Wednesday, December 2, 2009

The Secret of Time – Swami Dayananda

For the question Atma kah ? Avasthatrayasaksi saccidananda svarupah |

The saksi means saksat iksate, one who lights up, one who witnesses.

So the self assumes the status of being a witness with respect to an object witnessed. But in its own essential nature, what is it? It is said, cit.
Cit means awareness without any qualification, without any adjective, ….. Usually consciousness or awareness the word are associated with awareness of something. Here cit is not like that …. It is just awareness as such.

Cit is awareness, that which is not qualified, which is in the form of awareness as without doing the job of being aware of anything. It's nature is to light up whatever that happens in the mind, and through the mind everything else is lighted up. So, this awareness is said here as sat. It is sat cit ananda. That is the definition given here.

That awareness is said to be sat. The word sat, as we have seen, is the word that is used ontologically, that anything that does not depend upon anything else for its existence is satyam. If any thing depends upon something else, it is called mithya. This awareness is not dependent upon anything else for its existence. Its nature is awareness and therefore it is not something that depends upon anything else. This is number 1.

Another definition of sat that is given here is, that which is in all the three periods of time. That
which existed before, that which exists now, and that which will exist later. Means, not at all dependent upon time.

Everything that depends upon time is mithya. So, that which does not depend upon time is satyam. Time is an important factor which determines also the nature of mithya. So, anything that is now, not later, is mithya; even your ignorance is mithya. Why? because it is there now, and later it won't be. If it is later, then there won't be any study necessary. And therefore ignorance also is mithya.

Now it is, later it need not be. So, ignorance is mithya, because it is time-bound. That which is not time-bound is satyam.

Now how can you (prove that) this awareness is not time-bound. `Awareness is not time-bound' means it doesn't come into being (because of) at a given time. It doesn't exist in time. If it exists in time, awareness will age. It will become old awareness. Time will always tell upon any object that happens to be in time. So time is not something which will leave anything alone as it is. That is the nature of time. Therefore you will have wrinkled awareness. Awareness will develop wrinkles over a period of time. It is said (going to be said), awareness is not bound by time.

What is time? If you analyse the nature of time, time is always construed by you in terms of past, present, and future. This is all good for grammar and also for looking for your bank balance. If you really analyse the nature of time, the past itself when it existed it was present.

When past was, it was present. It was therefore all along present. Future, when it comes to exist, it will be present. Now the future is purely a figment in your mind. It has no real existence apart from its coming into being as time. So when future comes to pass, future will always come into being in the form of present. So, the past was present. Future will be present. Present of course is present. So, Past was present in its own time when it existed. And future will be present; and present is present. And therefore if you want to know really what is time, you should know what is present.

So we can consider the present as the soul of time – what we call as now. This now, present, if you want to know what it is all about, you have to understand the length of time involved in the present.

When you think of the present, what length of time can you impute to the present?
Present means time. Time means a length must be there. What would be the length of time in your understanding the present?

It is a very controversial thing. The present kalpa. Svetavarahakalpa (name also we have got, the White Pig Kalpa) and then the kalpa has got many manvantara (vaivasvata now) then we have got yugas. Kaliyuga. Then in the kaliyuga also there are many centuries. Now we are in the twentieth century. Can we say century is present? This twentieth also is from the stand-point of A.D. Problem. This is not the case. There are many centuries (not 20th).

Therefore you can say the present century. But that is also not present. There is present decade, present year, present month, present week, the present day, the present noon (after or before). The noon is just within a second. It lasts only a second. It strikes twelve: it is noon. If it is a second before or after, it is forenoon or afternoon, it is called abhidhita kala. The present is noon.

Let us say, an hour. Present hour. If the present is an hour, an hour has got 60 minutes. This sixty minutes is nothing. It is too long a period. So, what is present? One minute. Then it has got 60 seconds. So, what is present? A second. One second is great. Light travels so much in one second. So, one second is a very big thing in electronics. Therefore in commercial they charge you by seconds. So one second is too much. (In firing of space ships, rocket, one second matters.) Now therefore they have divided a second into so many microseconds. There are so many microseconds. Then picoseconds. Then again 1/10,00,000 part of a second. That is also further divided. They are ten of them. There are so many of them. Further divided, further divided...

