7

If I am learning something like learning physics or chemistry or maths means who is learning? Is it Atman or my brain?

If Atman means why can't it (Atman) realize after death that I belong to this body and then I will enter back to this same body.

If it is just my brain, my brain is learning about Brahman now, then how my Atman will remember that oh okay I am actually Brahman, so I should merge with brahman and this body is not real.

I am looking for connectivity between brain and Atman. How brain will send the information to my Atman that I am Brahman.

20
  • 1
    You are almost there to realize the atman you should loose your identity to realize the brahman i.e. atman (loose your brain in your terms) Loose your brain to get to brahman (Advaita in a nutshell)But unfortunately im a tattva vadist (Dualist) so I will retain my brain.. and also I will realize brahman :-)
    – Prasanna R
    Feb 18, 2019 at 5:58
  • Ahamkara is what you think as you. Its from this all thoughts arise and you think you are different from ATMA. Learner is mind. But the stage where you realize the learner is mind is Atma. Feb 18, 2019 at 13:27
  • what do you mean by Atman OR me ? Atman = me
    – mar
    Feb 18, 2019 at 17:06
  • Akshay would have ment me=Ahankara but atman=brahman @ram if you destroy the me or Ahamkara there you are
    – Prasanna R
    Feb 19, 2019 at 5:22
  • People who are learning advaita should not use the word atman to refer to the individual self. As per Shankara, Atman is the universal self and jiva is the individual self. There's only one or ekam. And that's Atman aka Brahman, present everywhere. All living and non living things dwells in the infinite body/feild of Atman. Feb 19, 2019 at 6:51

2 Answers 2

2

That which is learning is the mind.

Atmaa can not be realised through the brain. And it does not need to learn anything as it is already 'Purna' as mentioned in the Mahavakyas.

Gita says:

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचि

न्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः।

अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो

न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे।।2.20।।

2.20 Never is this One born, and never does It die; nor is it that having come to exist, It will again cease to be. This One is birthless, eternal, undecaying, ancient; It is not killed when the body is killed.

But brain is born and it dies.

Also,

इन्द्रियाणि पराण्याहुरिन्द्रियेभ्यः परं मनः।

मनसस्तु परा बुद्धिर्यो बुद्धेः परतस्तु सः।।3.42।।

3.42 They say that the organs are superior (to the gross body); the mind is superior to the organs; but the intellect is superior to the mind. However, the one who is superior to the intellect is He.

Our brain controls our mind and intellect. Atmaa is beyond these. In fact Atmaa is the Knower and so can not be perceived through the brain. It is realised at the Nirvikalpa-Samadhi samadhi state where there is no functioning of body, mind, intellect and so of brain.

5
  • Yes Atman is Poorna and knows everything. But when IT associates with ego (in other words) when it puts on the coverings or sheaths called causal, subtle and gross, then it forgets ITS true nature and this forgetful state is the jivahood. In short, the locus of avidya is in Atman itself. Ramakrishna has explained this beautifully. He said, just like a snake keeps poison in his system, the same way Atman too keeps his illusory shakti maya within ITSELF. Due to this reason, whenever Atman manifests as a body, IT forgets ITS true nature. Feb 19, 2019 at 7:25
  • Samadhi is defined as mano-nasha
    – user17294
    Feb 19, 2019 at 7:33
  • Without the instrument called Mind, one cannot know Atman or Brahman. The mind is needed. But once we get to know Atman thru the mind, then mind dissolves into Atman. Then mind stops functioning. And this is the reason why many saints after realising Atman/Brahman, cannot explain their experiences since the mind after reaching that stage stops functioning. You then go beyond the mind , but with the help of the mind of course. Feb 19, 2019 at 7:38
  • Mind dissolves in intellect and intellect disolves in Atmaa
    – user17294
    Feb 19, 2019 at 7:45
  • Antahkarana is mind. Mind is the tool by using which one gets to know Brahman. That's the belief of the Pratibimba sub school of advaita. Just like a person cannot see his face without a mirror, the same way one cannot attain Brahman without antahkarana or mind. Once brahmahood is attained and mind's function is done, the mind dissolves in Atma/Brahman. Feb 19, 2019 at 10:57
0
ahaṃ nirvikalpo nirākāra rūpo

(vibhutvā ca sarvatra sarvendriyāṇaṃ na cāsaṅgataṃ naiva muktir na meyaḥ cidānandarūpaḥ śivo'ham śivo'ham)

Athma shatakam or nirvanaashtakam.

The self (athma) is beyond thought.(Nirvikalp). As per Sri Ramana (author of Maha yoga), Nisargadatta maharaj(who has written I am that) the athman is even beyond awareness of 'I am'.

Adwaitha says:- Till there is this seer and seen as separate entities there is a question of knowledge and ignorance. One they are given up, there is just self.

The people who are in this state are termed as Jnani by us but they are actually beyond ignorance and wisdom.To realize that you are brahman you need to give up duality.

Connectivity between brain and athman is a question in duality. But athmasakshathkar is beyond duality.

Mind learns and unlearns what it has learnt as rightly said in geetha.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .