Advaita Vedanta is nothing but Cognitive Science which is the study of the nature of the mind, its functions, the process of thinking and the generation of thoughts. Advaita Philosophy is mainly based on scriptures (Shruti), robust reasoning and sound logic (Yukti) and direct experience (Anubhava).
Shakespeare, the legendary playwright and a greatest thinker of his times in his play "As You Like It" has a famous quotation "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players". Similar view was also expressed by to name a few, Greek philosopher Pythagoras, Dutch philosopher Desiderius Erasmus and Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde. If we as individuals are all playing a role in the world's stage, Shakespeare did not leave a clear hint at what is the true identity of each individual playing the role.
Advaita Vedanta also echoes the same view that the world is a temporary stage and we all are playing a role. This is exactly what is conveyed by the great Advaita master Shankaracharya when he emphatically asserted “Brahma Satya Jagat Mithya”. It means Brahman (name of the Ultimate Reality) is the only Truth, the Jagat (world) is neither real nor unreal, it is temporary, impermanent, fleeting and has only apparent reality. He called the world as Vyavaharika Satya (Transactional Reality), urged everyone to recognise its temporariness and not give any importance to the Jagat apart from what is required practically to transact.
Advaita Vedanta goes further and urges us to probe, analyse, examine and inquire into the true identity and the real nature of each individual who is playing the role in this world. Shankara says no one can think "I do not exist" arguing that one's own existence cannot be doubted and even hypothetically to entertain such a doubt, there must be someone there to doubt. All Advaita is asking us is to Know the Doubter, Know the Thinker, Know the Knower. The Seeker is the Sought. The seeker as well as the sought are one and the same and it is nothing but our own Thinking Ability, Pure Consciousness, Atman. We need to now determine whether
• is the real “I” the Thinking Ability (Atman - Self)?
• is “I” the “Thoughts” we generate (Anatma - Not-Self) using the Thinking Ability (Atman)?
We normally identify “I” with the second one which is nothing but a huge list of thoughts about ourselves. We call this endless collection of thoughts about ourselves as Personality and we strongly identify "I" with this personality. We completely ignore the fact that the collection of thoughts that is defining our personality is completely different from the thoughts that were defining our personality few years back. The thoughts that were bothering us and with which we were highly associated and concerned few years back are not of concern anymore and what we are concerned about today would also become irrelevant few years from now.
On the other hand if we identify "I" with the first option which is our Thinking Ability we realize that this is same in everybody and has been unchanging, ever present and self effulgent. There is absolutely no difference in everyone's Thinking Abilities but there are differences in our Thinking Capabilities. To illustrate the point, I and a professional runner possess exactly the same “Running Ability” but our “Running Capabilities” are different because though I am ”able“ to run, I am not “capable” of running as fast or as long as a professional runner.
The Thinking Ability is called the Sentient Energy, Consciousness, Atman (Self) and has been unchanging. The pursuit of the only unchanging Reality, the eternal Truth, Brahman / Atman is the crux and the ultimate goal of Advaita Vedanta. Discovering and realising our true Self, the Thinking Ability, Pure Consciousness is called Self-Realisation.
To understand why one should pursue and discover the true nature, the real identity of each individual, the Self, Atman, it is helpful to closely analyse the metaphor "This world is a stage or a drama".
A very simple analysis of Drama would reveal certain simple yet subtle truths which are exactly what is conveyed by Bhagavad Gita which is one of the primary texts of Advaita.
In a Drama, when an actor enacts a role be it good or bad the actor discharges the role responsibly to the best of one's talent but the role playing is done dispassionately without any attachment. Bhagavad Gita (3.19) says "Always perform actions that has to be done without attachment, for, by performing action without attachment, man attains the highest". (See Also: BG 2.52 2.62-2.65 3.7 3.28 3.30 4.19-4.23 5.10 6.4 12.16 15.5 18.23 18.26 18.49 18.51-18.52)
In a Drama, an actor engages wholly in action without any kind of expectation or fruits from the action. Bhagavad Gita (2.47) says "Your right is to work only, but never to its fruits; Never be motivated by the fruits of actions, nor be attached to inaction". (See Also: BG 2.49-2.51 4.20 6.1 12.11-12.12 18.2 18.6 18.11)
In a Drama, an actor performs various deeds and actions without any sense of ownership or doership. Bhagavad Gita (4.21) says "Free from expectations and the sense of ownership, with mind and intellect fully controlled, they incur no sin, even though performing actions by one’s body". (See Also: BG 3.27 5.8-5.9 18.16 18.53)
In a Drama, an actor remains unperturbed if the role being played experiences pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat, etc. Bhagavad Gita (2.38) says "Having made pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat the same, engage in battle for the sake of battle; thus, you shall not incur sin". (See Also: BG 2.14-2.15 2.48 2.50 2.55-2.58 4.22 12.13 12.15-12.19 18.10).
