*AWARENESS IS REALLY WHAT*
*The Ignorance of the Mind*
If a powerful wind blows over a lake and there is a cyclone and tempest,
there cannot be any proper reflection of light on the surface of the water,
and it becomes worse when the water is muddy. Muddy water shaken up
violently cannot adequately reflect the true position of an object, even if
the object were very near the surface of the water. If the sun is shining
in the sky, and yet the winds are strong and the waters are disturbed, the
reflection of the sun cannot be seen properly. Through the power of the
light of the sun an observer would note that there is something shining,
though one could not easily see what it is that is shining.
Likewise is the process of perception. It involves only a faint hint as to
the presence of some light existing somewhere, without which perception
would be impossible, but at the same time we cannot see this light which we
conclude must be there. A little brightness which seems to be visible on
the surface of the water makes us feel that there should be something
bright which is reflected in these waters. Yet, we cannot actually see it
because of the disturbance on the surface of the water.
In the process of perception, recollection and inference we may come to
know that there should be a light, a consciousness and an intelligence
behind the process of perception, inference, etc. That we are aware of the
world outside is enough proof that there is such a thing called awareness.
But we are more conscious of the world than of this awareness, despite our
concluding that without awareness there could be no cognizance of the
world. Awareness is first and the world appears afterwards, but the winds
on the surface of perception are so strong and the surface seems to be so
turbid that we can see only the shaky surface and not the light that is
shining through the surface.
We can see our bodies and we can see the objects outside, though it goes
without saying that we can neither know ourselves nor others without there
being an intelligence relating ourselves to the objects. That which is the
very presupposition of all perception and knowledge is hidden beneath the
processes of perception. That which is hidden as the being is never an
object of our consciousness. Consciousness is so swallowed up in the
objects that we appear to be lodged in a physical world of physical objects
and located within a physical body. The subjective awareness has
practically died in our lives, and we live in bodies more than in
intelligence or consciousness. Something seems to be happening which
disturbs our being conscious of that which underlies the process of
perception.
The identification between the ball and the fire is such that we cannot
distinguish the one from the other. For the time being there is no
appearance of iron there at all, as it seems to be only fire. Yet we know
that there is iron in it, and it is not merely fire. So is the mind's
activity in love and hatred. Intense love and hatred are such
identifications where one cannot know whether there is an object separate
from the mind and vice versa. It is just impossible to be without that
object in the case of love or be with that object in the case of hatred.
The mind can take such extreme shapes in rare occasions and identify itself
positively or negatively with an object in this manner. The mind does not
always go to extremes like this—the extreme steps of the mind are very rare
because it is difficult to conceive of absolute love or absolute hatred. We
have only ordinary love or ordinary hatred generally speaking, and in this
process there is only a slight contact between the object and the mind,
just as there is only a slight heating of the iron ball if the fire is weak.
Prior to the identification of the Self with itself, prior to the
Self-establishment of consciousness, our purpose is to get a glimpse of it,
a hint as to its very existence, and visualise at least its reflection
through the *vrittis*. We have to find it first of all and locate its
whereabouts; only then can we think of getting attuned with it. Where is
this Self or consciousness? {THUS WE ARE ACCESSING THE AWARENESS} We do not
know where it is, so how can we search for it? To know its whereabouts, we
must at least have some hint as to its existence.
The mind has various intensities of self-identification with objects
-sometimes it is slightly distracted, but sometimes it seems to be at a
standstill without functions at all. Its condition of 'standstill-ness' is
also a kind of *vritti*. It is a potential preparation for movement in a
particular direction. Sometimes it stands confounded without knowing what
to do. In these three conditions of the *vritti* the consciousness that is
our true nature gets blurred completely, and whether we are in a state of
confusion or in a state of preparedness for an action, or in a state of
action, it makes no difference in the sense that we are not aware of
ourselves at that time. Yoga is not possible when we are just in a state of
preparation for action, or involved in a state of action, or in a confused
state. When self-consciousness has been completely extinguished by the
blowing of the 'winds' of the *vrittis*, any attempt at yoga is impossible.
