Awareness and Consciousness - Maharaj

 The outstanding feature about Maharaj's talks with the visitors is the pervading sense of theirtotal spontaneity. Subjects are never selected earlier, but Maharaj's utterances have a uniqueresilience which gives them an exhilarating freshness every time. And one marvels all the morewhen one recalls that he has been talking like this, without any previous preparation, two sessions aday, every day in the week including Sundays, for the last many years. And then, on top of this,Maharaj says with a chuckle of amusement: What do I talk about? Only one subject, the samesubject— you and I, the world outside, and God.

Generally, Maharaj does not bother to wait for his audience before opening any topic thatcomes up in his mind. Sometimes his small loft-room gets filled to capacity within fifteen minutesor so. At other times, when he starts talking — one might say thinking aloud — there are hardlythree or four persons present. But it makes no difference to him. He may talk even to a singleseeker, if he so chooses, and expound to him with zest the basics of his teaching, relating them toeach other and placing them in true perspective. His mind is whole mind that goes beyondpragmatism. His thinking is total thinking.

One morning, when I had paid my respects to Maharaj and sat down, I found that there wereonly two other persons present. Maharaj suddenly said: What is the difference between 'awareness'and 'consciousness', if any? When something like this happens, one does not really know whetherhe expects an answer, or whether he is merely thinking aloud. One hesitates to answer for fear ofbreaking the flow of his thoughts. But then, he might also say: Why don't you answer? Have youbeen wasting my time, listening to the talks all these days? This morning, however, he carried onwithout waiting for an answer.

He observed that awareness is of the Absolute, and, therefore, beyond the three Gunas(Gunatita); whereas consciousness is something fed by, and limited by, the food-body. When thefood-body is destroyed, consciousness also disappears. Mind you, no one dies — the body, made ofthe five elements mingles with the elements when it is lifeless, and consciousness, which is subjectto the three Gunas, becomes free of the Gunas.

Awareness is the primordial original state, prior to the concept of space-time, needing no cause, no support. It simply is. However, the moment the concept of consciousness arises on this original state of unicity, the sense 'I am' arises, causing a condition of duality. Consciousness is with a form, a reflection of awareness against the surface of matter. One cannot think of consciousness apart from awareness; there cannot be a reflection of the sun without the sun. But there can be awareness without consciousness. In deep sleep, for instance, there is no consciousness (it is resting) but awareness is certainly there, because, on waking, one is aware of having slept; but only on waking.

Maharaj never allows us to forget that it is consciousness alone which is our constantcompanion, and that it is the continuous attention to one's stream of consciousness that takes one onto Awareness — the basic existence, that-which-is-life-love-joy. According to Maharaj, the veryconsciousness of being conscious is already a movement towards Awareness. The mind by its verynature is out-going, always tending to seek the source of things within the things themselves. Whenit is directed towards the source within, it is almost like the beginning of a new life. Awarenessreplaces consciousness. The 'I am', which is a thought in consciousness, ceases. In awareness, thereis no thought. Awareness is the source of consciousness. Maharaj suggests that it is an excellentspiritual exercise to sit quietly and watch what comes to the surface of the mind. What we callthoughts are like ripples on the surface of water. Thoughts always lead to identification orcondemnation; they are products of pre-conceived notions and stand in the way of realunderstanding. Just as water is serene when free of ripples, so is the mind serene when free ofthoughts, when it is passive and fully receptive.

In the mirror of your mind, says Maharaj, all kinds of pictures will appear, stay for a while anddisappear. Silently watch them come and go. Be alert, but not attracted or repelled. It is importantnot to be involved. This attitude of silent witnessing will have the effect, gradually, of driving away all useless thoughts, like unwanted guests that are ignored. By being thus within yourself, that is, in the 'I-am-ness', by watching the flow of mind, without interfering or judging, as a dispassionate witness, the 'deep' unknown will be encouraged to come to the surface of consciousness and release its unused energies to enable you to understand the mystery of the origin of life. ••