When an actor plays a role in a Drama all the points mentioned above are found to be true which are listed below.
• Dispassion and non-attachment to one's actions.
• Not expecting any fruits from the actions performed.
• Whole hearted engagement in actions without the sense of ownership and doership.
• maintaining poise and equanimity when faced with Dvandvas (pairs of opposites) such as pleasure and pain, etc.
In a Drama, the single main reason for all these behaviours of an actor is that the actor effortlessly knows all the time that it is only a role and is aware of the real identity, "I" which is completely distinct and remains untouched by the role being played in the Drama.
According to Bhagavad Gita, in our real life also we could enjoy the same unalloyed freedom if we can truly realise that this world is a stage and our real identity is the nameless, formless, Sentient Energy, Consciousness, Thinking Ability. In Bhagavad Gita, it is this nameless, formless, Thinking Ability, Self, Atman, Brahman that is personified in human form as Krishna.
The Maha Vakya (Great Sentence) in Aitareya Upanishad (3.3) of Rig Veda says "Prajnanam Brahman" meaning "Consciousness or Thinking Ability is Brahman".
Regarding the Thinking Ability, the Bhagavad Gita (3.42) says "The senses are superior to the gross body, and superior to the senses is the mind. Beyond the mind is the intellect, and even beyond the intellect is THAT“ (Thinking Ability, Consciousness, Chit Shakti - Sentient Energy, Self, Atman)". (See Also: BG 2.20-2.25 2.30 2.46 2.55-2.59 2.71-2.72 3.17-3.18 3.39-3.43 4.19-4.21 5.7-5.13 5.16-5.28 6.1-6.15 6.18-6.32 6.35-6.36 7.17 8.12 8.14-8.15 9.22 9.29-9.34 10.9-10.11 11.54-11.55 12.2-12.8 12.14 13.1-13.34 14.23-14.26 15.5 16.22 17.16 18.49 18.51-18.58 18.65)
No wonder that this Thinking Ability fascinated the celebrated French philosopher Rene Descartes and inspired him to make the most popular and philosophically profound proclamation "I think, Therefore I am" (Cogito, ergo sum). According to Wikipedia, Descartes was trying to rise above the senses which he thought could be deceptive and reasoned that reasonings are also susceptible to Paralogisms (illogical or fallacious) and hence focused on self-evident, undeniable ultimate Truth, the Thinking Ability.
One of the critiques of Descartes, the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard says that the first part of the statement, “I think” itself presupposes the existence of “I” rendering the second part “therefore I exist” redundant.
Vedanta says that the presupposed “I” is nothing but the Sentient Energy, Consciousness, Awareness, Concentrating Entity, Knowing Power, Thinking Ability, Atman (Self).
Everyone of us find ourselves in a role in this world such as a parent, child, sibling, spouse, kin, relative, friend, colleague, professional, citizen, fellow human being, etc. Not forgetting and always being aware of our true identity “I” as Thinking Ability, Pure Consciousness, enables us to discharge our roles responsibly, without ego, dispassionately, selflessly, wholeheartedly, to the best of our abilities and at the same time enjoy and cherish Consciously every moment of our lives.
According to Advaita, when the mind gets energised by the Atman, the Chit Shakti (Sentient Energy), the mind gains its Sentience and Consciousness, the Thinking Ability. Thus the mind borrows its Sentience or Consciousness from the Atma and reflects it. This is called Chidabhasa (Chit-Abhasa). Chit means Consciousness and Abhasa means reflection.
Being completely focused on the study of the mind and the controlling of the mind, Advaita is nothing but a Cognitive Science that too a life guiding and a life changing science.
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