Читать книгу Absolute freedom and happiness – our true essence - Вадим Сычевский - Страница 5

We have five external organs of sense located in our physical body: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and touch receptors. Through them, as if through open doors, sensations come to us, that is, we see, hear, smell, taste, and feel touch, respectively. The sensations are the link between the external material world and our deeper consciousness.

We usually think of our sensations as pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. But in reality, the sensation itself cannot be pleasant or unpleasant – it can be strong, weak, or absent. «Pleasant» or «unpleasant» is the dual workings of our consciousness based on our past experiences. Thus, the causes of our sufferings and joys are not to be found in the physical body and external sensations, but in our deeper Aggregates.

What do we see if we become calm, conscious observers of our sensations?

First, as long as our dual consciousness is active, there will be unpleasant, painful sensations. I think no one enjoys physical pain, disgusting odors, unpleasant sounds, and the like.

Secondly, of course, there will be pleasant sensations. But they are extremely impermanent and last, in fact, only for a moment. Further: if we want to get some pleasant sensation, and it is impossible, we suffer a great deal of dissatisfaction. How many times in your life have you thought or said, «I would give anything to have this»? Here we see that we are highly dependent on our sensations, we are unfree because of our attachment to pleasant sensations, and we suffer greatly when the pleasant sensations ends, or bores us, or we cannot get what we want.

Third, the more we seek the pleasures of sensations, the more we begin to feel pain and other unpleasant sensations. For example, as delicious and pleasurable for us was eating fresh gourmet food, exactly the same amount of tastelessness and unpleasantness will be experienced the day before yesterday's mediocre food. In other words, if there is a plus (i.e. pleasure), there is necessarily a minus (suffering), and the stronger the plus, the stronger the minus – they are equivalent. This principle applies not only to the sense organs and sensations but also to all experiences obtained through them. Thus, people who exhibit strong positive emotions when they experience pleasure, experience equally strong negative emotions when they encounter suffering.

Fourth, the previous example should lead to the idea that pleasant and unpleasant sensations can only exist at the same time. For example, if a person is anesthetized or given pain relief, both pain and pleasant sensations disappear. Or, for example, in order to not hear a loud unpleasant noise, a person plugs his ears with earplugs. The unpleasant noise disappears, but the pleasant or necessary sounds are no longer heard. In other words, if the joy that the senses bring increases, so also does the suffering. The sense organs are aggravated in two directions at the same time.

Fifth, we experience the joy or suffering of sensations exclusively because of the action of past experiences that are activated by our consciousness. Thus, sensations, as previously stated, can be strong, weak, or absent. «Pleasant» or «unpleasant» is the work of our dual consciousness.

By conducting this kind of consideration, we begin to realize that the senses and sensations are an illusion. The illusory nature of the senses is realized through breathing techniques. First, when the length of inhalations, exhalations, and breath-holding increases, the ability to perceive changes. People who have long inhalation, exhalation, and delay do not feel pain. But people with short breaths are sensitive to pain. This is not only true for pain. The same applies to the senses of sight, hearing, smell, and taste. To realize the existence of a consciousness that just «jumps» on these illusions of sensations, breathing techniques are done. Eventually, we reach a state where the senses and sensations come to a complete stop. In yoga terminology, this is called Pratyahara. When Pratyahara is realized, we are immersed from this material world into the Astral World (World of Forms[5]) in meditation.

Hence, our sense organs and the sensations that come through them are not our true nature. For example, if we are deprived of any sensation due to illness, say smell and taste due to a runny nose, we still continue to exist. If this is the case, then the True «Self» cannot be our sensations – they are illusory and we exist even if we lose all our senses and sensations.