Consciousness as per Mandukya Upanishad

Mandukya Upanishad is an important Upanishad. Some people also consider it as the most important one. It's said "Mandukyam ekam eva alam mumukshunam vimuktaye" - For the sake of the liberation of the soul, one Upanishad is sufficient, the Mandukya Upanishad, provided it is understood properly in its deep connotations.

The Mandukya Upanishad explains our true nature in very logical way. The vivid explainations given by this upanishad tempted me to convert these concepts in mathematical form as follows -

Human individual is a microscopic specimen of entire creative process of the cosmos. The layers or degrees of reality which constitute the composition of the universe of creation are also found in the human individual. They are called as Koshas. There are five koshas which are called as Annamaya Kosh, Pranomaya Kosh, Manomaya Kosh, Vijnanamaya Kosh and Anandamaya Kosh in the Sanskrit. In english they are called physical, vital, mental, intellectual and causal sheaths.

Each of these sheaths have particular functionalities. For example Annamaya Kosh (Physical Sheath) has functions of sensory perceptions, motor actions, generative and excretive actions. Pranomaya Kosh has functions of breathing, swallowing food etc. So let's represent these functions as f1, f2, f3..fn. Then each of the sheath can be represented by set of these functions.

Annamaya Kosh - set A = {f1,f2,...,fa}
Pranomaya Kosh - set P = {fa+1,...,fb}
Manomaya Kosh - set M = {fb+1,...fc}
Vijnanamaya Kosh - V = {fc+1..,fd}
Anandamaya Kosh - N = {fd+1..,fn}

When we are awake, all the senses are very active, physically and mentally. The Mandukya Upanishad tells us that we enjoy, experience and contact things in nineteen ways in the waking state. So it's said that the Consicouness has 19 mouths. They can be considered as funcions f1...f19 given above. Briefly, they are as follows

Five sense of knowledge (Jnanya Indriyas) - seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching : f1,f2...,f5

Five organs of action (Karma Indriyas) - grabbing, locomotion, speech, excretion, reproduction : f6,f7...f10

Five functions of life energies (Pranas) - inhalation (Apana), exhalation (Prana), blood circulation (Vyana), intake of food automatically through esophagus (Udana), digestion (Samana): f11,f12...f15

Four functions of mind - manas (overall indeterminate awareness or thinking), buddhi (intellect process of decision making), Ahamkara (self-consciousness), Chitta (subconscious mind and memory) : f16...f19

We in our life experience three states-
1. We are awake
2. We are in a dream state during sleep
3. We are in deep dreamless sleep

Now, In waking state all five sheaths are active. All functions are working together so we can define consciousness 'I' as


I = { A U P U M U V U N }


In dream state all other sheaths except Annamaya Kosh are active. Our mind (Manomaya Kosh) actually projects the effect of real physical world. We eat in out dreams, we also breath in our dreams. So Pranomaya kosh is also active. However, The intellectual sheath (Vijnanamaya Kosh) is in little diminished state. All it's functionalities are not available in dream state. So lets define a set SV as subset of V.

Although physical senses and actions are absent, we have our dream legs, dream hands, dream tongue dream nose. We hear, smell and also taste in our dreams. So, in dream state also all the nineteen mouths are operating ! But they are actually projected purely by mind and physical senses are closed. So that means 'I' essentially is not our physical body. That means we can deduct Annamaya Kosh from our original definition of 'I'. So we can redefine 'I' as -


I = { P U M U SV U N }


Now the main point of Mandukya Upanishad comes-

The third state is of deep sleep which we can call as absence of everything.. that means there is nothing. It's truly nothing because in that state we are not even aware of that nothingness. So deep sleep S = {}. Can we say that it is really a null set ?

