Thoughts and dreams appear only in the self-ignorant view of ourself as ego, not in the clear view of ourself as we actually are

A few months ago a friend wrote to me asking about a passage attributed to Annamalai Swami, but which I later found was a misquoted version of a passage from the book Annamalai Swami: Final Talks (perhaps because it had been translated from English into some other language and then back into English again), so I first replied regarding the wording of the misquoted version, and after finding the original passage I wrote another reply more appropriate to that wording. This article is adapted from these two replies. We can be aware of phenomena only when we rise as ego and not when we are aware of ourself as we actually are In order to be what we actually are we need to be aware of ourself alone and not anything else whatsoever 1. We can be aware of phenomena only when we rise as ego and not when we are aware of ourself as we actually are My friend had been sent the misquoted version of the passage by another friend, who had found it somewhere on Facebook, where it was attributed to Annamalai Swami, and when my friend sent it to me he highlighted two portions in bold and asked me to help him understand them clearly. The passage as he quoted it was: Everything we see during the waking state is a dream. These dreams are our thoughts that manifest. Bad thoughts produce bad dreams and good thoughts, good dreams; and if you do not have thoughts, you do not dream anything. But even if you dream, you must understand that your dream is also the Being. It is not necessary to suppress the thoughts or to think absolutely nothing to live being conscious of the Being. If you keep in mind that even the dreams of when you are awake and of when you sleep are the Being, then the thoughts and dreams that they produce can continue because they no longer they will represent you no problem. Simply, be the Self at all times and, in that state, you will know that everything that appears before you is nothing more than a dream. In reply I wrote: From all that I have read of what Annamalai Swami said it seems to me that his understanding of Bhagavan’s teachings was not very deep, clear or subtle, so many things he said are rather confusing and not in tune with what Bhagavan taught us. He spoke only Tamil, so I do not know what word he used that has been translated as ‘the Being’, but it may have been uḷḷadu, which means either ‘being’ or ‘what is’, or it could have been some other word such as iruppu, which means ‘being’ or ‘existence’, or uṇmai, which means ‘is-ness’, ‘truth’ or ‘reality’. However, whichever word he used, I assume from the context that he meant what actually exists, in which case nothing can be other than that, because if anything were other than what exists it would not exist and would therefore not be anything. However the important distinction that Bhagavan made is between what actually exists and what merely seems to exist, and as he said in the first sentence of the seventh paragraph of Nāṉ Ār?: ‘யதார்த்தமா யுள்ளது ஆத்மசொரூப மொன்றே’ (yathārtham-āy uḷḷadu ātma-sorūpam oṉḏṟē), ‘What actually exists is only ātma-svarūpa [the ‘own form’ or real nature of oneself]’. Everything other than our real nature, which is pure awareness, is just an illusory appearance, so though it seems to exist it does not actually exist. However, though nothing else actually exists, whatever seems to exist cannot be other than what actually exists, just as the illusory snake does not actually exist, but it is not other than the rope, which is what does actually exist (at least as far as this analogy is concerned). This is why in the other sentences of the same paragraph Bhagavan said: ஜக ஜீவ ஈச்வரர்கள், சிப்பியில் வெள்ளிபோல் அதிற் கற்பனைகள். இவை மூன்றும் ஏககாலத்தில் தோன்றி ஏககாலத்தில் மறைகின்றன. சொரூபமே ஜகம்; சொரூபமே நான்; சொரூபமே ஈச்வரன்; எல்லாம் சிவ சொரூபமாம். jaga-jīva-īśvarargaḷ, śippiyil veḷḷi pōl adil kaṟpaṉaigaḷ. ivai mūṉḏṟum ēka-kālattil tōṉḏṟi ēka-kālattil maṟaigiṉḏṟaṉa. sorūpam-ē jagam; sorūpam-ē nāṉ; sorūpam-ē īśvaraṉ; ellām śiva sorūpam ām. The world, soul and God are kalpanaigaḷ [fabrications, imaginations, mental creations, illusions or illusory superimpositions] in it, like the [illusory] silver in a shell. These three appear simultaneously and disappear simultaneously. Svarūpa [one’s own form or real nature] alone is the world; svarūpa alone is ‘I’ [the ego or soul]; svarūpa alone is God; everything is śiva-svarūpa [the ‘own form’ or real nature of śiva, the one infinite whole, which is oneself]. When Bhagavan says, ‘svarūpa alone is the world’ and so on, what he means is that svarūpa alone is what seems to be the world, ego and God, because svarūpa alone is what actually exists, so whatever seems to exist cannot be other than that. When Annamalai Swami says, ‘your dream is also the Being’, that is rather confusing, because it seems to imply that dream is what actually exists, which is not quite correct. Dream does not actually exist, although it is not other than what actually exists. Annamalai Swami also gives a lot of importance to understanding, such as when he says, ‘you must understand that your dream is also the Being’, but though it is necessary for us to have a correct, deep and subtle understanding of Bhagavan’s teachings, mere understanding by itself is insufficient, because it needs to be applied in practice. For example, it is necessary for us to understand that what actually exists is only our own real nature and that everything else is just an illusory appearance, but what is the use of understanding this if we do not apply it in practice by attending only to ourself and not to anything else whatsoever? Annamalai Swami says (according to what you quoted, though the last clause is grammatically incorrect), ‘If you keep in mind that even the dreams of when you are awake and of when you sleep are the Being, then the thoughts and dreams that they produce can continue because they no longer they will represent you no problem’, but merely keeping this in mind does not solve the real problem, which is ego, the false awareness ‘I am this body’, because what attempts to keep this in mind is only ego, so by keeping anything in mind other than ourself alone we are just perpetuating ego. Thoughts and dreams appear only in the view of ourself as ego, so as long as any thoughts or dreams appear we have not ceased to rise as ego. As Bhagavan says in verse 26 of Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu: ‘அகந்தை உண்டாயின், அனைத்தும் உண்டாகும்; அகந்தை இன்றேல், இன்று அனைத்தும்’ (ahandai uṇḍāyiṉ, aṉaittum uṇḍāhum; ahandai iṉḏṟēl, iṉḏṟu aṉaittum), ‘If ego comes into existence, everything comes into existence; if ego does not exist, everything does not exist’. In the clear view of our real nature, nothing exists or even seems to exist other than itself, because it is infinite, eternal and immutable, so in order to be as we actually are we need to be aware of nothing other than ourself. Annamalai Swami says, ‘be the Self at all times and, in that state, you will know that everything that appears before you is nothing more than a dream’, but if we remain just as our real nature (ātma-svarūpa), nothing whatsoever can ever appear before us. As Bhagavan says in the third paragraph of Nāṉ Ār?: சர்வ அறிவிற்கும் சர்வ தொழிற்குங் காரண மாகிய மன மடங்கினால் ஜகதிருஷ்டி நீங்கும். கற்பித ஸர்ப்ப ஞானம் போனா லொழிய அதிஷ்டான ரஜ்ஜு ஞானம் உண்டாகாதது போல, கற்பிதமான ஜகதிருஷ்டி நீங்கினா லொழிய அதிஷ்டான சொரூப தர்சன முண்டாகாது. sarva aṟiviṟkum sarva toṙiṟkum kāraṇam āhiya maṉam aḍaṅgiṉāl jaga-diruṣṭi nīṅgum. kaṟpita sarppa-ñāṉam pōṉāl oṙiya adhiṣṭhāṉa rajju-ñāṉam uṇḍāhādadu pōla, kaṟpitam āṉa jaga-diruṣṭi nīṅgiṉāl oṙiya adhiṣṭhāṉa sorūpa-darśaṉam uṇḍāhādu. If the mind, which is the