if you can, go if you must, but be constant just as I am.'

A unique feature of the non-dual philosophical view of knowledge is that we usually never let go of our commonsense view of things. This Indian system of non-duality is something very special.

There are various systems of philosophy. But in India the dualistic philosophy and dualistic ideas are very common. Probably over 90% follow the dualistic system of philosophy. But that does not mean that some of us may not find the non-dualistic tool of knowledge more useful in some context. So, this is like a tool-box. All philosophical doctrines are useful, because we can shift our viewpoint.

When we find we are against the closed door in daily life, we shall crash in through the closed door. We just move our perspective, look from another standpoint, another viewpoint. All these viewpoints are useful and very often the non-dualistic one is very effective. However, we must understand fully that we are not contradicting other items of knowledge that we find. For example, somebody tells us that atoms are basically radiation. We can start with the hydrogen atom, disintegrate it, and resolve it back into radiation. We should be able to integrate these views into our comprehensive philosophy.

So, that's it--the non-dual philosophy is a tool for knowledge and its application is in daily life. Our life should be the best playground for these ideas. The non-dualistic position starts with some tools from day-to-day life, assuming, for instance, that something has indeed been created. But in the last analysis it will take the stand that there is no causation or creation and that the non-dual ultimate reality is absolutely perfect. The same person will say, 'I owned this body, this soul; I owned this mind which sometimes has good memory, and sometimes bad memory. But in the final count I am the person who is felt and verified to be the non-dual ultimate principle.' Thus a person who is to face the world, takes the ultimate tool in one hand, the temporary tool for daily life in another hand. That is the game. So, non-duality is a system which does not contradict but fulfils, transcends and surpasses day-to-day reality. The ordinary tools are useful in only certain contexts, whereas the ultimate tool is useful practically in all contexts, if you can take it as a game. A man who takes it in proper spirit, will take it as a game, as a sport.

If you read Reynold's book, Impression Splendour, you find towards the end, a chapter dealing with the significance of God. Being a professor of physics, he wrote about physics. But being a professor of physics, he could anticipate that sooner or later the nucleus of the Hydrogen atom would be seen to be of the nature of radiation. The so-called solid world would be verified as radiation, and the materiality of matter would be exploded. Basically, there is no matter in it.

Now, we find that the ancients, too, knew a version of this. Even Swami Vivekananda had enough scientific understanding to know that sooner or later physics would arrive at a unity beyond matter. On that basis he delivered his lectures. After going through all the varied experiences of honest enquirers after truth, right through the centuries, one puts up a pillar of conclusions and caps it with a dome on the top--the dome of non-duality. It is basically like the Capitol, a finished perfect piece of work which captures the significance of the whole. Here is an ultimate principle of unity, impenetrable unity.

In Indian philosophy, Sankhya is the oldest dualistic system, where you and I are separate. In Sankhya, there is no God at all. Apart from the souls, there is only nature, an independent entity. This dualistic system is interpreted in the Bhagavatam and in the Bhagavad Gita in a non-dualistic fashion. But what is the use of such interpretation, you may ask. To say that food is useful to me does not mean that I am hungry now. Food is useful only to a hungry man. Similarly, a drink is useful to a thirsty man; company is necessary for a lonely man; medicine is necessary for a sick man and so on. A thing is necessary because one feels the want of something. If I find everything useful, then I must be a hopeless blank--an empty bucket in which everything can be put in. But am I really an empty bucket? That question must be asked and answered. Utility in one's life implies want, a desire for something missing. But could I not be something full, which beams out of its fullness, and spills over to the neighbourhood? Could it not be like the sun beaming, pouring its rays forth? I am not at all the empty bucket, but an individual with prior insight. We could take our stance out of this fullness--needing nothing, wanting nothing, missing nothing, totally full, therefore feeling all right. Should I pray because I missed something? Could I not indulge in thought based on fullness?

The thing is, what we usually mean by 'useful' is not the right attitude. It is an economic approach, and it is substandard. Am I all those wants--like a perforated sheet, full of holes, everything to be plugged in? What made all these creatures full of holes? What kind of philosophy is that? Utilitarian philosophy is no good; and it is not a philosophy; it is merely a system for convenience. It can't be a fundamental system. What is this universe, if it is full of holes? From where do you fill it? From another hole? One cannot accept that. In a restricted setting you can do that, but it cannot be a basic attitude. God, who is supposed to have made the holes, is not filling them. So how could he get the idea that He is full? He must then be a multipurpose moving creature, stupidly rating horses as a game, and trying to fill up the unfillable. What an occupation for Him! If He is conscious, He will go on filling through eternity! It's not worth it. When we make a house, we do not make it full of holes, and then fill them up. 'Swami, I built a house full of holes'. 'What are you doing with them?' You are filling, filling up the holes, keeping some holes for tomorrow's filling. What a business! So, that is not right. At some stage, it breaks down. Hence, a different system must be started, and this has to be full and free. Why do you think? Why not? I have got a thinking organ. Why do you talk? I have got a tongue. Why do you look at me? I have got eyes to see. Why should I not use them? I use my tongue fearlessly, just as I use my eyes fearlessly.

So, non-dualistic philosophy is not easily cast aside. We can call it the transcendental philosophy. It adds a cap on the top of all philosophies, and yet the unity works. The rain that falls in Kimberly is not contradicted, if the same rain comes down at Cape Town. It covers that ground and goes a little farther up. So, dualism is truly covered, used wherever necessary and non-dualism is used always in this game. Transcendental philosophy covers other philosophies and extends them. So, on principle, it will not contradict daily knowledge, but will surpass it. It will not contradict Chemistry, but will surpass it. It covers everything in the transient temporary stage but simultaneously fulfils them, ennobles them and makes them a part of one comprehensive whole.