Viveka talks – exercise 10. The Viveka method: “something we do not doubt” vs. “something we can not doubt”.
Remember: this article/chapter is tokenized, and you may buy it as “writer’s NFT!”
Points to consider
Finally, we are at the root of the viveka method. To correct its mistakes and enter the sphere of freedom, the mind has to choose the right method. That must be the method that does not allow any mistakes. It has to be bullet-proof and deliver the knowledge without any doubt.
In a world of philosophy, the archimedean point represents a starting point, something we rely upon, the beginning, and maybe the end –alfa and omega. It is something you don't question or doubt. Or, a second version, it is something you can not question or doubt. As a prospective student of viveka, you must understand the difference between those two statements.
„Something you don't doubt“, can be something you believe in. It can be, for example, the existence of God. Of course, you CAN doubt this premise, so it can not be the start of the correct viveka method.
While „something we don't doubt“represents an idea, „something we can not doubt“ includes in itself a procedure. It starts with a question: „What do you know for sure, without any possible doubt?“ If you answer that question, you'll find the archimedean point of viveka. This is the place where the purification of the mind starts.
Chapter 10. explains the first step on the path of viveka discovery. We start with the analysis of Descartes's „cogito ergo sum“ which is a fine example of an honest search for the archimedean point. However, since there is a possibility of doubt in the existence of separate I-ness who thinks that conclusion is unacceptable for viveka. It is not good enough.
What IS good enough is the knowledge of the existence of consciousness. There is consciousness. Something is happening (thoughts, emotions, perception) and that something is within consciousness (or we call it consciousness). Note that there is no need for a definition of consciousness to confirm its existence. So, the statement „consciousness exists“ is the archimedean point of viveka.
Such an approach enables the mind to think without construction, while „something we don't doubt“ makes it construction-filled, even if such a construction, or a belief, would be true or justified.
Everything else that follows after „consciousness exists “ must be equally outside the scope of doubt.
The process of accepting the simplicity and direct understanding of principles of viveka, Shankara attributes to the „purification of the mind“. Vivekachudamani 181 says:
Therefore, the mind must be diligently purified by those who earnestly seek liberation. When the mind is purified, liberation is as easy to access as a fruit in the palm of one’s hand.
Questions for thinking
Only one question in this exercise:
- Please, carefully reconsider the sureness of the “consciousness exists” statement. Is it really something you CAN NOT doubt?
It is your turn now. Write your thoughts, comments, or questions.
