What is the real you? ( Self Image,Image for Others and Image By Others).

In Indian spiritual tradition self has three profiles -

Ahamgara - Self Image, image one has about oneself.

Mamagara - Image for Others, Image projected to others

Anyagara - Image by others, Image held by others.

The life as such revolves around these three images.

Among these images,

“Image for others” is consciously built by us, so we know it is an image.

Similarly,

we know “image by others” is only an image because it is opinion of others.

But, when it comes to self image, it is difficult to know that it is also an image.

We take self image as our true self, though it is also an opinion, a self opinion.

All the relationships in our life are between this self image and images of others

and all aspirations in life are aspirations of this image.

When image changes or mutates, everything changes along with that.

To put it concretely,

“wife” is an image of a woman,

It is very rare for a man to look at the woman behind the image of wife and vice versa.

It is so with other labels as well.

Coming back to abstract,

If, what I consider as ‘me’ is only a self image,

What is the substratum on which this image is built?

Is there such a thing or there is only image and nothing else.

To understand the question, we can look at it from a different angle.

Nature exist.

Nature exists independent of the image i have about it.

Likewise,

Does a self exist independent of the image i have about it (Self Image)?

There has to be such an entity because,

We, being part of nature,

There must be a element within us which is part of that independent nature and so

independent of our self image.

That element is the true self or the true ‘me’ or ‘you’.

This can be felt or one can have a glimpse of it by transcending the images.

Transcending the self image begins with looking at facts and not sticking to one’s opinions.

Even if the facts are uncomfortable to one’s  self image.

Constant awareness and effort gradually loosens the grip of images and enable us to see

the existence of such an entity.

It is a journey without any idea of a destination.

It is not about knowing the unknown but unknowing the known.

Sect of Christian mystics called it “Cloud of Unknowing”.

Is there a God?, is it a scientific question? - (Vedanta and Cloud of Unknowing)

Is there a God?
Is there any way to prove the hypotheses through science ? - presence or absence.
When something similar was put to physicist Dr. David Bohm.
He replied, as a scientist he can't answer the question.
The reason he gave was, scientific questions have a notion of solution.
But, the question of God provides no such thing.
So,the implication is,
it is not a scientific question in the first place, so can't be answered scientifically either way.
May be science can't answer it today, is it possible some time in future?
But, we know knowledge is additive  and ever growing.
Therefore  knowledge at any point of time will remain limited and
with the limited knowledge we can't answer questions of absolute.

Then, it seems question of God/absolute can not be approached with objective knowledge.
If we can't approach it with objective knowledge, then what other tool is there.
The tool could be self knowledge or knowledge of one's own psychological self.

We are all familiar with the phrase 'Know Thyself'.
On the surface,
Knowing oneself would be for behavior modification to become more efficient and successful
in material life.
At the deeper level
Knowing oneself means to transcend the psychologically conditioned self ( Ego) and arrive at
the unconditioned or authentic self.

With the conditioned self called as Ego
What we see is what we want to see and
What we experience is what we think we experience.

According to mystical traditions,
It is the unconditioned self, which will reveal what is actual and will answer the
questions What is God and What is meaning of life.

There are two established traditions that speak about it.
Hindu Vedanta
Christian Cloud Of Unknowing.

Vedanta (Ved -knowledge, anta -end) -
Ending of knowledge (Psychological, not technical) to arrive at unconditioned authentic self.

Cloud Of Unknowing -
Stripping of thoughts (Conditionings) to arrive at  unconditioned authentic self.

How to go about it is another thing.

According to these traditions, answers to question of God and meaning of life is in
discovering one's own unconditioned or authentic self.

It is feeling, not thinking - Is there such a thing?

We often come across people saying that 'it is feeling, not thinking'
We ourselves might have used it without 'thinking' about it.
Is there actually a 'feeling', which is not related to our 'thinking'?
Because, we recognize our feeling only through the thought behind it.
If our wish is realized, we feel happy.
It is our wish, which is a thought that enable us to recognize that the feeling we have is happiness.
It is so with our anger or sadness.
Without a thought behind it, a feeling can't be recognized.
So, when we say 'it is feeling, not thinking', it must be unrecognizable or indescribable.
More importantly, that feeling is not product of our thinking.
That is, it can't be our wish. It just happens.

We can classify our feelings as
-  Feelings that are recognized immediately ,
-  Feelings that are recognized later by comparison.
-  Feelings that remain indescribable.

Recognizable feelings.

If we take feeling of anger, normally there is always a thought behind it.
 May be something happened against one's thought or wish.
 Wish or thought is based on one's thinking pattern.
That is, what makes one angry, may not make another one angry.
This thought alone enable us to recognize that it is anger.
Otherwise, it will remain an uncomfortable feeling without a name.
Most of our feelings are of this nature.
Whether they are pleasant or unpleasant,
they are caused or qualified by our thoughts only.
So, these are not  -  'it is feeling, not thinking'.
These feelings are products of our thinking.

Feelings that are recognized and labeled later.

This is another kind of feeling.
When we look at flaming sunsets or a roaring water fall.
We lost our selves in fascination.
One is entirely lost in that feeling.
When it is happening, there is no recognition of what feeling it is.
Mind is absent, there is no seer and what is seen. There is only seeing.
Later on , we may label it as beautiful by comparing it with other such experiences.
Next time around, it won't be so fascinating.
But, during the episode - 'it is feeling, not thinking'.

Indescribable feelings

Normally feelings with respect to religious/mystical/spiritual experiences,
Near Death Experience and Out of Body experiences are considered as indescribable feelings.

They are indescribable because we can describe only what our ego can experience but
these feelings lie outside the realm of ego.

Still, we can try to see what kind of feeling that could be by trying to look at things
without allowing ego to taint the perception.
For instance,
When a man looks at his wife, it is always through the label MY WIFE with all the
imports.
If he can 'look' at the WOMAN behind the WIFE,which is ego-centric perception.
Not theoretically but actually, then perception would undergo change.
Not only about the 'wife' but about everything around.
Nothing is lost but perception becomes more authentic.
The feeling one goes through during such perception cannot be described
because it lies outside the realm of  ego.
This is not altered consciousness induced by drugs but pure consciousness, not opinionated by ego elements.
This is indescribable - 'a feeling, not thinking' of different order.

The link below takes to the real life incident of Near Death Experience and Out of Body Experience
of an ex Indian Model and Actress Anu Agarwal and her current avatar.

Courtesy - The Hindu

Click Here