KRAMA - A SUTRA FROM ASHTANGA YOGA - # 2
What is the use of this Sutra , or why one should even try to understand this Sutra is a pertinent question here . Its importance is mainly in Knowledge meditation wherein we come to ''Know'' where we are located at a particular time in thought . An attempt is made to explain how it works .
Apart from the body , we are a mixed consciousness (or undifferentiated) of the mind, intellect , Memory and Ego (the empirical ). All these together as one are known as 'Chitta' or 'Chittam' in the Veda. Modern day interpreters have given it the name ''Mind stuff''. ''Inner Equipment'' and other names such as Manas, Buddhi, Orma (memory) and Ahamkara (Empirical ego) . It is not possible for even very good practitioners to exactly point out and say ''this is the mind'' it ensconces so much area , or this is the intellect and its ambit is so much and so too with the other two principles - they are like salt in sea water and cannot be differentiated in an exact manner . But by astute observation it is possible to differentiate them in an inverse manner . ie. by the properties and laws of each of the constituents comprising the Chitta we can say when we are in a particular modification of the consciousness. Kramam helps ascertaining the differentiartion of this consciousness so that we know when we are operating on memory , or from mind, or from senses , or from the ego or from the intellect . Another thing to be understood is that all these are held in knowledge (Pure Consciousness which is both the binding force or ''Will'' ). And consciousness pervades through and through and is contiguous , by which
one means that it is unbroken and so no delineations are there in consciousness (Knowledge ) . So it is nigh impossible to ''seggregate'' the mind etc and indicate it as one would an external or internal object - since it is intrinsic to the person concerned or attempting a foray into the self. Another factor is that people ''imagine'' consciousness to be some kind of feeling , or one of heaviness (as if one woke up from deep sleep with a head full of sleep etc ). No this is not so for this is only an undifferentiated feeling which includes the consciousness of the body . (A type of phantom consciousness) . Consciousness is knowledge and knowledge is subtle and pervades all the above principles including phantom consciousness etc which are always cognized by knowledge . THis is the backdrop of awareness one should have for the understanding of the sutra Krama(th).
If we observe closely - we can find that when a person says or remarks "He spoke rudely to me, and I did not quite like what he said , so I asked him to be civil - he continued and so I hit him ''.
Here what has happened is that - the person who has remarked this has located himself firstly in the Body and quickly migrated to the ego via the intellect - He ( Sight or Duality as expressed as another person ) spoke (cognition of sound through the sense of hearing ) Rudely (Feeling and Knowing as signified by the Intellect) to me (Empirical ego tht is yet undifferentiated) etc etc in the reverse manner from Ego (I) Feeling (Intellect& Knowledge) Addressing the other person (as apart - sight ) lastly Physical (hit ).
Essentially the person in the example has very quickly in a series (though it may appear as if instantly ) succeedingly located his consciousness of himself (knowledge) in various points which comprise the sense organs (being 5 also known as the organs of knowledge ) and Intellect and other paraphernalia . Now a question may occur where is the mind ? . The mind is the place wherein the person ''Be'' held the image throughout this sordid affair , so that he experienced it as real , any breaks being supported by his own memory . This is only a gross example , one cannot go into too much about all these things practice is required . similarly in meditation with thought we can place the thought arise from memory (which is the inner world ) and then the thought becomes (sight, sound, smell, taste )
and in cases touch meld to become feelings and intellect brings out the exact replica of what was seen and enjoyed in every detail . This type of perfect memory can be had , by using krama (where the time interval is so small so as to be almost non existent ) to know (in the inner world ) when one is in a particular modification , over time patterns can be recognized for the mind, memory, ego, different senses and intellect (lesser knowledge or manifest knowledge) . An then intuition takes over or Gnosis which becomes uninterrupted knowledge of the manifest . It is about half way mark towards total undistanced knowledge . It is the Meditation on U in the meditation of Omkara.
Hope I have been helpful , my abilities to express myself more accurately in English only extend this far .
Comment
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Comment by Hari Menon on March 8, 2013 at 6:39am
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Dear Jessica ,
Thank you for your kind words . You are attributing more than what I actually am !!. By the way the below posts which I wrote in answer to Pauls queries may be helpful if read in conjunction with the Vedic Reasoning post . My case is sadly one of of that if once written cannot be replicated again by myself - maybe these posts would have a proper resting place and meaning if read in conjunction with the ending part of the mentioned post.
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Dear Paul ,
I am really sorry Paul for having put doubts into your mind rather than helping you out . You will I hope forgive me since habits die hard , and am only an Accountant with hardly any imagination or artistic impulses , brought on by years of grinding and pushing paper and pencil for others to fill my stomach . I think this agony aunt type of posts will detract from the main intent of this post . You should post - I believe your doubts in your already existing posts on knowledge etc etc.- here we are spoiling other peoples ride also.