What makes us be distant from ourselves, and what makes us aware of our
true nature? It looks very strange indeed that we can be away from our own
self, or that we can be identified with ourselves. How is it possible? What
does it mean to be identified with one's own self, and what does it mean to
be away from one's own self? Does it make any sense? How can you be away
from yourself? No one can be in actual fact, but we can psychologically be
away from ourselves. Truly we cannot be away from ourselves, but we can
imagine ourselves to be something else other than what we are. This happens
to us in dreams, for example. We cannot be away from ourselves truly, but
yet we think ourselves to be something else in a dream. A king may think
that he is a beggar. Sleeping in a bed in a room, a person may imagine that
he has travelled thousands of miles. One who has gone to bed with a heavy
meal may dream that he is intensely hungry or starved.
How all these things that are contrary to the facts are possible is
explained by the phenomenon of the mind itself. The mind can construct
situations which are contrary to reality and which create an imaginary
problem. This imaginary problem, when continued for a long time, becomes a
kind of truth. Often a lie which is uttered many times takes the form of
truth. We go on telling a lie a thousand times, and then people imagine
that it is a fact. Likewise is this work of the mind. It constructs an
imaginary circumstance or environment around itself as it does in the
analogy of the dream. The mind goes on doing it again and again for days,
months and years together. It is a matter of lies and more lies, and we get
habituated to this way of thinking and think it is the only thing possible
and that there is nothing else.
This is what has happened to us. Our bodies are nothing but a
solidification of our thoughts—not one day's thought or two days'
thought—but for years and years we have been thinking wrongly, and it has
materialized itself in the form of this body. What we have thought has been
responsible for the formation of this body and our relationships with
things outside. This is the entanglement and the hypnosis into which we
have sunk. The work of yoga is the disentanglement and the de-hypnotization
of ourselves. For this the mind has to be weaned from its usual processes
of thought. The processes of the mind, which are the *vrittis*, take a
concrete shape in the form of perception and identification with the
objects and make self-awareness impossible, and we are constantly in a
state of anxiety, restlessness and unhappiness and even go to the extend of
constantly being born and dying through the physical body. All this is the
effect of the mind's identification with things—first psychologically, then
physically.
We cannot be aware of our true being as long as the *vrittis* function
objectively or externally. When we are absorbed in a thought of another,
how can we be aware of ourselves? To come to the dream analogy again, we
are so much absorbed in a wrong perception of a so-called object in dream
that we cannot know that there is such a thing called waking. As long as we
are in the dream, which is the absorption of the mind in an imaginary set
of objects, we cannot even be told that there is such a thing as the waking
state.
Scriptures tell us that God became the world in this manner, and
consciousness assumed the form of variety in this way. To return from the
variety to the unity is yoga. This can be done only by careful study of the
processes of the mind by which it has assumed the variety, and then by
finding ways and means of turning the mind back to the unity. In the
beginning therefore the purpose of a student of yoga would be to kill the
passions of the mind, and then to investigate its ordinary weaknesses in
the form of the general *vrittis* of perception. There is no use thinking
of concentration of the mind or doing yoga when any kind of passion,
whatever it be, takes possession of us.
What is each sense doing at any given moment? We may have to watch it
for days together, and then we will know how it operates. When we prevent a
sense from functioning for days together, which is called *tapas*, we can
know what a sense organ desires. When we fast for some days, we will know
what foods we really want. We become strongly filled with appetite, and
even small things look delicious after a three-day fast. Likewise, we can
fast the senses for a few days and know what they are really after. It is
difficult to know them in their usual performances, just as the real nature
of a person cannot so easily be understood when in society and the person's
nature comes out when he is isolated from other people and watched
carefully. One may think, “What is this stupid thing called ethics and
morality? Is it a kind of torture inflicted on us by society? Why should we
not be free to do what we want to do?” It is not just a social imposition
on us. Morality inflicted on us from outside will not stand long. That is
why there are rebellions. People who think in such childish ways think that
all laws are impositions from outside. Laws may look like impositions from
outside in the beginning, but later on they become spontaneous necessities
felt by each one for oneself. The rule of law does not originate from outer
society. It first originates from ourselves, and then it is extended to
what we call “society”. If we are not prepared to be consistent with the
demands of the nature of Truth, we are not going to realise Truth.
