Consciousness & Pure Energy
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The Sants (sun-th) like Kabir and Soamiji Maharaj have clearly laid out the levels of consciousness related to the Mind as well as the Pure Energy that is devoid of all mixture of mind and matter. This article will discuss the Radhasoami faith and then present the Western and Eastern views on consciousness.
Within the spectrum of Eastern philosophies that emphasize consciousness as a fundamental reality, the Radhasoami faith offers a specific and detailed understanding through its propagation of Surat Shabd Yoga. This spiritual practice is central to the Radhasoami belief system and provides a practical method for realizing the inherent connection between individual consciousness and the Supreme Being.
Surat Shabd Yoga: The Union of the Soul with the Divine Sound
"Surat" (soo-ra-th) in this context refers to the soul, the conscious entity within the individual that is free of any contamination by the mind and matter.
"Shabd" (sha-b-dh) signifies the Divine Sound Current, the primordial vibration or spiritual energy that emanates from the Supreme Being Radhasoami.
"Yoga" implies union or joining. Therefore, Surat Shabd Yoga is the practice aimed at uniting the individual soul (Surat) with the Divine Sound Current (Shabd) to achieve spiritual awakening and ultimately realize the Supreme Being.
Key Aspects of the Radhasoami Perspective on Consciousness:
Consciousness is assosciated with the Mind that is beyond the physical brain through which we are trying to understand this world. There are different minds such as the Pindi mind and the Brhmandi mind. There are different levels minds with different degrees of purification from the lowest chakra in our physical form to the Paar Brahma Padh, going beyond Brahmand or the universal mind. The contamination is more at the Pindi Mind level and the Brahmandi Mind, which is considered by most faiths as the ultimate goal. But that is only a purer form of the mind that has a subtle mixture of matter in it.
Pure energy that is free of all sorts of contamination of mind and matter is in Dayal Desh. Satpurush (sath-pu-ru-sh) or the Lord of Dayal Desh does not require mind, matter, sense organs or any external instrument. He is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. His ray of pure energy is present in the entire creation including the lowest forms that have lost all consciousness. We have within us a drop of that ocean of energy and by awakening our consciousness we can merge with Satpurush. Alak, Agam and Radhasoami are the levels above Satpurush and we can have dharshan of Radhasoami and enjoy the pure bliss that He enjoys through Surat Shabd Yoga.
Consciousness as an Emanation: According to the Radhasoami faith in the individual consciousness (Surat) is an emanation from the Supreme Being, Radhasoami. It is a particle of the divine essence, temporarily veiled and entangled with the mind and matter.
The Shabd as the Link: The Divine Sound Current (Shabd) is considered the vital link between the individual soul and its source. It is the active power of the Supreme Being pervading all creation. By attuning to this inner sound, the soul can begin its journey back to its origin.
Meditation as the Method: Surat Shabd Yoga employs specific meditation techniques to focus the attention inward and upward, towards the inner sounds. This practice typically involves:
Sumiran (su-mi-run): The silent repetition of sacred names or mantras given by the spiritual teacher (Satguru). This helps to still the mind and focus attention.
Dhyan (dh-yaan): Contemplation on the form of the Satguru, who is considered the manifested form of the Divine and a guide on the inner spiritual journey.
Bhajan (bha-jun): Listening to the inner sounds of the Shabd, which are believed to manifest in various forms and frequencies as the soul ascends through different spiritual regions.
The Role of the Satguru: The living spiritual teacher (Satguru) is of paramount importance in the Radhasoami faith. The Satguru is considered to be in direct communion with Radhasoami and is essential for initiating the disciple into the practice of Surat Shabd Yoga and guiding them on the inner path. The Satguru imparts the necessary instructions, techniques, and the divine name (Naam) for practice.
Liberation through Sound: The ultimate goal of Surat Shabd Yoga is the liberation of the soul from the cycles of birth and death and its reunion with the Supreme Being. This is achieved by progressively attuning to and merging with the higher manifestations of the Shabd within. As the soul ascends through different spiritual realms by grasping the corresponding sounds, it sheds the coverings of mind and matter, realizing its true, conscious nature and its inherent oneness with the Divine.
Connection to Eastern Philosophy
The Radhasoami belief aligns with the broader Eastern philosophical view of consciousness as being more fundamental than matter. It shares the concept of a Supreme Reality from which individual consciousness originates and emphasizes the possibility of transcending the limitations of the material world to realize this higher consciousness. However, it distinguishes itself through the specific emphasis on the Shabd as the key to this realization and the crucial role of a living Satguru in guiding the practitioner through the intricacies of Surat Shabd Yoga.
That which is considered as Soul or Atma is not Surat but a very subtle mixture of matter. It stops somewhere below the Par Brahmand level. Surat of the Radhasoami faith is beyond all mixture of Mind, above and beyond the Paar Brahmandi level and Surat alone can travel through shabd and merge with Radhasoami after shedding all its impurities associated with mind and matter.
Let's review this in the context of the Western and Eastern beliefs about consciousness.
Consciousness: A Tale of Two Perspectives
The enigma of consciousness has captivated thinkers for millennia, with divergent viewpoints arising from the East and the West. While Western philosophy often grapples with how consciousness arises from the physical complexity of the brain, Eastern philosophies frequently posit consciousness as a fundamental reality, existing beyond the realm of matter. This essay will explore these contrasting perspectives, tracing the historical understanding of consciousness in both traditions and highlighting key philosophical insights.
Western Philosophy: The Material Emergence
Western philosophical thought, particularly since the Enlightenment, has largely leaned towards a materialist or physicalist view of consciousness. This perspective suggests that consciousness is not a separate entity but rather an emergent property of complex physical systems, primarily the brain.
