Atman
The Bhagavad Gita declares about Brahman, “The eternal, undying, and supreme being. The nature of that being is addressed as Addyatma (the true great spirit). It exists both within and outside of everything. ” Brahman and Atman have identical qualities, and this is a universal principle.
How can Atman be recognized?
The Upanishads say, “Sat (being), Chit (consciousness), Ananda (bliss), Nitya (eternal), Paripurna (complete) ” are the essential nature of Brahman (Atman). The Taittiriya Upanishad describes the Atman as being covered by five sheaths: “Annamaya Kosha (sheath made of food), Pranamaya Kosha (sheath made of life energy), Manomaya Kosha (sheath made of recognition), Vijnanamaya Kosha (sheath made of intelligence), and Anandamaya Kosha (sheath made of bliss). ” Notably, the Taittiriya Upanishad describes Ananda as a sheath that covers the Atman. Even when in the state of Ananda, recognizing the Atman is not possible. Atman is a being enveloped by Ananda (bliss).
Ananda, in the context of seeking Atman, refers to a bliss experienced in the process, differing from the joy, delight, and emotion experienced due to external factors in the relative world, emerging deeply from the heart and the core of the body. It could be said that the existence of Ananda (Bliss), as taught in the Upanishads, is proof of the existence of Atman (the true I). While Atman is a term that reveals the true I, it is a word stored as knowledge in the mind; recognizing Atman from this word in the world of words is impossible. Similarly, recognizing Atman through the five senses (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body) is also impossible. Atman can only be verbally expressed as the true self existing in the deepest part of the body.
So, how can Atman actually be recognized?
Recognition is impossible by any method other than intuitive and embodied recognition with experiential understanding.
That all existence is Atman is made clear by the Upanishads. The Upanishads express Atman in various descriptions. The Upanishads present Atman through the individual expressions of those who have recognized it through embodied recognition. This itself can be said to be a truth proving the existence of Atman. When you experience the Atman that exists beyond Ananda and in its depth, only then can you understand that Atman truly exists.
All beings visible to the eye, while varied in form, are truly just Atman taking such forms; the seer recognizes the truth as Atman. When looking at crawling ants and worms, dogs and cats, we recognize them as such. Such recognition is a method to recognize the relative world, where various forms exist, and is merely something memorized as knowledge in the mind. The names ants, worms, dogs, cats are given by humans. From this, no existence truly has a name. Recognizing names for all existences is delusion, presumption, and illusion.
When looking at dogs and cats, cows and horses, recognizing them as animals such as dogs, cats, cows, and horses, represents a dualistic viewpoint in the relative world. All existences are equal in this world and their existence.
Categorizing living creatures divides them into humans and non-human creatures. Non-human creatures constitute the natural world. Thus, harmful animals, birds, and insects do not exist originally in the natural world, but are born from human-centric thinking. Although the human body is made of natural materials, through evolution, humans have come to possess abilities like thinking power, discriminating power, understanding power, and integrating power. Humans have not used these abilities correctly.
As long as dualistic recognition exists, recognizing all existences as Atman is impossible. That the true existence is Atman is an axiom. Delusion, illusion, and the judgment called difference will not reach the truth of Atman. One who has recognized the Atman existing deep within the individual self as Atman, only then comprehends that all existences are also Atman. Mantras and rituals are acts of purifying the mind, but it’s safe to say they do not lead to the embodied recognition of Atman.
Sincere pursuit of Atman is the path to experiential knowledge of the true I. The Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita serve as signposts for recognizing Atman. It is crucial to be aware that oneself is a seeker of Atman and to engage with all existences with the feeling that, regardless of the reasons for their existence, all existences are equal. If one always advances on the path of seeking Atman, they will certainly encounter profound realization.
After obtaining experiential knowledge of the true I, one finally reaches the recognition that “All existences are me. ” The term “I ” does not refer to this body. “I ” refers to the Atman, the true I. All existences are Atman. “I am Atman ” – this is the true knowledge obtained from experiential knowledge of the true I.
translator：Makoto Ishii