Now I tell you that as long as you are, you cannot escape the other. Earlier I said that as long as you are in the world you cannot escape the other, he is everywhere. Now we are discussing the other side of the same truth: as long as we exist, as “I”, as ego, the other will be there. Even if we close our eyes and the world disappears, the other will not disappear. Now the other will exist behind our closed eyes, in our desires and longings, in our dreams and imaginations, but it will be there. As long as we are the other is inescapable with us.
In fact, Svabhava or self-nature is a state where the self, the “I”, the ego, ceases to be. Self- nature is also one of those unlucky words that have been greatly misunderstood. By self-nature we generally mean the sense or feeling of the self. But where Svabhava or self-nature begins, the self disappears. There is no relationship whatsoever between self-nature and self. Self-nature is that which was there when I was not in this world, and it will be there when I will be gone from here. Whether I am here or I am not, self-nature is always in existence. That which is eternal is self-nature. Svabhava means: the nature, the primordial nature, the original face, the Prakriti, that which is, even without me. When we are asleep, there is no self, but self-nature is. In deep sleep, which in Sanskrit is called Sushupti, there is no self but self- nature is. There is much difference between Sushupti and Samadhi, deep sleep and super-consciousness. In Sushupti the self disappears because of unconsciousness, but in Samadhi it disappears because of wakefulness, awareness, enlightenment.
In the next week, let us discuss about Anasakti or non-attachment, our innate nature and how to come to it. And we shall also look into the dangers of embracing aversion to achieve the non-attachment.
Dr Dwarakanath, Mitran Foundation
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