Tracing the Understanding:
Ancient Greece: While early Greek philosophers like Plato posited a separate realm of Forms and a soul distinct from the body, Aristotle viewed the soul as the "form of the body," inseparable from it. However, the precise nature of subjective experience remained largely unexplored in these early dialogues.
Cartesian Dualism: René Descartes, a pivotal figure in Western philosophy, introduced a stark dualism, separating the mind (res cogitans) as a thinking substance from the physical body (res extensa). He famously stated, "Cogito, ergo sum" ("I think, therefore I am"), emphasizing consciousness as the defining attribute of the mind. While influential, this dualism created the enduring "mind-body problem"—how these two distinct substances interact.
Empiricism and Materialism: Philosophers like John Locke, David Hume, and later materialists sought to ground consciousness in sensory experience and physical processes. Locke defined consciousness as "the perception of what passes in a man's own mind." Hume went further, suggesting the self is merely a bundle of perceptions, lacking a permanent, unified conscious substance.
Contemporary Neuroscience and Philosophy of Mind: Modern Western thought, heavily influenced by neuroscience, increasingly views consciousness as a product of neural activity. Theories like Integrated Information Theory (IIT) and Global Workspace Theory attempt to explain how subjective experience arises from specific brain structures and functions. While acknowledging the complexity, the fundamental assumption remains that consciousness is rooted in and dependent on the physical brain.
Key Quotes:
René Descartes: "Cogito, ergo sum" (Discourse on Method, 1637). This highlights the self-awareness inherent in consciousness as a foundation of existence.
John Locke: "Consciousness is the perception of what passes in a man's own mind." (An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, 1690). This emphasizes the introspective nature of consciousness.
David Hume: "For my part, when I enter most intimately into what I call myself, I always stumble on some particular perception or other, of heat or cold, light or shade, love or hatred, pain or pleasure. I never can catch myself at any time without a perception, and never can observe anything but the perception." (A Treatise of Human Nature, 1739-40). This suggests that the self is nothing more than a stream of conscious experiences.
Eastern Philosophy: Consciousness as Fundamental
In contrast, many Eastern philosophical traditions, particularly those originating in India, often view consciousness as a primary, fundamental reality that underlies and pervades all existence, rather than arising from matter.
Tracing the Understanding:
Hinduism (Vedanta): Advaita Vedanta, a prominent school of Hindu philosophy, posits Brahman as the ultimate, non-dual reality, and individual consciousness (Atman) as ultimately identical to Brahman. The material world is often seen as a form of illusion (Maya) veiling this fundamental unity of consciousness. Dvaita believes in duality of the universal and individual soul. The Vishishta advaita or Vishshitaadvaitaa presents a dual reality that can merge and yet be different from Brahman.
Shankara (8th century CE): A key proponent of Advaita Vedanta, emphasized the non-dual nature of reality, where individual consciousness is not separate from the universal consciousness.
Buddhism: While diverse, many Buddhist schools emphasize the impermanent and interdependent nature of all phenomena, including consciousness. The concept of "emptiness" (Sunyata) suggests that inherent, independent existence is an illusion. Consciousness is seen as a stream of mental events, arising and ceasing based on conditions, rather than a fixed, enduring self.
The Buddha taught that clinging to a fixed notion of self or consciousness leads to suffering. The focus is on understanding the nature of consciousness through practices like meditation to achieve liberation.
Yoga: This tradition emphasizes the connection between mind, body, and spirit, with the ultimate goal of uniting individual consciousness with the universal consciousness through various practices, including meditation and physical postures.
Patanjali's Yoga Sutras outline a path to Samadhi, a state of profound meditative absorption where the individual consciousness transcends its limitations and experiences oneness.
Key Quotes:
Upanishads (Hinduism): "That which is the finest essence – this whole world has that as its soul. That is reality. That is Atman (the self). That art thou (Tat Tvam Asi)." (Chandogya Upanishad). This emphasizes the fundamental unity of individual consciousness with the ultimate reality.
The Buddha: "All conditioned things are impermanent; all conditioned things are suffering; all things are without a self." (Dhammapada). This highlights the Buddhist understanding of consciousness as a changing phenomenon, devoid of a permanent, independent self.
Lao Tzu (Taoism): "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal Name. The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth. The named is the mother of myriad things." (Tao Te Ching). While not directly about consciousness in the same way as Indian philosophies, Taoism emphasizes a fundamental, ineffable reality that underlies all existence, which can be seen as encompassing consciousness.
Conclusion: Bridging the Divide
The Western and Eastern perspectives on consciousness offer distinct frameworks for understanding our subjective experience. Western philosophy, rooted in scientific inquiry, seeks to explain consciousness through the intricate workings of the physical brain. Eastern philosophies, often emphasizing introspection and meditative experience, tend to view consciousness as a fundamental aspect of reality, potentially transcending the limitations of matter.
The Radhasoami faith distinguishes itself by its emphasis on Surat, pure consciousness of pure energy that has absolutely no mixture of mind and matter and Shabd, sounds that resonate within us at each level without the aid of any instruments.
While seemingly disparate, there are potential avenues for dialogue and integration. Some contemporary thinkers in both traditions are exploring how these perspectives might complement each other. For instance, could the complex interactions of matter described by neuroscience provide the necessary conditions for a fundamental consciousness to manifest in specific ways? Or could the insights from Eastern contemplative practices offer a deeper understanding of the nature and potential of consciousness that goes beyond purely physical explanations?
Tracing our understanding of consciousness over the centuries reveals a persistent human quest to comprehend the very nature of our being. Whether viewed as an emergent property or a fundamental reality, consciousness remains one of the most profound and challenging mysteries facing human inquiry. Future research and philosophical exploration may yet uncover ways to bridge the gap between these seemingly contrasting, yet equally compelling, perspectives from the East and the West.