|
|
|
|
Articles: Festivals | Maha Sivaratri
- Editor
| |
Because, knowledge or consciousness unrelated to the perceptional process is unknown to the human mind. Generally, to know is to know an object; and if it is not to know an object, it is not to know anything at all. For example, take the state of deep sleep. Why do we fall asleep? Do you know the reason? What is the cause for our going to sleep every night? Where is the necessity? The necessity is psychological and to some extent highly metaphysical. The senses cannot always continue perceiving objects, because perception is a fatiguing process. The whole body, the whole nervous system, the entire psychological apparatus becomes active in the process of the perception of objects. And without our knowing what is happening the senses get tired. They cannot go on contemplating things all the twentyfour hours of the day.
Why should they not be contemplating objects of sense throughout the day, all the twentyfour hours of the day? The reason is that perception is an unnatural process from the point of view of consciousness as such. Perception of an object is the alienation-of an aspect of our personality through the avenue of a particular sense in respect of its object. All this is difficult. for many to grasp. This is a highly psychological, secret. Consciousness is indivisible. This is a simple fact. Many of you would have heard about it. Consciousness is undivided, incapable of division into parts. So it cannot be cut into two sections, of subject and object. On the basis of this fact there cannot be a division between the seer and the seen in the process of perception. To make this clear, let us see what happens in dream.
In dream we see objects like mountains, rivers, persons, etc. But they are not there. Things which are not there become visible in dream. Now, did the mountain you saw in dream exist? It did not. But did you see it? Yes, you saw it. How did you see, when it was not there? Is it possible to see a non-existent object? How can non-existent things be seen? It is contradictory statement to say that non-existent things can be seen. What do you see when things are not there? You will be wonderstruck! What happens in dream is that there is an alienation of the mind into the objects of perception; and the mind itself becomes the mountain there.
There is tension created due to the separation of a part of the mind into the object and a part of it existing as the perceiving subject. That is why we are restless in dream. We cannot be happy. It is neither waking nor it is sleep. It is very difficult to be happy in this condition because a tense situation of consciousness is created. What happened in dream, the same happens to us in the waking condition also.
| Be first to comment on this Article!
| |
|
|
|
 |
| Advertisements |
|
|
|
|
| Advertisements |
|