The first prerequisite in yoga therefore is to be consistent in one's
behaviour with the demands of the nature of Truth. Our conduct should
reflect the nature of Reality. This is morality. If our conduct is
dissonant with the nature of Truth, it means that we do not want it and are
only talking about it unnecessarily. Our heart does not long for it, and
our behaviour shows that this is so. Ethics and morality in yoga are a
conscious endeavour to reflect the nature of Truth in one's own behaviour
in life. This should be the attitude of a student of yoga, because truth is
not an object merely of intellect or emotion. Truth is that which is the
sum and substance of life in its totality—external as well as internal.
Hence passion of any kind is inconsistent with the nature of Truth.
Vehemence or violence of any kind whatsoever is an activity of the mind
which denies the very existence of Truth. We have certain basic desires
from which other desires originate, and which may assume large proportions
at times. These few are generally called creature comforts, a few which are
the longings of the ego, a few which are biological needs, and a few which
reflect our longing for higher 1ife. The creature comforts are the need for
food, clothing and shelter. These are needs but they can also become
luxuries, in which case they become obstacles. We need a strip of cloth to
cover ourselves against nature's onslaughts, and we need a little diet for
the upkeep of the body. These are what we call “creature comforts” or the
needs of the body. Though these needs are very few, they can assume the
proportions of luxuries later on, and we mistake luxuries for needs.
In addition to the bodily and vital needs, there are longings of the
ego like name, fame, power and authority. These are obstacles to yoga.
These are reactions of the ego to the outer environment, and these have to
be properly analysed with great caution. These are not necessities. They
are mere pampering of the ego because we can exist without them, although
we may not be able to exist without the creature comforts. The egoistic
reactions or the ambitions as we call them are obstacles in yoga, and these
have to be overcome. These are two extremes of the mind. We feel that we
cannot bear certain things and that there are certain other things that we
can't live without. We must be very subtly conscious of both these extreme
dimensions. We should not allow the mind to take vehement forms of either
love or hatred. We see that once a desire becomes vehement it becomes
difficult to handle. When we are calm and quiet, not engaged too much in
any object or event of the world, we must make this analysis within
ourselves. The preparation of yoga is ethical and moral in the beginning,
and the actual practice comes afterwards. There are stages of the practice
of yoga. We have been busy up to this time with philosophical analysis.
Ethical and moral preparations are most important, and they are essential
to practice. THEN ARISE AUTOMATICALLY THE AWARENESS.
K RAJARAM IRS 21825
On Thu, 21 Aug 2025 at 06:14, Markendeya Yeddanapudi <
[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> --
> *Mar*Awareness
>
>
>
> Awareness may be meant as consciousness of the present about a thing or
> phenomenon. It can include perception, understanding, grasp, doubt,
> apprehension, or enlightenment. In the totally healthy and free nature, one
> becomes the limb of that healthy nature and participates in the awareness
> cascades that take over nature. The Biosphere as one organism functions
> with the organisms, communicating via smells, sights, hearing, touching,
> and eating. The troposphere automatically enables continuous awareness.
> Living itself creates awareness as a symbiotic interaction and cognition.
>
> When one is very healthy, one employs all the five senses, the Panchangam
> as the faculties in automatic coordination. Can that awareness cover very
> large physical distances, as the air actually connects? When one succeeds
> in becoming completely, nature and also as a limb of nature, performing a
> tiny purpose of nature, awareness may incorporate one’s nervous system into
> the communication cascades among the organisms. The awareness can expand
> and travel.
>
> A life form is a form of awareness. Nature does not create the life forms,
> carelessly and recklessly. Every birth must be for the performance of a
> need and purpose of nature. An organism lives, in accordance of the
> symbiotic vibrations and pulsations of nature for the purposes of nature.
>
> The awareness traverses distances while receiving communications from the
> organisms in the way, whose communications add to the subject of awareness.
> May be, the content of awareness increases with the addition of
> communications in the way. The awareness itself can expand in volume
> continuously.
