This is the seventeenth chapter of the book „Viveka – the Voice of Inner Guru.“

The whole book will be tokenized as NFTs on Mirror and, as such, published in 20 articles (20 chapters of the book: The Illusion; India, oh India!; The Accurate description of the Reality; The Crown Jewel; Dead Guru; Living student; Who you?; Leaving the room; The Weakness of the Mind; The Archimedean Point; Three Powers of Maya; Viveka - the Sword of Truth; The Cave of the Mind; Language Can Save Us; Searching for Lakshana; Nine Golden Rules of Viveka; Purification Exercises; What to do with all this?; Dealing with Fear; Ekam Evadvityam: Living without a Center).

Chapter Seventeen: Purification Exercises

abhāvanā vā viparītabhāvanā
asaṃbhāvanā vipratipattirasyāḥ |
saṃsargayuktaṃ na vimuñcati dhruvaṃ
vikṣepaśaktiḥ kṣapayatyajasram ||

Absence of the right judgment, contrary judgment, doubt,
and a need to believe never leave one who has
any connection with this veiling power,
and then the projecting power rules over the one in bondage.

Vivekachudamani 115

Don't worry; viveka is not dealing with apples and pears. The first and foremost task of viveka is understanding the nature of true reality and then, the nature of our reality, which is more or less an illusion. To discern between the two, the mind - or the part of the mind called buddhi - has to be sharp as a scalpel. So, you should not mind the occasional mental slicing off a few apples or disassembling fantasy cars. Exercising does not hurt as preparation for the real job of piercing through the more substantial ideas. You don't have to explain the apple to yourself or your neighbor. But, when it comes to the fundamental constituents of reality, the confusion is much more palpable. Those fundamentals are buried deep in our consciousness. Between them and our everyday thinking, there is a universe of constructions and possible mistakes.

To emphasize the importance of exercising the discerning ability, I'd like to remind you about the fundamentals of viveka. There is no proof – nor will ever be – about the independent existence of the outside, material world. Consciousness is all we know. All our experiences – including the perceptual consensus about reality – are inside the consciousness. We are dealing with ideas we perceive as „things“, not with „things“ themselves. The laws governing those „things“ are other ideas perceived as abstract rules behind the processes between „things“. Until this point, there is no contradiction between western science and the viveka approach. Science investigates things and operations between them under perceptual consensus. The results science offers are valid, practical, and independent from the paradigm behind them. Your computer will work the same way, no matter the explanation of what is the reality behind it. Computer as a material thing or a computer as an idea in the structure of consciousness – it doesn't matter. A computer, whatever it is, requires an engineer and a factory to be assembled and a programmer to create software for it to work. All of that can be independently material or a part of the reality (similar to virtual reality) inside the consciousness.

However, the fundamental paradigm behind the explanation of our reality can have a crucial impact on the direction technology is heading. And, of course, on the methodology of investigation and advancement of knowledge.

Science will probably hit the wall if it continues to insist on the explanation of consciousness as a side effect of the complex structure of biological matter. There will be obstacles, impossibilities, paradoxes, and unexplainable setbacks. Technology, partial as it is today, will continue to destroy the parts of reality instead of preserving them and using them for achieving further wonders. On the other hand, the only true scientific paradigm – consciousness as the field of reality – does not create such problems. There are no walls and no partial solutions. Everything created with the understanding of fundamental ideas inside the consciousness will be holistic. So, you see, I am not talking only about your personal tool for liberation; viveka offers something even more exciting. There is hope in viveka that our science can change without giving up what has been achieved until today. I can not be sure, but I feel that Shankara hoped to create such a world. It was way too early because humanity had its lessons to learn. Following that path, we came on the verge of destruction. Hopefully, it is not too late to change the direction.

Let me write it again: by practicing viveka, you are investigating a new scientific approach, calling it spiritual, or whatever you want. The viveka paradigm opens a field of new possibilities. All knowledge – I'll write it in caps: ALL KNOWLEDGE - is inside you. You don't need anything else besides your mind.

Don't lose that from sight as you practice the first baby steps of viveka. It is the beginning of something unimaginable, and the amount of work ahead can not be foreseen. However, the promise is so exciting that it is certainly worth the effort.

***

Let's go through a few purification exercises. As I already wrote, this book is not a manual, but I would like to give you a taste of beginning preparatory steps for sharpening your mind.

First purification exercise

I'd like you to look again at the deconstruction diagram of an idea of a car.

There are three types of ideas in this diagram: learned, derivate, and original.

Learned ideas are vehicle, engine, gas, oil, seat, steering wheel, tire, and other parts of the automobile. You will not find them in the past, and the future will undoubtedly bring newly learned ideas. That means those ideas are not of much interest to viveka. They are coming in infinite numbers and represent the top layer of creation, not its structure. They are the result, not the causal factor. However, those „results“ are necessary to stir up further diving into more fundamental layers of creation. It must be said that the illusion or Maya is mostly visible in that part of reality, specifically through its power of projection.

Derivate ideas are distance, movement, speed, geometry, circle, point, line, etc. Those ideas must be in our minds before we understand any learned idea. They are more abstract, but for efficiency on the learning level, derivate ideas should be understood and mastered. Their number is large but probably limited. Viveka is moderately interested in them as building blocks of creation. Maya operates on that level, too, mostly with its power of hiding and distorting.

Original ideas are the fundamentals of the structure of consciousness. If you like, you may call them eternal. On the diagram, those ideas are time, space, matter, energy, reality, and existence. You could find a few more of such original ideas (did you?), but not much, surely not an infinite number.

Original ideas are the primary field of interest for viveka. Finding a lakshana for any of those ideas should be a great success. I estimate that an average student of viveka needs a couple of months to accomplish that task (for each original idea). The answer, lakshana of an original idea, might be simple – a phrase consisting of a few carefully selected words. Nonetheless, the power of such a lakshana is enormous. The knowledge about the lakshana of an original idea means that you are holding in your mind not only the insight into the fundamental laws of consciousness but also the keys for further waves of creation.

I am not expecting a reader to do that, nor do I intend to give you cooked answers. However, there is an exercise I suggest you do. First, notice that you can draw a similar deconstruction graph for any „material thing“, and you'll end up with almost identical derivate ideas (maybe one or two would be different) and the same original ideas. I hope you see that.

Second, I suggest you draw a deconstruction graph for a „non-material thing“, like, for example, an idea of a relationship (between people). I trust you'll do that. I hope you'll find that the original ideas are the same as in a deconstruction graph for a „material thing“.

And the third part of the first purification exercise is to pay attention to the bottom of the graph. Do you see the arrow pointing down from existence?

What is it pointing at? What could be even lower on the scale of original ideas?

Do not guess, please. It is better to give it time, think about it, and wait.

I'll not write the answer here. Maybe we'll have a chance to discuss it someday. But, if you somehow develop viveka by yourself, you'll not need my confirmation. There is only one idea at the bottom of that graph. There can be no other.

Second purification exercise

What is consciousness?

As we already discussed, the one thing we know for sure is the existence of consciousness. As humans, we ask ourselves about the nature of our reality, and that is the nature of consciousness. What is consciousness?

Until now, you should understand the difference between a question resulting from human curiosity and a desire for knowledge and the viveka-orientated question. When a viveka student asks, „what is consciousness“ they do not expect an elaborate explanation based on scientific or spiritual beliefs, certainly not religious. I've dealt with that question in my book „The Elimination of Karma Factor“. You are probably aware that despite many efforts, there is no satisfying definition of consciousness. Most definitions rely on self-evident common knowledge. You are a conscious being, and you know what it's like to be conscious, so the definitions are usually somewhat tautological: „consciousness is a faculty of being aware“, or something similar.

Viveka is always searching for lakshana. The question „what is consciousness“ should be answered with a lakshana of consciousness, not with the definition of it. One way to do that is to ask yourself how you would recognize that someone or something is conscious? „The Elimination of Karma Factor“ illustrate the steps of examining different possible answers. If you didn't read it (you should!), now is the time to do it yourself. Take your time and try to find out the main criteria for differentiation between conscious and not conscious.

Now is the time to put this book away and think for a while.

I trust you did that, and I apologize if you were able to read the answer before you thought about it yourself.

The answer is – freedom.

Conscious beings can be free or are free. Unconscious, inanimate things are not free but are subjects to restrictions.

You might object that this statement contradicts the „all is consciousness“ idea. And you could be almost right, but do not forget that it's all a matter of perception. We perceive the less free ideas (objects, things) as not conscious and freer ideas (subjects, beings) as conscious. Freedom as laskhana for consciousness does not contradict the oneness of consciousness, nor the fact that our reality is inside it or made from it.

However, that brings us to the main point of this exercise: lakshana freedom does an exciting job. It not only characterizes consciousness but also does some layering – freer, less free, more conscious, less conscious. Yes?

Your viveka alarm should be on right now. If there are layers in an idea, there is a significant probability that that idea is a construction!

As you remember, the best lakshanas are construction free. Minimal or necessary usage of constructions is allowed, but you have to ensure that you don't overlook something that must be rejected. That is why we have to sift through every idea.

Is freedom a construction?

And more specifically, is freedom a conceptual or categorical construction, or maybe both?

This is the first part of the second purification exercise. So, please, put the book aside and think about the question. If you can, write or draw the deconstruction graph for the idea - freedom. Come back when you are done.

All right, the answer is – yes, the idea of freedom is a categorical construction. And, no, it is not a conceptual construction.