Ok, let's look at it in following way. There is nothing in deep sleep... so then what is happening there ? are we dead ? No. Then who tells us that we exist during that state ? When we get up, we ourselves conclude, "I am the same person now that I was before I slept yesterday." Therefore by deductive reasoning, we can conclude that I must have been existing in deep sleep also ! Then am I the same person that existed before I went to sleep or am I different one ? I am the same person ! That means Consciousness maintains continuity between yesterday's and today's experience. So, again by applying deductive reasoning, we can say that consciousness must have existed in state of deep sleep also. During the deep sleep we did not exist as a body, mind, intellect, or anything else. We did not even know that we were breathing at that time. But we did exist as Consciousness alone. If we can exist without all these appurtenances like Manas, Buddhi, Chitta and even Ahamkar then that means we are not our mind, our intellect or even not our self-consciousness (Ahamkar) ! So what we are really ? We are pure Consciousness (Shuddha Chaitanya). Because if I can exist minus something, then that thing from which I am withdrawn is not me, really speaking. So in deep sleep we exist in form of pure Consciousness or Anandamaya Kosh. So we can redefine 'I' as only Anandamaya Kosh or Pure Consciousness


I = AN

To be Continued in next blog....

Can we model Human Mind ?

It's also interesting to technically model our mind taking into account it's properties. It has following peculiar properties -

1> Patterns in Mood Transition
There is a mood pattern. The moods keep on transiting from one another. Under normal circumstances no mood remains constant for long period of time say more than 3-4 hours . If you are very happy you will become normal after that time, if you are sad you will become normal again after 3-4 hours. If you are angry you will become calm automatically. If you are normal, and say no body is around you for long time then you will be in boring mood. There are many moods. The mood patten is not directly controllable. Indirectly it is possible to some extent say 20-30 % only. Because mood patterns are changed by external inputs also which are not controllable by us.

2> More Vs less frequent behaviors pertaining to every Mood
In every mood we do particular tasks (behaviors) more frequently. For example -
1. when we are cheerful we talk and laugh a lot we will make jokes etc.
2. When we are tense we will work very seriously, we will do more amount of mental thinking.
3. When we are bored then we go out for a walk or we play something etc.
While it is interesting to note that these tasks are not mutually exclusive. For example -
1. In sad mood also we may watch TV as do we in happy mood.
2. We may still continue to work even after getting bored.
3. We may keep totally calm and quiet when we are very angry also.
But probability of these things is very less as compared earlier ones. So every mood has some high probability behavioral counter parts associated with them. Based on their frequency of occurrences we can plot their distribution. It's safe to assume that they bear certain normal distribution like gaussian.

Now looking at above two aspects of mind we can model our mind as a Hidden Markov Model (HMM). HMM is a statistical computational model which has a set of states. Every state is connected to few other states. At given point of time the HMM is in one particular state but at next time slot it can transit to any other states to which it is connected. To which state it will transit depends upon the input to that state and the transition probabilities associated with each of it's arc. Each state can emit certain symbols. Some symbols are emitted with high probability while some with very less probability.

In our model, moods are states of HMM while the behaviors are emissions of every mood. Ever mood can transit to itself or one of the other moods. There are transition probabilities associated with every mood. For example probability of angry----> Calm is much higher than angry---->happy. So we can construct a graph of these moods as circles.

The Emission probabilities can be modeled by simple histogram or by Gaussian Mixture Model if needed. This model will be specific to each person. The model's transition and emission probabilities can be calculated by studying behavioral patterns of that person for sufficient amount of time. If we create this models for multiple persons then each of these models will reflect personality of that individual.

Who decides the transition and emission probabilities ?
It's an interesting question one should try to ask himself. In my opinion, the transition probabilities are coming from nature (our genes). Even these probabilities change with age. But external conditions also can change these probabilities to some extent. For example if you get addicted to something like say playing computer games then your mood pattern actually changes !
The emission probabilities come from nature (genes) as well as equally from external conditions. In a particular environment, the mood states learn which type of behavior they should emit more frequently. For example if you are in classroom and you get very angry you still keep quiet. While if you are outside with your friends then you express your anger. The emission probabilities come from culture and ethical values of family also. It's really a complex thing to analyze how these probabilities are learnt !