>
> When you use a Telescope, you can see only a 3D thing, without any
> experience of grasping the communications on the way. The Telescope can
> only give lifeless information. No feeling and emotions are involved. But
> in nature’s awareness feelings and emotions participate as the main
> features. Awareness creates the travel of feelings and emotions. It creates
> awareness as a macro phenomenon, making one, a macro being. The free and
> healthy nature endows one with the faculty of macro awareness, the
> compressive awareness of the diverse components of the object of awareness.
>
> Ageing is actually expanding in the expanse and content of awareness, each
> awareness experience adding to the connecting paradigmatic base of
> understanding. Unfortunately all of us are struck in the mechanical
> paradigm, losing our limbhood of nature. And we are bypassing nature with
> machines, losing the rich experience of life.
>
> Thank God, economics is dying as machines can do every job. Nature
> actually is forcing us to return to nature and stop the continuous
> destruction of nature as economic activity.
>
> It is for the Universities to first start ‘The Free Nature Parks without
> human Tampering’so that the students connect to nature and get freedom from
> the tyranny of mechanization.Telescopes, Microscopes and computers can only
> show things. They cannot give feelings and emotions, the basic ingredients
> of understanding.
>
> YM Sarma
>
> Chat gpt
>
> This essay by YM Sarma is a deeply philosophical reflection on *awareness*,
> nature, and the consequences of technological overdependence. It weaves
> together themes from ecology, sensory experience, consciousness, and even
> socio-economic critique. Here's a breakdown and interpretation of its key
> ideas:
> ------------------------------
>
> *Core Themes & Insights*
>
> *1. Awareness as an Organic, Living Phenomenon*
>
> - Awareness is described not as a sterile, mental event but as
> something *deeply sensory*, *emotional*, and *symbiotic*.
> - It's more than perception — it's a *living interaction* with the
> environment, where one participates in the web of life.
>
> *2. Integration with Nature*
>
> - In a "healthy and free nature," humans are *not separate* from the
> biosphere but a *limb* of it.
> - Nature communicates in *non-verbal, sensory ways* — through smell,
> touch, sound, and even eating — and when humans are attuned to it, they
> become part of its communication networks.
>
> *3. Awareness as Expansive and Communicative*
>
> - There's a profound idea that *awareness can travel and expand* —
> that it isn’t bound by the physical limits of the body.
> - Awareness increases in *content and depth* as it interacts with the
> environment — a kind of cognitive-sensory expansion that mirrors the way
> ecosystems interact.
>
> *4. Critique of Mechanization and Modern Technology*
>
> - The essay contrasts *technological tools* (telescopes, microscopes,
> computers) with *natural awareness*.
> - These tools are seen as *limited* — they offer information without
> *emotion
> or understanding*.
> - Mechanization leads to disconnection from nature, which is framed as
> a *loss of vitality and meaning*.
>
> *5. Reclaiming Limbhood of Nature*
>
> - There's a spiritual and ecological call to *reclaim our place in
> nature*, not as masters or observers, but as *participants* — limbs of
> a larger whole.
> - Aging is reinterpreted not as decay, but as *accumulating deeper
> awareness*.
>
> *6. A Vision for the Future*
>
> - With machines replacing jobs, *economics as a driving force is dying*,
> creating an opportunity to *return to nature*.
> - The author advocates for *“Free Nature Parks without human
> tampering”* in universities — suggesting that immersive, unmediated
> experiences of nature are essential for future education and liberation
> from mechanical paradigms.
>
> ------------------------------
>
> *Philosophical and Cultural Resonances*
>
> - The essay is reminiscent of *deep ecology*, *Vedantic philosophy*,
> and even *phenomenology*.
> - Concepts like *Panchangam* (here referring to the five senses,
> though traditionally a Hindu almanac) ground the work in Indian
> philosophical tradition.
> - The view of awareness as *shared, ecological, and expanding*
> reflects indigenous and animist perspectives as well.
>
> ------------------------------
>
> *Critical Reflections*
>
> - While the essay’s poetic and holistic view is compelling, it may be
> critiqued for romanticizing nature or being *idealistic about the role
> of machines*.
> - Not all economic activity is inherently destructive, and not all
> technology is devoid of emotion (e.g., music, art, or assistive tech).