Let's deal first with the concept of freedom. Do you need to know or understand some other ideas to understand freedom? It's not like a car, isn't it? No matter the circumstances, in any period and at any place in the world, any human (try with any child) will understand the meaning of „do what you want, you are free“. We can justify the placement of the idea of freedom in the company of original ideas. It is not a superset of other concepts. It stands by itself, with no possibility of further deconstruction.

However, that is not the case with category deconstruction. Freedom has its parts. It is a superset of smaller „freedoms“. For example, you may have freedom of movement but not freedom of speech. You could be free to watch TV, but not choose the channels. When you hear the word „freedom“, you can rightfully ask what kind of freedom it is? Due to that, the idea of freedom is a categorical construction, a superset of different sorts of freedom.

And now, the second part of this exercise: does the fact that freedom is a categorical construction disqualify it for being lakshana for consciousness, or can it pass under the „minimal usage“ of constructions?

Again, this is the moment when you put this book aside, stare at the ceiling for a while, and try to figure out the right answer.

Already back?

The answer is....

Yes, it is ok. Lakshana freedom can pass, no problem.

The methodology is as follows: apply the subsets of possible lakshana and see if they fit better with the idea of consciousness. Or, try to see if any subset of freedom does not match the idea of consciousness.

Freedom of speech, freedom of movement, freedom of choice, freedom of love, freedom of living... neither of these do contradict or annihilate consciousness. On the other side, all subsets of freedom are possible constituents of consciousness and its abilities.

If you did something similar and came to the same conclusion, you may check the second purification exercise as done and mastered.

Third purification exercise

Third and fourth purification exercises can look like mind games or some kind of meticulous logic for beginners, but do not underestimate their value. The insights you will gain from them can save you from generalizations and relativizations of the truth. Also, they can show you that, while learned ideas require learning, you don't have to ask or learn from anyone to find an answer to the questions about the basic structure of reality. The answers are in the structure of your mind, in you, and that's where you have to look to find them.

Today, it is almost popular to say that everything is an illusion. One of the consequences of such a belief is the idea that by choosing your reality and making it whatever you want, you'll not make a mistake. Everything is an illusion, so why not choose a better one, right?

Well, let's see.

Think about the statement: everything is an illusion.

Is this statement correct? The answer can not be „I believe it is“, or „I believe it is not“. You have to find a clear viveka argument to prove without a doubt that one answer is correct, and the other one isn't.

Can you do it?

It's time to put the book aside and do some thinking again.

All right, the answer is... (don't read it if you didn't try to find it yourself)

The statement „everything is an illusion“ is false. It can not be accurate.

The reason why it is so lies in the fact that everything is a superset of... well, everything! And that includes the statement we are examining. „Everything is an illusion“ is a subset of everything. If the statement „everything is an illusion“ were true, it would render itself false! So, which is it? True or false? It can't be both, and due to the created paradox, we should pronounce it wrong. The statement „everything is an illusion“ is not correct. There are things, ideas, experiences, or whatever you wish to call them, that are true and not illusionary.

The story about choosing a better illusion is just an excuse for giving up the search for the truth because there is truth out there. Or better to say in there.

Fourth purification exercise

The last exercise is quite similar to the third one. Inspired probably by the advaita declarations of oneness, some spiritual schools claim the non-existence of an illusion. „Don't worry“, they offer comfort, „all is well. The illusion doesn't exist. All is One, and everything is the Truth.“

The capital letters in such statements are clearly visible. I hope there is no need to remind you about the nine golden rules of viveka. When you see such a statement, you should know it is rubbish. If not for anything else, then for implied meanings and counting on your inner auto-pilot and mental parasites who will in joined effort, interpret „the One“ and „the Truth“ however they see fit.

Let's end the confusion once and for all. Is the statement „everything is the truth“, correct or not?

Retake your time. In a few minutes, I'll expect to see a resourceful viveka explanation with a valid argument and accurate answer.

Did you make it?

All right, the answer is: No, the statement „everything is the truth“ is not correct.

The explanation is similar to the previous one. Everything is a superset of every „thing“, including all false statements that can not be true! For example, the statement from the last exercise would also be true, and we know it isn't. If it were true, that would contradict this statement and again create a paradox. If it were true, that would mean that all lies, all mirages, and all illusions are also true, and we know they aren't.

So, the statement „everything is true“ must be rejected. It is a false statement, a lie.

***

The last two exercises taught us what common sense tells us all the time: there is a truth, and there is an illusion. There should not be relativizations about it. Our insight confirms Shankara's message from Vivekachudami: behind all the veils of illusion, there is a truth. Our task is to find it, not to run from it. If we want to do it properly, we must learn to discern one from the other. That is the sole purpose of viveka.

***

Next Chapter: What to do with all this?