Philosophy of self

What is Mahatmanaha? The great soul, the great atma.

we know that in Vedanta, Atma means the Supreme Self.

And also, I think we are all familiar with the expression Mahatma.

Mahatma was given, his name was given to Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi.

And most fundamental of all is this condition, that impressions can only become impressions for me if they exist together in a common self-consciousness.

I know a thing in consciousness only if I relate it with the other elements of consciousness to myself.

Self-consciousness, in other words, with all that it involves, is an ultimate fact, and any attempt to explain it by the chemistry of association is a case of circle reasoning of the most glaring kind.

It will be obvious that this principle, if admitted, is fatal to Hume's whole theory of the origin of knowledge.

A train of impressions and ideas.

Whosoever looks for the worlds elsewhere than in the self was abandoned by the worlds.

Whosoever looks for the devas elsewhere than in the self was abandoned by the devas.

whosoever looks for creatures elsewhere than in the self was abandoned by the creatures whosoever looks for anything elsewhere than in the self was abandoned by everything this brahman class this kshatra class these worlds these devas these creatures this everything all is that self now as the sounds of a drum when beaten cannot be seized externally by themselves but the sound is seized when the drum is seized or the beater of the drum and as the sounds of a conch shell when blown cannot be seized externally by themselves but the sound is seized when the shell is seized or the blower of the shell and as the sounds of lute when played cannot be seized externally by themselves but the sound is seized when the lute is seized or the player of the lute As clouds of smoke proceed by themselves out of a lighted fire kindled with damp fuel, thus verily, O Maitreyi, has been breathed forth from this great being what we have as Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, Adarvangi Rasas, Itihasa, Legends, Purana, Cosmogonis, knowledge the upanishads slokas verses sutras prose rules anuvakyanas glosses vyakyanas commentaries from him alone all these were breathed forth As all waters find their centre in the sea, all touches in the skin, all tastes in the tongue, all smells in the nose, all colours in the eye, all sounds in the ear, all percepts in the mind, all knowledge in the heart, all actions in the hands, all movements in the feet, and all the Vedas in speech, as a lump of salt when thrown into water becomes dissolved into water and could not be taken out again but whatever we taste the water it is salt thus verily o my three does this great being endless unlimited consisting of nothing but knowledge rise from out these elements and vanish again in them when he has departed there is no more knowledge name i say o maithrey thus spoke yajnavalkya then maithrey said here thou hast bewildered me sir when thou sayest that having departed there is no more knowledge but ajnavalkya replied o maitreyi i say nothing that is bewildering this is enough o beloved for wisdom for when there is as it were duality then one sees the other one smells the other one hears the other one salutes the other one perceives the other one knows the other but when the self only is all this how should he smell another How should he see another? How should he hear another? How should he salute another? How should he perceive another? How should he know another? How should he know him, by whom he knows all this? How, O beloved, should he know himself, the knower? Fifth Brahmana this earth is the honey madhu the effect of all beings and all beings are the honey madhu the effect of this earth likewise this bright immortal person in this earth and that bright immortal person incorporated in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahman that all this water is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of this water likewise this bright immortal person in this water and that bright immortal person existing as seed in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahman that all this fire is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of this fire likewise this bright immortal person in this fire and that bright immortal person existing as speech in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahmana that all this air is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of this air likewise this bright immortal person in this air and that bright immortal person existing as breath in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahman that all this sun is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of the sun likewise this bright immortal person in the sun and that bright immortal person existing as the eye in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahman that all this space thisa the quarters is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of this space likewise this bright immortal person in this space and that bright immortal person existing as the ear in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahman that all this moon is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of this moon likewise this bright immortal person in this moon and that bright immortal person existing as mind in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahman that all this lightning is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of this lightning likewise this bright immortal person in this lightning and that bright immortal person existing as light in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahman that all this thunder is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of this thunder likewise this bright immortal person is this thunder and that bright immortal person existing as sound and voice in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahman that all this ether is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of this ether likewise this bright immortal person in this ether and that bright immortal person existing as heart ether in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahman that all this law dharma is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of this law likewise this bright immortal person in this law and that bright immortal person existing as law in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahman that all this true satyam is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of this true likewise this bright immortal person in what is true and what bright immortal person existing as the true in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahman that all this mankind is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of this mankind likewise this bright immortal person in mankind and that bright immortal person existing as man in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahman that all This Self is the honey of all beings, and all beings are the honey of this Self.

Likewise, this bright immortal person in this Self and that bright immortal person, the Self, both are Madhu.