cause for all awareness [of things other than oneself] and for all activity, ceases [or subsides], jagad-dṛṣṭi [perception of the world] will depart [or be dispelled]. Just as unless awareness of the imaginary snake goes, awareness of the rope, [which is] the adhiṣṭhāna [basis, base or foundation], will not arise, unless perception of the world, which is kalpita [a fabrication, imagination or mental creation], departs, seeing svarūpa [one’s own form or real nature], [which is] the adhiṣṭhāna, will not arise. Likewise in the fourth paragraph he says: நினைவுகளைத் தவிர்த்து ஜகமென்றோர் பொருள் அன்னியமா யில்லை. தூக்கத்தில் நினைவுகளில்லை, ஜகமுமில்லை; ஜாக்ர சொப்பனங்களில் நினைவுகளுள, ஜகமும் உண்டு. சிலந்திப்பூச்சி எப்படித் தன்னிடமிருந்து வெளியில் நூலை நூற்று மறுபடியும் தன்னுள் இழுத்துக் கொள்ளுகிறதோ, அப்படியே மனமும் தன்னிடத்திலிருந்து ஜகத்தைத் தோற்றுவித்து மறுபடியும் தன்னிடமே ஒடுக்கிக்கொள்ளுகிறது. மனம் ஆத்ம சொரூபத்தினின்று வெளிப்படும்போது ஜகம் தோன்றும். ஆகையால், ஜகம் தோன்றும்போது சொரூபம் தோன்றாது; சொரூபம் தோன்றும் (பிரகாசிக்கும்) போது ஜகம் தோன்றாது. niṉaivugaḷai-t tavirttu jagam eṉḏṟu ōr poruḷ aṉṉiyam-āy illai. tūkkattil niṉaivugaḷ illai, jagamum illai; jāgra-soppaṉaṅgaḷil niṉaivugaḷ uḷa, jagamum uṇḍu. silandi-p-pūcci eppaḍi-t taṉ-ṉ-iḍam-irundu veḷiyil nūlai nūṯṟu maṟupaḍiyum taṉṉuḷ iṙuttu-k-koḷḷugiṟadō, appaḍiyē maṉamum taṉ-ṉ-iḍattil-irundu jagattai-t tōṯṟuvittu maṟupaḍiyum taṉṉiḍamē oḍukki-k-koḷḷugiṟadu. maṉam ātma-sorūpattiṉiṉḏṟu veḷippaḍum-pōdu jagam tōṉḏṟum. āhaiyāl, jagam tōṉḏṟum-pōdu sorūpam tōṉḏṟādu; sorūpam tōṉḏṟum (pirakāśikkum) pōdu jagam tōṉḏṟādu. Excluding thoughts [or ideas], there is not separately any such thing as world. In sleep there are no thoughts, and [consequently] there is also no world; in waking and dream there are thoughts, and [consequently] there is also a world. Just as a spider spins out thread from within itself and again draws it back into itself, so the mind makes the world appear [or projects the world] from within itself and again dissolves it back into itself. When the mind comes out from ātma-svarūpa, the world appears. Therefore when the world appears, svarūpa [one’s own form or real nature] does not appear; when svarūpa appears (shines), the world does not appear. So long as we are aware of any world (any phenomena whatsoever), we have risen as ego and are therefore not aware of ourself as we actually are, and when we are aware of ourself as we actually are, we will not be aware of any world. 2. In order to be what we actually are we need to be aware of ourself alone and not anything else whatsoever After writing the above reply, I explained to my friend that I was doubtful about the authenticity of the passage he had quoted because there is an obvious error in the clause ‘because they no longer they will represent you no problem’, so I asked him where he had found it, and he told me that he had been sent it by a friend who had found it quoted on Facebook. I therefore used Google to find the source of it and then wrote a second reply to my friend as follows: I googled to see if I could find the original of the passage you quoted from Annamalai Swami, and I found a link on this page to a page where a PDF copy of Annamalai Swami: Final Talks is available. As you can see, what you quoted is an incorrect copy of the following passage on page 26: Annamalai Swami: Everything we see in this waking state is a dream. These dreams are our thoughts made manifest. Bad thoughts make bad dreams and good thoughts make good dreams, and if you have no thoughts, you don’t dream at all. But even if you do dream, you must understand that your dream is also the Self. You don’t have to suppress thoughts or be absolutely thoughtless to abide as the Self. If you know that even your waking and sleeping dreams are the Self, then the thoughts and the dreams they produce can go on. They will not be a problem for you any more. Just be the