Then what is present? Our ancient teachers, conceived an idea to tell you the length of time to think of the present. They said, even that is not present, it is just to give an idea. Suppose there is a flower bud with thousands of petals and you take a neat sharp needle, a clean needle. You take the bud and send this needle through the bud: and what time does it take? a split second. And you take the needle out. Then afterwards you see, every petal has got a hole. What time does the needle take to make one hole? That is time. What time does it take to make one hole? That is all time. This is how they used to think of time. So the Indian mind has thought about time so much. So they went all the way to ages, digits, hundreds of digits and then they came to this also. What time does the needle take to make one hole in a thousand-petaled bud? Like this, what is really time, present?

If you analyse it mathematically, you can always go -- divide -- so you can go on dividing and dividing. So thus you can say 0.000,000,000,000,01 and again put one more zero before the 1. The problem is very knotty. You can go on endlessly. You won't get to the present.

Then when will be the present, tell me. The present is when there is no length of time. That is the present. There is an observer of time. There is an awarer of time. So the awarer of time, when he has no length to be aware of, then what do you have? Awareness. Which is what? Which is present.

So, awareness is present. The soul of time is what? AwarenessConsciousness.

So you are what? You are the soul of time. You are time-bound or you are adhisthana of time?

So, it is something like shirt and cloth.

The shirt is, cloth is.

Time is, awareness is. Time resolves in the present and what is there? Awareness is.

Therefore there is no time without the basis of awareness. Awareness is not bound by time. This is called timelessness. This is what is, we say, eternal. Eternal is not hanging around in time for some time.

So that which is the very basis of time, that which is the content of time, on which time has its being, and itself not bound by time -- that timelessness is "present". And that present never grows to become past or to become future. It is the soul of time; the truth of time. Therefore everything else is existing in time and the whole universe is existing in time and time's nature is awareness. Time's nature is awareness. Time is awareness. Whether length of time is there or it is not there, it is awareness. Like wave is water, time is awareness.

Time resolves, awareness is. In deep sleep time does resolve. It is not that you don't have the experience of this. Time does resolve in deep sleep. There is no time in sleep. The moment you go to sleep, time also is gone. Time gone, place gone, all situations gone.

Only the thing that doesn't go. What is that? Awareness. Everything gone.

How many hours did you sleep without dream last night? Can you say that? One fellow said, "I went to bed at ten O'clock. I got up at six. So I slept eight hours." You are telling me how many hours you were in bed. That is not my question. I asked you how many hours you slept without dream. Calculate.

"Swamiji, who takes all this into account? I did not take into account."

"Okay, today you take into account. Tonight, when you go to sleep, make a note, how many hours you are going to sleep. For this you have to make sure one thing. To find out how many hours you slept, you must know the beginning of sleep and afterward when you wake up you must note the time. Then you can easily calculate. You are a very good calculator. So you can, you have to only register the beginning of sleep. When exactly the sleep begins. That time you should make a note. Tonight take a piece of paper and pen and keep by the side of you. The moment you go to sleep, immediately make a note. Don't ask somebody else to make a note. Because somebody else, how he would know that you have slept or not? only you know."

"Swamiji, if I sleep, others can find out."

"I can't trust; that becomes something you sleep without snoring. Sometimes you snore without sleeping, too. And therefore I can't really believe that. Therefore the only thing you have to note, the moment you go to sleep."

"Not possible."

The observer of time has gone to sleep meaning the mind has gone to sleep. With reference to mind, you are the observer. The mind has gone to sleep. There is no time either. Therefore sleep is a state when you experience no time. In dream you experience time. That also tells what the time is. In dream you experience 25 years in 25 seconds, you become old and all in dream. All that is possible. One second = one year. It is a time series. That is the nature of time. So when your mind sets itself into a type of time series, that is the time experience that you have. That is the reason why sometimes when you are waiting for someone, time hangs on. When you are absorbed in something, time flies. So that is the relative nature of time.

