The importance of understanding the Causal Body

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Digital Blackboard - September 01, 2004

The third step above and beyond the gross and subtle bodies is the step of the causal body or the body of ignorance. It is only the state of pure forgetfulness, the quality of tamoguna, where there is no thought of well-being of either the gross or the subtle body. The causal body means there is no knowledge of anything. It is like sleep, but it is not sleep. It is very important to understand this state. Those who proclaim the principle of zero (where there is nothing, just void) came to this state and turned back as they said that there was nothing ahead.

This is the state of the "unknowable" which is the Western philospher's point of view. This state, bereft of all thoughts, fancies, and doubts, is erroneously taken as samadhi and the same as Nirvikalpa Brahman (Conceptless Reality). When this void is reached, one is apt to get a false satisfaction and say, "Today I saw Brahman."

Where one modification of the mind becomes stabilized and another does not arise, the interval, or the junction between these two (or the intervening "pause" before sleep sets in, and the awakened stage disappears) is a state of pure forgetfulness which is described as "Anandamayakosha" (blissful covering or "blissful sheath", of illusion) in the scriptures. In this causal body, all chaos, struggle, and the infinite number of waves of thought have ceased. Therefore, there is peace in this third body compared to the previous two bodies. It is true that the aspirant receives joy, but this is not the true ultimate peace or even real bliss. One must remember this well. This is the natural state of all gods, demons, and each human being, the state of the causal body, forgetfulness.

The chief indication of this body is to forget everything. Unless one forgets, he cannot get deep sleep. To say "I was asleep but I remembered something", is to say "I never slept." To get deep sleep, therefore, means not to remember a single thing. In the same way, to sleep "while in an awakened state" of a human being, and also not to know anything, means to come to this state. Even scholars do not understand the nature of a human being, let alone the nature of Shiva. In order to fully explain the state of human forgetfulness, the way of studying "the pause" is shown.

If anything is is very difficult, it is to completely stabalize in the state of forgetfulness and to know it thoroughly. To acheive this takes great effort on the part of the aspirant. The saints have laid particular stress on this.

The pause between two states is nothing but pure Consciousness. The state of the mouni (silent one) is such that he does not allow a single word to rise, or even if it did rise, he does not allow it's meaning to rise, but let's it slip by. When the word (concept) rises and is allowed to impress it's meaning on the heart the world is born. Ignoring the word and not allowing it to carry any meaning for the mind is the eradication of the world. When the word does not energize the mind, whatever remains is the pure energy of Consciousness. To experience this state continuously is called the state of silence.

The aspirant who is about to put his foot on the third step after climbing the first (gross body) and second (subtle body) is told that this is the state of pure Consciousness. He is under the impression that this state is pure void, and taking this void as Brahman, he is unable to witness the void. However, when he goes to the fourth step (Turya state) he starts looking back at the third step. Being unable to see anything, he wonders why the Guru instructed him to put his foot on a step which doesn't exist at all. The reason is that once the pure Consciousness is known, there can be no trace of what is called ignorance. One does not understand what the state of forgetfulness is and there does not arise any modification in the aspirant's mind except that of pure Consciousness.

Consciousness or Knowledge, presents itself to the aspirant in two ways:

1. When there is an object in Consciousness, it becomes objective knowledge and one will experience it as objective knowledge; and

2. when there is no object, it is experienced as pure Consciousness.

When there is an object, it is objective knowledge. When there is no object, it is simply Knowledge, or pure Awareness, or pure Consciousness. With the exception of these two, no other modification arises in the aspirant's mind. The word "ignorance" is meaningless in this aspirant's point of view. It is not possible for forgetfulness to exist in this case. Whatever is, will either be Knowledge or Consciousness. It may be either objective or without an object.

Presenting the state of the causal body to the aspirant that it is just ignorance, a void, a state of forgetfulness, or something where there is nothing to bring home to him, is preliminary to the above the fact of pure Consciousness. A teacher will draw on the blackboard a point of great length and breadth to teach the student of a point which has no length or width. Similarly, that is how it is illustrated here. If it is not done in this manner, the next step cannot be explained.

The aspirant should, therefore, have full faith in the Sadguru without further argument and take it for granted that there is a state of forgetfulness, practicing this and forgetting each and every thing. The causal body is the cause of the two previous bodies (gross and subtle).

Shri Siddharameshwar Maharaj - From "Master Key to Realization" Chapter 3, "Investigation of the four bodies in detail"

Understanding of the instruction presented in this chapter is essential for an aspirant to arrive at a full understanding of this teaching.

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