Self at all times. In this state you will know that everything that appears to you is just a dream. Though the wording here is somewhat different to what you quoted, much of what I replied to you still applies to this. I do not know what word he used that has been translated as ‘the Self’, but I assume he meant our real nature, which is what Bhagavan generally referred to as ātma-svarūpa or just svarūpa. When he says ‘dreams are the Self’, that is true in the same sense that an illusory snake is just a rope, but just as the rope is not a snake, our real nature is not a dream. That is, our real nature is what appears as dream, because nothing else actually exists, but dream is just an illusory appearance. As Bhagavan makes clear in the third and fourth paragraphs of Nāṉ Ār?, which I cited in my previous reply to you, so long as we are aware of any world we are not aware of our real nature, and if we were aware of our real nature we would not be aware of any world. Therefore it is misleading to say, ‘If you know that even your waking and sleeping dreams are the Self, then the thoughts and the dreams they produce can go on. They will not be a problem for you any more’, because that implies that we can be aware of our real nature while being aware of dreams. This is also implied in the final two sentences of this passage, ‘Just be the Self at all times. In this state you will know that everything that appears to you is just a dream’. How can we ‘just be the Self at all times’ unless we are aware of our real nature? But when we are aware of our real nature, we will know that that alone always exists and therefore dreams have never existed. Therefore Annamalai Swami is wrong when he says, ‘You don’t have to suppress thoughts or be absolutely thoughtless to abide as the Self’, because so long as we are aware of any thoughts we have risen as ego and are therefore not abiding as the Self, our real nature. Thoughts seem to exist only in the view of ego, which is the first thought and the root of all other thoughts, so in order to ‘abide as the Self’ or be as we really are, we need to be aware of nothing other than ourself, which entails not being aware of any thoughts. What ‘abiding as the Self’ (ātma-niṣṭhā) actually means is clearly implied by Bhagavan when he explains what complete self-surrender entails in the first sentence of the thirteenth paragraph of Nāṉ Ār?: ஆன்மசிந்தனையைத் தவிர வேறு சிந்தனை கிளம்புவதற்குச் சற்று மிடங்கொடாமல் ஆத்மநிஷ்டாபரனா யிருப்பதே தன்னை ஈசனுக் களிப்பதாம். āṉma-cintaṉaiyai-t tavira vēṟu cintaṉai kiḷambuvadaṟku-c caṯṟum iḍam-koḍāmal ātma-niṣṭhāparaṉ-āy iruppadē taṉṉai īśaṉukku aḷippadām. Being ātma-niṣṭhāparaṉ [one who is completely fixed in and as oneself], giving not even the slightest room to the rising of any cintana [thought] other than ātma-cintana [‘thought of oneself’, self-contemplation or self-attentiveness], alone is giving oneself to God. Whether we call them thoughts, dreams or world, phenomena of any kind whatsoever appear only in the self-ignorant view of ourself as ego and not in the clear view of ourself as we actually are. Therefore in order to be what we actually are we need to be aware of ourself alone and not anything else whatsoever. - Artículo*: Michael James - Más info en psico@mijasnatural.com / 607725547 MENADEL Psicología Clínica y Transpersonal Tradicional (Pneumatología) en Mijas Pueblo (MIJAS NATURAL) *No suscribimos necesariamente las opiniones o artículos aquí enlazados
A few months ago a friend wrote to me asking about a passage attributed to Annamalai Swami, but which I later found was a misquoted version ...

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Más info en psico@mijasnatural.com / 607725547 MENADEL Psicología Clínica y Transpersonal Tradicional (Pneumatología) en Mijas y Fuengirola, MIJAS NATURAL.

(No suscribimos necesariamente las opiniones o artículos aquí presentados)