Therefore time is. It all depends upon your attitude, mind etc., that time is. Even the chronological time, the time taken for the light to travel distances, that time, even that chronological time, the earth to go round the sun spinning on its orbit, what time does it take to make one spin, this time -- all time whether it is chronological time or subjective time, all time is nothing but present.

Present is nothing but the presence of awareness alone. The awareness is the svarupa of kaalam, time. And therefore awareness does not come into being.

Suppose let us say, awareness begins. Then how do you know its beginning?

You can know the beginning of a thing only when you are aware of its absence before its beginning. "Swami enters," you can say. You can know that only when you were there in the absence of Swami, you must be there. The observer you must be there before the beginning of an event. Then only you can arrive at the beginning of an event.

Any event, any beginning, presupposes the observer's existence before the event's beginning.
And similarly any departure can be registered only when you see the later absence. Then departure is clear. You the observer must be there. Therefore the beginning implies prior absence, the end implies the later absence. Both the absence you must be aware of.

Example : A pot is born. There is a horoscope for the pot. So you can make it if you are an observer. Just when the pot is taken out from the wheel, you make a note of what the time is. So, previously it was not. The fellow was standing there. That now it has begun.

So the ghatapragabhava, the pot's prior absence or non-existence, which you are aware of it, you are observing it. And therefore you know ghata began, the pot was born. Similarly, pot is destroyed: You see what? The later non-existence of the pot. Therefore the begining of the later non-existence of the pot is the beginning of the pot. Pot means = namarupa.

Another example: Think of a pot. What is there in your mind? Pot-thought. When did this pot-thought begin? Just now. Now, how do you know just now it began? Because you are aware of the prior absence of pot-thought. Pot-thought is gone: How do you know? Because of the later absence. After the thought has gone, I am there. Therefore I am survivor of the pot-thought. Therefore I can say pot-thought is gone. Therefore there is awareness of the condition before the pot-thought. Therefore I can say, "Pot-thought began." "Pot-thought is gone," because there is awareness of the absence of pot-thought; after the departure, the absence of pot-thought I am aware of. And therefore there is an awareness prior to the beginning of the pot-thought, there is an awareness after the pot-thought.

So too for awareness to begin you must be aware of the prior absence of awareness; before awareness began you must be aware of the absence of awareness. That means there must be awareness of that …. hey that is the awareness I am talking about. The awareness because of which you are aware of all beginnings, all ends, all departures, and all arrivals, that awareness has no beginning and no end.

So what is eternal? Eternal is therefore timelessness. That which is not subject to birth, growth, death, aging, etc. Asti, vardhati, + First jayate. It is. It is growing. It is old. It is gone. All these are registered by what? Because of awareness. That awareness is not subject to birth etc.

What is that awareness? It is I. Not elsewhere. That I, what you say as `I,' happens to be awareness which is not bound by time. Therefore the conclusion `I am mortal' is due to what? Due to ignorance and error.

Mere ignorance is okay. In sleep you have mere ignorance. There is no problem also. Do you have a problem in sleep? No. That is why everybody loves sleep. When you are sleeping what problem do you have? Everybody else around you may have problem. Therefore ignorance is not a problem.

In sleep there is mere ignorance. You don't know anything about you there. At the same time, there is no error. Once the mind is up... So the enlightenment is for whom? Enlightenment is not for awareness. For whom is it? Mind only. Manasa eva anudrastavyam. By mind alone you have to resolve the problem created by the mind.

Therefore one good thing about awareness is that it is very much with the mind all the time. Only we have to remove the notions. What we are doing now is we are removing all the notions... Time notion, `I am the mortal' notion, is removed. What is there then is pure simple awareness. And this awareness is not subject to time. Therefore satyam. Satyam is sat and chaitanyam is cit.

Now who are you? I am sat cit. In fact, when you say `I am' what do you mean? Am = sat, and I is cit. I is always cit because I is the subject. About that cit I understand something.

