The Divine Indweller

Know him to be the primal source of life

Whose glory permeates the universe,

Who is beyond time and space, yet can be

Seen within the heart in meditation.

- Shvetashvatara Upanishad

Science looks at the universe from the outside in while mysticism looks at the universe from the inside out.  From its vantage point, science struggles with the issue of consciousness.  Some scientific theorists believe that consciousness is a late development on the evolutionary scene, an “epiphenomenon” which is inessential to our overall picture of the universe.  Others are more inclined to agree with the mystics that consciousness is somehow more fundamental to the universe.  Certainly the “observer effect” in quantum mechanics seems to suggest that consciousness plays a role in determining the outcome of subatomic events.  As Amit Goswami, Ph.D. puts it, “Quantum physics says that all objects are possibilities for consciousness to choose from.” (http://wisdom-magazine.com/Article.aspx/1320/)

The scientific method seeks to know reality by observation through the senses, or the extension of our senses through instruments.  Yoga methodology attempts to find out who it is that is looking, not just through our technical instruments but through the “instruments” of our mind and senses as well.  Who or what is the “I” of experience?  For example, when we taste an orange, there is the sensual experience of sweetness and tartness, a reaction of pleasure perhaps and some thought about the experience.  However these are all experienced within awareness.  Who is having the experience?  Yoga meditation seeks to discover who it is that is experiencing through this body and these thoughts; a deeper aspect of awareness which is sometimes referred to as the inner witness.

In Yogic terms this inner being is called “purusha.”  It literally means the “one who dwells within the city.”  In this sense, the body, the psyche and the universe are the city.  The counterpart of purusha is prakriti which is unmanifest creative energy.  It is through the interaction of purusha and prakriti that the known universe unfolds.  As David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva) writes, “The Purusha, meaning a person or conscious being, is a Sanskrit term for the Cosmic Being behind the universe, the spirit within all things. The entire universe is a manifestation of the Cosmic Person.” (http://www.vedanet.com/component/content/article/19-yoga-and-tantra/37-the-cosmic-person-of-light)  If we simply translate purusha as “consciousness” and prakriti as the quantum field, we can see where this ancient Yogic worldview and modern science might possibly converge. 

In order to understand the concept of purusha we have to go beyond our limited understanding of consciousness.  Consciousness does not belong to the ego.  It is not restricted to human beings, instead it pervades the infinite expanse of the universe itself.  As Frawley further states, “In the yogic view, our true individuality is an inner consciousness that unites us with all – not a physical, mental or religious entity that keeps us apart. Our self is mirrored in all the selves in the universe. If we look deeply, we can see that everything in the universe has a personality or spirit within it, whether it is the Sun, the mountains, animals or human beings. Every form in nature from the rocks to the clouds is a face of Consciousness. All faces of all creatures, we could say, are masks of God.” 

It is one thing to grasp the concept of purusha.  It is quite another to be able to experience this consciousness as residing in oneself, connecting us to all other beings and to the transcendent dimensions as well.  This is where meditation comes in.  In order to know our true self-nature, we have to disentangle ourselves from the phenomenal world.  We have to dive deep within.  The sensory world is like a thin veneer really, like the surface of the ocean.  As the Kena Upanishad enjoins us:
 

That which makes the tongue speak but cannot be

Spoken by the tongue, know that as the Self.

This Self is not someone other than you.

That which makes the mind to think but cannot be

Thought by the mind, that is the Self indeed.

This Self is not someone other than you.

That which makes the eye see but cannot be

Seen by the eye, that is the Self indeed.

This Self is not someone other than you.

That which makes the ear hear but cannot be

Heard by the ear, that is the Self indeed.

This Self is not someone other than you.

That which makes you draw breath but cannot be

Drawn by your breath, that is the Self indeed.

This Self is not someone other than you.

(http://www.amazon.com/The-Upanishads-Eknath-Easwaran/dp/0915132397)

The Yoga Sutras outline a progression of four stages in meditation through which our inner being can be realized. 

1.   The first is called pratyahara or inner awareness.  It means withdrawing attention from the outward flow of the senses and turning it inward. 

2.  The second is called dharana which means focusing attention on a specific object, a mantra, the breath or a visualized image for example (or it could be all three.)  This is because when we turn inward we become lost in the thought-currents of the mind. 

3.   The last two are called dhyana and

4.   samadhi.  In these later stages we move more and more into an awareness of awareness itself.  We let go of the sensory world, we let go of memories, dreams and desires, let go of the idea of a separate self. 
 

This takes practice but is not as hard as it seems.  In fact it becomes easier, more blissful and ecstatic as we make progress.  When we enter fully into the deep state of meditation it is said that prakriti is withdrawn into purusha.  We enter into the state of the universe before becoming, a state of infinite possibility and potential, a state of unbounded love and absolute joy.  We become aware of our greater being, unlimited by spaciotemporal boundaries, beyond birth, death and becoming.  As Lord Krishna explains in the Bhagavad Gita, “This, the Indweller in the body of everyone, is always indestructible, O Arjuna! Therefore, thou shouldst not grieve for any creature.”  (http://www.dlshq.org/download/bgita.pdf)

On the other hand, this deeper Self awareness allows us to be more compassionate, more understanding and better able to attend to others.  “He who knows Me as the enjoyer of sacrifices and austerities, the great Lord of all the worlds and the friend of all beings, attains to peace.” states Krishna.  When we are free of ego we are more able to be present and helpful to others.  We can be “a friend to all beings.”  Mindful awareness in our daily encounters and activities is a means of bringing meditative wisdom into our world.  As Ram Dass puts it, “Learn to watch your drama unfold while at the same time knowing you are more than your drama.” 

Our egos take the drama very seriously.  We get offended and hurt over nothing.  We react to internal stimuli of which we are unaware.  We see ourselves as apart from the universe.  In fact we are part and parcel.  “Time and space are an illusion,” as Albert Einstein said, “albeit a stubborn one.”