Moral:
Mind can be modeled as a stochastic process. It's nothing more than that. This important fact provides us some basic reasoning to why mind is categorized as 'jada' (as opposed to sukshma) in Vedanta. The ancient people had studied the nature of 'Self' to the details that they knew every nuke and corner of it . And quite suprizingly modern science has not even touched these things till now. It's not even able to define the things like consciousness till now. So isn't Vedanta fascinating ?

Hard to Practice - Accepting the Illusion

Here comes an interesting question - Those who realize that we are living in an Illusion, they will become dull / lethargic or even get depressed by knowing this fact that what they were believing since their birth was actually not true ! It might even make their life worthless and meaningless ! So what to do ? There are a few points to be pondered upon carefully.

1) The fear of getting dull / depressed comes because the mind is attached with this mundane world for many years / decades. It can not suddenly accept the reality. But the fact is that the person does not realize the reality suddenly. It is a long process. It might take few years or even few decades also to come to conclusion that this is an Illusion (refer to earlier blogs). So, it's not something completely out of the blue.

2) The dullness coming to oneself is a part of process of detachment from this mundane world. It should not be misinterpreted as something devastating consequence. It's just a small obvious part of the bigger phenomenon happening to you. When a wound starts healing, we feel an itching sensetion. We have to bear it. We can't say that without feeling that sensation I want to get the wound healed ! Even doctor can not help us. And we practically accept it without any complaint.

3) When one realizes the truth.... yes, he will become dull / depressed for sometime. But that dullness is also temporary. Because mind and moods follow pattern. As every dark night is followed by a sunny day, so does the dullness of your psyche. The Illusion itself takes care of that dullness, we need not explicitly worry about it. It will get diminished over a period of time. The analogy is the death of somebody very close to you. You can't bear that shock but after few months / years your mind automatically accepts it.

4) Many people say that you should not take this real world as an Illusion in true sense. But is it not getting away from the reality rather than facing it ? Facing that dullness is also a bravery. Knowing the truth is a reward. This reward does not come to everybody. If one realizes the truth, he/she is really a chosen person by nature. Thinking rationally, one should not run away from that reward.

5) Most important - Some people argue that discard such a theory which can bring dullness to your life... But we are talking about the realization. Realization in itself is not a philosophy or a theory (refer to earlier blog "Knowledge Vs Realization"). Rather, philosophy / theory leads to a realization. You can discard a theory before you realize it. Once you realize it as a truth you can not discard it ! If you try to run away from the truth you have realized, the truth will chase you. You will be more depressed and frustrated.

"Let us be brave. Know the Truth
and practise the Truth.
The goal may be distant,but awake, arise,
and stop not till the goal is reached."
-- Vivekananda

Realize The TRAP

A time comes when you realize that everything in life is a trap. Everything is following some rule, some law. Everything is falling under some pattern. No act, no action, no thought, no emotion is independent and autonomous in itself. And there you realize why this mundane world (including yourself) is Maya (an illusion).
Both animate and inanimate part of Nature are following some complex but very determined flow. The most stunning part of realization is that the agency know as 'free will' also in itself is nothing more than a complex set of patterns. So everything is Illusory - everything is 'Mayavi' here. We are in a trap. This stage is the opening door to the true nature of reality. And here starts our real journey because unless you know that you are in a trap, you can't think of getting rid of it, would you ?

Obvious but not Simple TRAP - II

Understanding the dynamics of feelings reveals us the details of our behavior. It leads to proper understanding of nature of free will. Everybody knows that our mind oscillates between different kinds of moods. Mood is nothing but a state of mind leading to particular set of desires. For example tired mood after 10 hrs of working will lead to desires like watching TV, chatting or sleeping etc. Jolly mood would lead to desires to doing something aggressively or playing games etc. The sad mood leads to desire just sitting or doing nothing. Happy mood leads to desires of talking, doing work more very curiously or simply enjoying something.

