Surfacing and Suspending Assumptions
What?
Since yesterday, I have been reading from, and listening to lectures on the "Aparokshanubhuti" is a text in the Advaita Vedanta tradition, offering a systematic approach to a deeper dive in the realm of consciousness.
The work is attributed to Adi Shankaracharya, an 8th-century philosopher, and stands out for advocating for an experiential understanding that transcends theoretical knowledge.
Why and How?
1. Direct Realization (Aparokshanubhuti): The term itself signifies the direct, immediate knowledge of the Self, as opposed to indirect (paroksha) knowledge gained through scriptures or teachings. Shankaracharya asserts that true liberation (moksha - transcendence of limiting ego states) comes from this direct experience of one's own true nature.
2. Self-Inquiry (Atma Vichara): A central practice recommended in the text is self-inquiry, a methodical introspection into the question "Who am I?" This process helps to dissolve the false identifications with the body, mind, and ego, leading to the realization of 'the Self' as the unchanging, eternal witness.
I have been conducting this thought experiment using the system sensing iceberg.
One can assume that who we currently believe ourselves to be is at the event level or the tip of the iceberg what one see's about the water line. This construction of assumed self is based on a set of repeated patterns of behaviour over time.
E.g. I have been working out everyday for the last 42 days so as of now I am someone who is fit. I have also been writing everyday for the last 2 weeks and so I am a writer. Given I do daily check-ins and weekly calls with the leaders I work with I am also a business coach.
Supporting these patters of behaviour are the structures we either create or adopt or are born into. For example, I am consistently working out and reading and therefore now writing because I've created a structure for myself by taking up the 75hard challenge and have a group to whom I am accountable and a person to whom I pay a penalty to $150 dollars for every day that I miss a task. Similarity there are people who pay me for my services as a coach as so I consistent deliver on our contract with regards to that role which I also assume. I am currently visiting my uncles family in the US and so I also identify as a niece, sister and grand-daughter.
When we go deeper down the iceberg however we will notice that what informs the structures we create are mental models - assumed or adopted - based on the things we are willing or unwilling to give ourselves permission to be - think, practice, do, become.
3. Discrimination (Viveka): Discrimination between the real (unchanging, eternal) and the unreal (changing, temporal) is emphasized as crucial for spiritual progress. This discernment allows one to detach from the transient aspects of existence and identify with the eternal Atman or higher level of consciousness.
In my example - it is possible that I will stop writing once this 75 day challenge is over or stop working out and gain weight due to an injury. I might no longer be surrounded by family on the next leg of my travels and may take a sabbatical or change my vocation and therefore my personal and professional identifies might also shift relative to where I'm at in my life.
4. Dispassion (Vairagya): A profound disinterest in the sensory pleasures and material attachments of the world is seen as essential for those seeking spiritual liberation. This dispassion arises naturally as one develops discrimination and begins to perceive the impermanent nature of worldly enjoyments.
Vairagya is not when you own nothing, it is the state in which nothing defines or owns you. This is a state that is relatively easier to experience when the pain is real especially when we hit a personal low even when we are in a state of material abundance.
5. The Sixfold Virtues (Shat-Sampat): These include control of the mind (shama), control of the senses (dama), uparati (withdrawal from worldly activities), titiksha (endurance [through pain of building muscle - physical, emotional, intellectual] without distress), shraddha (faith in oneself), and samadhana (concentration of the mind on the path towards the highest Self).
These practices are recommended for seekers so we may have fewer mental agitations and physical triggers as we navigate this line of thought.
6. Desire for Liberation (Mumukshutva): A burning desire for liberation is considered essential. This intense longing to realize the Self fuels the spiritual journey and enables the practitioner to overcome obstacles.
Without this innate need for change it is almost impossible to surrender existing narratives and move beyond them towards a process of self-discovery.
7. Meditation and Contemplation: The text also advocates meditation on the inner Self and contemplation of the non-dual nature of reality as practices leading to Aparokshanubhuti.
What Now?
Even if one isn't deeply spiritual, there is merit to:
Engaging in Self-Inquiry - challenging and reflecting on our own perceptions of identity.
Practicing discrimination and dispassion - to navigate the complexities of life with a healthy sense of proportionality and clarity.
Incorporating the Sixfold Virtues into daily life - to foster a conducive environment for growth and reflection.
Dedicate time for contemplation and reflection - especially by surfacing and suspending mental models that we may hold on to too strong without even knowing why we have them to begin with.
Quote
The unexamined life is not worth living - Socrates