He indeed is the same as that Self, that immortal, that Brahman, that All.

and verily this self is the lord of all beings the king of all beings and as all spokes are contained in the axle and in the valley of a wheel all beings and all those selves of earth water etc are contained in that self verily dadyak atarvana proclaimed this honey the madhu vidya to the two aswins and a rishi seeing this said o ye two heroes aswins i make manifest that fearful deed of yours which you performed for the sake of gain like a thunder makes manifest the rain the honey madhu vidya which dadyak atharvana proclaimed to you through the head of a horse Verily, Dadyak Atharvana proclaimed this honey to the two Aswins, and a Rishi, seeing this, said, O Aswins, you fixed a horse's head on Atharvana Dadyak, and he, wishing to be true to his promise, proclaimed to you the honey, both that of Tavastri and that which is to be your secret, O ye strong ones.

verily dadyak atarvana proclaimed this honey to the two aswins and a rishi seeing this said he the lord made bodies with two feet he made bodies with four feet having first become a bird he entered the bodies as purusha as the person This very Purusha is in all bodies.

Recording by Jyoti Tharavanath.

All sentient beings having Buddha nature.

And this is precisely the self.

This Self has, from the beginning, been constantly covered by innumerable afflictions and therefore sentient beings are unable to see it.

Good Son, I now universally reveal the Buddha nature possessed by all sentient beings which has been veiled by the afflictions.

It is like a poor woman who, though she had a gold treasure store, could not see it.

Verily sons are not dear, that you may love the sons, but that you may love the self, therefore sons are dear.

Verily wealth is not dear, that you may love wealth, but that you may love the self, therefore wealth is dear.

Verily the Brahman class is not dear that you may love the Brahman class, but that you may love the Self, therefore the Brahman class is dear.

Verily the Kshatra class is not dear that you may love the Kshatra class, but that you may love the Self, therefore the Kshatra class is dear.

verily the worlds are not dear that you may love the worlds but that you may love the self therefore the worlds are dear verily the devas are not dear that you may love the devas but that you may love the self therefore the devas are dear verily creatures are not dear that you may love the creatures but that you may love the self therefore are creatures dear verily everything is not dear that you may love everything but that you may love the self therefore everything is dear verily this self is to be seen to be heard to be perceived to be marked o my three when we see hear perceive and know the self then all this is known whosoever looks for the brahman class elsewhere than in the self was abandoned by the brahman class Whosoever looks for the kshatra class elsewhere than in the self was abandoned by the kshatra class.

Whosoever looks for the worlds elsewhere than in the self was abandoned by the worlds.

this water is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of this water likewise this bright immortal person in this water and that bright immortal person existing as seed in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahman that all this fire is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of this fire likewise this bright immortal person in this fire and that bright immortal person existing as speech in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahmana that all this air is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of this air likewise this bright immortal person in this air and that bright immortal person existing as breath in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahman that all this sun is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of the sun likewise this bright immortal person in the sun and that bright immortal person existing as the eye in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahman that all this space thisa the quarters is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of this space likewise this bright immortal person in this space and that bright immortal person existing as the ear in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahman that all this moon is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of this moon likewise this bright immortal person in this moon and that bright immortal person existing as mind in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahman that all this lightning is the honey of all beings and all beings are the honey of this lightning likewise this bright immortal person in this lightning and that bright immortal person existing as light in the body both are madhu he indeed is the same as that self that immortal that brahman that all This thunder is the honey of all beings, and all beings are the honey of this thunder.

Likewise, this bright immortal person is this thunder, and that bright immortal person, existing as sound and voice in the body, both are Madhu.

And most fundamental of all is this condition, that impressions can only become impressions for me if they exist together in a common self-consciousness.

I know a thing in consciousness only if I relate it with the other elements of consciousness to myself.

Self-consciousness, in other words, with all that it involves, is an ultimate fact, and any attempt to explain it by the chemistry of association is a case of circle reasoning of the most glaring kind.

It will be obvious that this principle, if admitted, is fatal to Hume's whole theory of the origin of knowledge.

A train of impressions and ideas, but how do we know them as a train? A bundle or collection of different perceptions, but what holds the bundle together or knows it as a bundle? The perceptions are, on Hume's showing, in perpetual flux and movement.

Don't-- Really enjoyed that over the years.

Could you say in just a few sentences, I know it's hard, what IFS is, just for those to catch up on who, you know, maybe didn't hear our last interview, and what, what is the Self, with a capital S, within it?

I think my biggest contribution-- Well, there are several contributions, 'cause you'd be right.

There's a history of parts work and, and people recognizing the mind as multiple.

And then, so there are no bad parts.

That's basically one of the big assumptions of IFS.

But then the bigger deal about IFS is that in addition to these parts, and when they open space, when they pull their energy out of you, you access spontaneously what I've come to call the Self, with a capital S, and that 40-some years later, thousands of people, like you say, using this everywhere, we can safely say that that Self is the essence of people.

It's in everybody, can't be damaged, knows how to heal, and is just beneath the surface of these parts such that when they open space, it pops out.