We do not have direct control over our moods. They just go on shifting from one mood to another. Normally moods change after every 2-3 hrs. The same mood will not continue. It will be followed by some other mood. There is a probabilistic pattern in which mood will be followed ahead by another. These probabilities differ person to person. It is exactly where we are different from each other. As described in above paragraph, in particular mood person does particular type of things. Some things are merely impossible. For example nobody will cry when they are in happy mood. What a person might do will also depend on the situation. For example, a person in a happy mood will make jokes or tell interesting stories when he is chatting with his friends in group. While the same person in the same mood will play very aggressively if he is playing cricket / football. So the set of things we actually do are dependent on 2 things - our mood and the situation. But point to note that given a particular mood and clear picture about situation, the set of things which the person will do is quiet predictable ! Think about it and search your own answer.

Exercise : Try to monitor your mood after every 2 hrs. Then try to correlate the things you are doing to your mood. May be you can write it down and make a table. Do this for many times, may be for many weeks. Try to see the correlation between mood, situation and your activity. Are there any patterns ? Why ?

Obvious but not Simple TRAP - 1

Understanding nature of 'I' is very crucial in spirituality. Understanding nature of free will is the first step in knowing self.There is centuries of debate happening on free will and determinism. But despite of several efforts, philosophers and scientists failed to reach to fruitful conclusions on these issues. The reason being lack of in depth subjective nature of psych. To investigate our subjective nature, one should monitor and investigate his thoughts and feelings. Continuously monitoring our thoughts, our feelings and our time to time choices over available options unravels the dynamics of our mind.

Understanding the sequence of thoughts and their dependencies is a simple process than understanding dynamics of feelings. The process is as follows - When you have thought for a long time, just try to recall the thoughts from beginning sequentially. If you are able to recall all the thoughts then it is great! Next, given the previous thought, try to analyze, why the next thought was triggered. And why not any other thought. Which factors were involved in triggering that particular thought ? Do this exercise as many times as possible. Try to investigate very meticulously and sincerely. Don't involve anybody else in this process. Try best to give the answer yourself. It's quite possible that you may not be able to answer some questions. But thinking over it deeply and doing this exercise many times will reveal many things.

Benefits of understanding thought dynamics-
Thought analysis slowly makes us to understand the internal component of our mind, it makes us to understand some metaphysical things. It lets us know that, can we really attribute the ownership of these thoughts to 'I' or not ? and finally this leads to increase our interest in our subjective world !

Knowledge Vs Realization

Knowledge Vs realization or to know versus to realize has much more to do when studying vedanta / spirituality. One should keenly know difference between these two before starting to explore anything in spirituality.

Knowledge is characterized by its transferable nature. It is an entity which an be given to anybody else by verbal or non verbal means of communication. While realization is a personal experience which is not transferable. To take a simple example, a person has headache and he tells that to his friend. Now, the experience of this person having headache is very much personal to him. The headache can happen in various ways. It's intensity, exact location, flavor :) everything can be experienced by only that person. And all that he can communicate is "I have headache" which can be understood by others in some abstract form. Now the conceptual abstract entity represented by sentence "I have headache" is the knowledge about headache. Everybody in this world knows about headache but they can experience it when they actually suffer from it. This very experience of it, is realization of headache.

We can say that knowledge is a crude form of realization. Generally, many kinds of realizations can be boiled down to some form of knowledge to transfer it to others. But there are some forms which can not be. For example ask a person who suffers from trauma (psychological) or depression, how he feels. He can never explain it exactly. And even if he explains the listener can never interpret it because he has never experienced it. So all types of realizations can't be boiled down to knowledge. They are characterized by their unique nature. Realization is complete in itself while knowledge is not. Knowledge can only point towards realization but it itself possesses no meaning without realization.