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Paul dear , I was advised that I have to answer questions to a person wanting to know - ''As if explaining to a small child'' for no question was considered as being unworthy of a reply in the matter of self realization . This is why I post in a long hand manner , but It is quite difficult for me - I do not possess typing skills and yet I will try to explain the inexplicable - please take time to digest what I am writing , it is the essence of my practices of almost 40 years . I am 50 now - However I will try and attempt a lucid answer - please keep in mind that I am doing so in a language which is acquired and not born into .
1. Paul you are the soul , but you wrongly think yourself to be a name and form .It is this wrong notion that has to be removed . The person asking the questions is Paul - In Western philosophical terms you are actually pure existence , but wrongly believe yourself to be Paul James , born of such and such parents, educated in such and such a college, studied in such and sucha discipline, married so and so and had children, and that you rae an maerican , and that you are a christian , and that you are from such and such a state etc. And you have acquired knowledge through formal education which you have attached in your consciousness to the word and feeling of ''I'' . So when you say ''I'' ."me'' and ''myself'' - in your conversations - in that small split second you utter ''I'' to another person - the whole of this knowledge is comprised as a bundle of emotions within you . As with you so with others . Now how on earth can you consider this I - sense as yourself ? - it is wholly wrong , the I is an ego - the ego is utterly fearless as it is I , but we use the word wrongly - we are frightened of everything of dying , losing money, security is inadequate, children will forsake us, losing our house , car everything , yet we say I with pride and get angry when we feel sombody has transgressed our I limits which we have drawn. The body you have is not yours , the name you have is not yours, the country you are in is not your choosing, the language you speak is not your choosing , your religion is not your choosing, your face and physical appearances are not of your choosing, the circumstances you are born in is not of your choice - then where is the freedom Paul ? what are we talking about ? what are we seeing ? how can I even dare to call myself an individual when all these things are shoved on me from birth ? Morality , conscience , Ideas of truth , ideas about food, dressing , speaking all these I consider myself and as an individual , if this is not a lie what bigger lie is there on earth - how am I who is so bound even dream about freedom ? I do not know even freedom of thought or mind properly everything is tainted by another. I am taught in school the sciences , ethics etc and I pride that I am that knowledge - These knowledges were learnt in school or college and are other peoples , just as I would see a tree and not consider it as part of myself - how then can I consider what I have been taught as my own ? Effort is the culprit - it has a cascading effect , I think I am the body so I have nade effort to study , so as I have made effort , the thing is mine , but these things are not like physical things - they have impact on consciousness (our knowledge ) and as we define ourselves with our knowledge and make it part of the I,me myself sense , so too my car , house ,wife , children etc !! how can they be mine ? physically i do not merge in them and neither they in me , the KNOWLEDGE of the relationship with them is assimilated in my knowledge of myself (Paul the name and form ) and though they are apart we see them INSIDE us meaning as OURSELF (ie. as part of our body ) . This rubbish has to be SACRIFICED (ie removed by right reasoning , till you are convinced of my logic ) and at each step wondering what your real nature is - am I the body , or etc etc etc .
This I is common to everyone all over the world as also animals - so there is actually only one I but we define ourselves within the universal I and proscribe ourselves , this has to be removed by keen thought . Forget god for the time being (if you are taking this path ) - because God is only an Idea within you ,neither is god in that or you in god . It is all just a bunch of personal fantasies . You can alternatively think of the universal I as god and proceed and watch the fun . Some inescapable conclusions will be reached . I hope I have been helpful .
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Dear Paul ,
What is pure consciousness? - Pure Consciousness is Knowledge - it is our self . The present you is the result of the reflection of knowledge in the Intellect . The intellect maybe ( for ease of comprehension) be considered as the world which includes you also . And keeping in mind your previous question of knowledge - There are two kinds of knowledge primary and secondary knowledge . Secondary knowledge is knowledge from the intellect and is ignorance. Knowledge of ignorance is right knowledge and closer to the truth .
Can we communicate with it from our mind emotions or our heart? - No you cannot communicate with it from your mind , emotions or heart .- mind heart and emotions are helpful in communicating with others - not internally . Whatever you see internally is the reflection of knowledge within yourself .
I am trying to get in tough with my soul/spirit. Not sure how to. - I hate to disturb your happiness , the soul you cannot get in touch with , the spirit I believe is an experience in case you are equating it with the soul - then that also cannot be known - because The soul of a person is the person himself - and it is not possible for something to be an object of its own search as you already are it . However if you are perplexed as to then how you are there and still not feel that you are the soul , it would require an intense analysis of the ''I'' within you .You can ask yourself - who is it that is asking these questions ? who is it that wants to know the soul/ spirit etc.
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