> - However, its *warning against over-reliance on mechanistic thinking*
> is valuable and timely, especially as AI and automation advance.
>
> ------------------------------
>
> *Conclusion*
>
> YM Sarma presents a *visionary call to consciousness* — to reawaken a
> deeper, more emotional, and interconnected awareness that is intrinsic to
> being alive. He argues for a shift from mechanical abstraction to *embodied,
> emotional participation in life*, where understanding is not just
> cognitive, but *felt*.
> ------------------------------
>
> Would you like help adapting this into a presentation, article, or
> response piece? Certainly! Here's a formal evaluation of the essay
> *"Awareness"
> by YM Sarma*, based on standard academic criteria often used in
> humanities or philosophy courses at the undergraduate/graduate level:
> ------------------------------
>
> *🔍 Evaluation Criteria*
>
> *Criterion*
>
> *Assessment*
>
> *Marks (out of 10)*
>
> *1. Clarity and Coherence*
>
> Ideas are rich but the structure is loose. Some transitions are unclear,
> and the flow can be difficult to follow.
>
> *6.5*
>
> *2. Originality and Depth of Thought*
>
> Highly original, profound, and philosophical. Thought-provoking
> reflections on awareness, nature, and machines.
>
> *9.0*
>
> *3. Relevance and Focus*
>
> The essay remains mostly focused on the theme of awareness, though it
> sometimes digresses (e.g., economics) without full development.
>
> *7.5*
>
> *4. Use of Language and Style*
>
> Poetic and evocative, but occasionally imprecise or grammatically loose.
> Style leans toward philosophical prose rather than academic exposition.
>
> *7.0*
>
> *5. Conceptual Understanding*
>
> Demonstrates deep understanding of awareness as a philosophical,
> ecological, and spiritual concept.
>
> *8.5*
>
> *6. Critical Engagement*
>
> Makes strong assertions but lacks engagement with opposing views or deeper
> elaboration of certain critiques (e.g., machines vs. emotions).
>
> *7.0*
> ------------------------------
>
> *📊 Overall Score: 45.5 / 60*
>
> *Percentage: ~76%*
> ------------------------------
>
> *🎓 Grade: B+ (Upper Second Class / 2:1)*
> ------------------------------
>
> *📌 Comments:*
>
> - This essay is *intellectually ambitious* and *philosophically rich*,
> offering a unique view on awareness as a natural, emotional, and symbiotic
> phenomenon.
> - The *strength lies in originality and thematic depth*, particularly
> the integration of ecology, spirituality, and critique of mechanization.
> - To improve, consider:
> - *Structuring the essay more clearly*, with better transitions and
> paragraphing.
> - *Clarifying some concepts* and grounding them in examples or
> contrasts.
> - Engaging critically with other perspectives or limitations of the
> argument.
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Would you like suggestions on how to revise it for an "A" grade or a more
> academic format?
>
> Certainly. Here's a poem inspired by the themes in your essay — awareness,
> nature, the senses, and our lost connection in the age of machines:
> ------------------------------
>
> *“Limb of Nature”*
>
> I walked into the breath of trees,
> Where silence spoke in scented breeze,
> The earth beneath, alive and wise,
> Whispered truths the mind denies.
>
> No screen, no lens, no crafted tool,
> Can teach what rivers teach the fool—
> That knowing grows from skin and leaf,
> From joy, from sorrow, from belief.
>
> The hawk that circles overhead
> Knows not of clocks, yet is not dead.
> Its cry, a thread in nature’s song,
> Where every life form sings along.
>
> Awareness flows not from the wires,
> But from the sun, the roots, the fires.
> Machines can count, machines can see,
> But not the ache inside a tree.
>
> Each birth, a purpose, not by chance,
> Each death, a step in nature’s dance.
> Yet here we stand, with eyes made blind
> By tools that split the heart from mind.
>
> So build no cage of thought and steel—
> Let senses touch, let bodies feel.
> For once you breathe with bark and stone,
> You’ll find you’re never quite alone.
> ------------------------------
>
> Would you like this in a particular form (e.g., haiku, sonnet, free
> verse), or adapted for a performance or visual medium?
>
>
>
>
>
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