`Understand' means I am no more ignorant about cit. That means, cit, I, is not subject to time. That it is subject to time -- I no more have this conclusion. Therefore cit becomes sat. I understand cit as sat. When you say I am, awareness is. Am = is. I am = in fact I is, you is, etc. Is is the nature of awareness. It exists all the time. It is not sunyam. It is not `O' or non-existent. It is the content of time itself. All existence is in terms of time. This is something, that content of time itself. Timelessness is called sat and cit.

One more word is added here. That is aanandah most confused word. This awareness is not subject to time; therefore not subject to death. Again, it is not spatially limited; it has no spatial limitation.

`Spatial limitation' means what? A particular form. This room is spatially limited. This table is spatially limited. My body is spatially limited. It means if I am here, I am not there and if I am there, I am not here.

Sometimes we want to do two things at the same time. If we have two bodies, it would have been nice. One body you can send here, and one body you can keep there also. Both you can manage at the same time. That if you are here you are not there, and if you are there you are not here -- you have to all the time choose. You have to go for priorities all the time. Therefore that is spatial limitation. The body is spatially limited.

Now, what is the form of awareness? What is the height of awareness? You are aware of heights. You are aware of space itself. Awareness has got no form. Like even the light has got no form. Therefore it has no height, it has no width. Therefore it is not formful. It is timeless, as well as formless.

Not only it is formless, it is something on which space depends upon. You are aware of space. Space is not aware of you. Space is accommodated in awareness.

So tell me, what is the size of awareness, spatially? What is the distance between awareness and space? If there is a distance between awareness and space, then what is in between space and awareness? There must be a lot of space inside your head! There is nothing else. That is called inner space, it is called hardakasah. Between space and awareness there is nothing else, like even between time and awareness there is nothing else.

Time is mithya, depending upon awareness; space is mithya, depending upon awareness.

Space is, awareness is.

Space gone, awareness is. That is the thing.

Chain is, gold is; chain gone, gold is.

In sleep what space is there, tell me? Sleep is a wonderful experience revealing so much to us. In deep sleep, space gone. So "I am in Dehradun" is not there. Desah -- earth, solar system -- gone. The whole thing gone. But you are there. Having devoured everything including space, he remains. Time and space he has swallowed, and therefore all situations.

Between an object in space and awareness also there is no distance. Very simple: Between these two hands what is the distance? You can say, approximately two feet. Now I take away one hand. What is the distance between space and the hand? No distance. Why? All distance is between two points in space. And therefore between space and a point in space, there is no distance. Hand is moving all the time in space. Wherever it is, it is in space only. It is nil distance. Between space and hand here (P1), space and hand here (P2), ... there is no distance.

Similarly, between awareness and a thought I have in my mind, what is the distance? In awareness is this thought. There is no distance. Between awareness and the hand in front of me, what is the distance? I am aware of this hand. Hand falls in my awareness. Between awareness and the hand which falls within awareness, there is no distance. Awareness and the stars that you think of, there is no distance.

Where are you then? Because `You' means awareness. In Sastra `you' means awareness. Between you awareness and the stars known and unknown, there is no distance. Between you and heaven, awareness and heaven, there is no distance. Heaven is in space. Space is in awareness. Between you and Brahmaloka there is no distance.

So, you are what? Sarvagatah, all-pervasive. So, the freedom from spatial limitation, formlessness, is the nature of awareness (which is the) content of space itself. That is why it is sat. It is the very soul of time and the very basis of space. Space is, awareness is. In awareness is space and time and everything.

Therefore awareness is called limitless. Desatah aparicchinnah. That is aanandah, spatial limitlessness is aanandah. Time limitlessness is sat. This ananta belongs to what? Anantah is what? Cit. I is cit.

Therefore cit is the one that we understand. Cit is the truth about which we understand. How? It is not bound by time and space. Hence aanandah. Therefore saccidanandah means not existence-knowledge-bliss, it is existence-knowledge-limitlessness.

Om Tat Sat