So we can conclude following things:

1. Knowledge is transferable while realization is personal
2. Realization is complete in itself while knowledge is just an abstract representation of realization
3. Some forms of realizations are convertible in knowledge (Type1 realization)
4. Some forms of realizations can't be converted into knowledge (Type2 realization)
   

Vedanta (or Upanishadas in specific) tries to give us the knowledge in form of text. And this knowledge unfortunately is about the realization of type2. These texts try their best to transfer what they knew. But realization is left to us !

My views about vedic knowledge

In current days, Vedic and spiritual knowledge is critisized for unavailability of scientific basis for their hypothesis. The vedic (more specifically vendantic) conclusions are not accepted because of lack of objective experimental and analytical proofs. Most of the scientists / students reject vedantic conclusions blindly even without giving them justified amount of thought on it. They are reluctant to study these things today. It's important to know that why vedic knowledge was so much adored in past, while it's loosing faith in current era.

Since ascent of modern science, many things in nature were explained with reasonably well explanation based on analytical proofs. This suddenly increased its faith in minds of people. But many people don't realize the fact that modern science is just a neonate. It's still in midway of it's development before it reach its destiny. While vedic knowledge is a full grown adult. It had possibly passed through all those stages which modern science is now facing. Even though exact figures can't be retrieved from history, we know that, it was thousands of years of vedic culture which was existing in India. And it possibly took even thousands of years more before it, to develop fully. This span of time is dramatically larger as compared to the time that modern science has spent since its birth (more or less 400 years).

The logical inquiry that modern science makes, is marked by objective nature of experiments and detectable direct evidence. Any scientific inquiry revolves around the two fundamental assumption - 1> Every thing in nature can be studied objectively 2> Logic and reasoning provide the ultimate a basis for judgment. (meaning, a hypothesis which passes test of reasoning and viable logical explanation is concluded as a truth and vice versa). Both of these assumptions are futile. And science itself will reveal this after considerable amount of iterative cycles in which it progresses. ( Hypothesis--> Experiments--> Analysis --> refinement in hypothesis --> Experiments.... is the typical nature of this cycle. )

If we think carefully, we ourselves are at the end of entire mystery of knowing the ultimate truth. Even if some day we solve all the other questions then the knower of all these answers still remains a question. And this question can never be dealt objectively. And from there, starts the journey in subjective world. The things like the faculty of logical reasoning, intelligence and mind which we currently use as instruments of judgment, suddenly become objects of study instead ! The objective experiments can no more be carried out. Neither the experiments nor their results can be directly shared with others. They are highly personalized. The results also do not remain a universal phenomenon, since they are localized and have their own meaning. This fundamental fact, that we ourselves being the center of whole mystery was very wisely understood by ancient folks. And they started to dig inside rather than searching the answers outside. The foundation of highly subjective experiments, their outcomes and resulting knowledge was built in those prehistoric times.

By definition itself, subjective knowledge is not a verbally sharable entity. It can only be verified by personal experience. But still, the path to get that experience can vaguely be explained verbally. And all the spiritual texts are nothing but the verbal explanation of this path to obtain subjective knowledge. That's why vedantic texts are called 'Shabda Pramana'. They state final truth in the words which can be verified by only one way - analyze personal experiences of our own mundane life and by link them to internal dynamics of our psych to come to fruitful conclusions. This whole process requires highly introvert contemplation. But there are systematic step wise methods to achieve introverting, and to delve into one's own nature. And these methods are nothing but scientific experiments performed into our own subjective laboratory. They are as standard and meticulous as any other scientific experiment. All the spirituality is about these methods. We know that all kinds of chantings and meditations lead to some form of mental concentrations which further lead oneself to become introvert. All forms of worships (Puja, Aratis) bring oneself to submissive state of mind and make him to loose the ego.

So vedanta is nothing but much highly evolved form of the same science which we know today.

see also: http://www.orkut.co.in/CommMsgs.aspx?cmm=8025167&tid=2511701906255401478