Firstly, in this context, self-Knowledge is NOT referring to moksha (permanent freedom, enlightenment, liberation). It is a means to moksha.
Self-knowledge is a though keeping with what-is — that is created and assimilated in the subtle-body (your mind).
The content of this thought is, “The truth of this changing subtle-body who I thought I was, is unchanging consciousness, which is my real identity”.
Thought in form of self-knowledge, destroys the erroneous notion that “I” am this limited, mortal being enveloped in the flesh, in these daily emotions and biography.
Now, let's return to original question…
Who or what gains knowledge of self (that I am free and limitless and not bound to this person)?
Is it consciousness (brahman), the subtle-body (where understanding of what-is takes place), or reflected consciousness (fancy name for ego or the ever changing sense of “I”)?
Self-Knowledge is knowledge that arises in the subtle-body.
The subtle-body on its own is inert, so it cannot gain any knowledge.
Consciousness is changeless and unconnected to the subtle-body, so it also cannot gain any knowledge.
So it must be gained by reflected consciousness (ego)?
All knowledge is gained by reflected consciousness — the consciousness that is ‘reflected' in the subtle-body.
It is reflected-consciousness (which is a fancy name for ego, or all-pervasive unhanging consciousness, which in association with the subtle-body, takes itself to be as good as the subtle-body) that has ignorance, and it is reflected-consciousness that gains Self-Knowledge and moksha. After knowledge takes place, the ego recognizes it's truth is actually the unchanging consciousness, which is all-pervasive and not bound to any limitations.
Reflected consciousness and original consciousness relationship:
Self-Knowledge is the knowledge “I am original, unchanging consciousness (brahman)”.
Reflected-consciousness is not brahman. It is the reflection of brahman in the subtle-body.
Just as my reflection in a mirror is not me, the reflection of brahman is not brahman.
Therefore, if reflected-consciousness has the thought “I am brahman”, this is not knowledge but a mistake. It's like thousands of drops of water are all reflecting one SAME sunlight. And one of those drops believes the light within itself is the original light. It's not. It's reflected-light. Original light never moves.Reflected light always moves since the drop of water is always moving by the winds.
So when the person says “I am moving”, what is that “I” referring to? The reflected-consciousness.
Proper understanding is, “This I that is moving, is the reflected-consciousness or ego. The truth of this ego is original consciousness, which is always known to me as self-evident I that is available in every movement, every change, every emotion, every worry, every ignorance, every knowledge”.
Difference between reflected-consciousness and original, unchanging-consciousness via cup analogy:
To make it more clear, imagine an empty cup is moving. What is inside the cup? Space. Is the space different from the space outside the cup? No. Because space inside (reflected-consciousness) is without any attributes, and space outside (original, unchanging consciousness) is without attributes. So it's the same space.
When the cup says “I am moving”, the “I” in that sentence is referring to the space inside the cup, which we can call “reflected consciousness”. But what is ACTUALLY moving — the space or the cup? The cup (which you can equate to either moving thoughts/emotions or moving body).
And since inside space (reflected consciousness) is the exact same as outside space (original consciousness) — it means the truth of reflected consciousness is original consciousness. It's simply a cognitive understanding and acceptance that goes on inside the subtle-body of the enlightened.
While the ignorant cup takes this moving “I” (reflected consciousness) as the absolute reality, simply because it's ignorant of the fact that the reflected-consciousness is not different from original consciousness. Therefore each life, “I continue as reflected-consciousness (ego)”. And since ego always needs a physical body to express itself, you get that too!
Reflected-consciousness is mithya
Another way to look at it is, since the subtle-body (or causal-body from which the subtle-body arises) and reflected-consciousness (ego) are mithya — they can be negated — leaving only the non-negatable original-consciousness as the reality of the jiva (person).
Therefore the liberated one, their definition of “I” is no longer in mithya (which includes the ego, or the subtle-body or causal-body) — but original-consciousness.
The Liberation of the Ego: How Self-Knowledge Dissolves Ignorance
A jiva (person who puts “I” in their body-mind) is made up of (a) reflected consciousness, (b) causal body, (c) original, unchanging consciousness.
This means, the meaning of “I” for the jiva includes all three.
How can reflected-consciousness and causal-body be negated if they are intrinsic to the jiva?
Answer:
When the causal-body or subtle-body is enlivened by original-consciousness — it gains an identity or sense-of-self.
This enlivened subtle-body is the reflected-consciousness (cidabhasa or pratibimba caitanya) — also known as the ahamkara (ego).
Being inert, the subtle-body cannot have a sense of self.
A sense of self requires a conscious principle.
However, once enlivened, the (ignorant) subtle-body concludes that its borrowed sense-of-self is intrinsic to it.
It has the notion “I am an individual”, even though its ‘I'-ness, its true identity, is unchanging, all-pervading consciousness.
The notion “I am an individual” is ignorance — and moksha which is attained by means of self-Knowledge — is the understanding that ‘I' is (am) all-pervasive, unchanging and limitless.
Since it is the enlivened subtle-body or reflected-consciousness that has the notion “I am an individual” – it alone needs to understand that ‘I' is (am) truly limitless.
Such an understanding is true because the ‘I'-ness or sense-of-self that was wrongly attributed to the limited subtle-body – is actually limitless consciousness alone.
Thus when upanishad reveals “tat tvam asi” – the word ‘tvam' (‘you') is addressing the reflected-consciousness (ego).
However when the (enlightened) reflected-consciousness understands “I am brahman” – the word ‘I' means original, unchanging, all-pervasive consciousness.
In this way, the entire phenomenon of ignorance and knowledge, occurs within the subtle body.
Moksha is for reflected-consciousness (ego) alone. Brahman has nothing to do with any of it. Brahman simply is.
Yes. Where is your body/mind while in deep sleep? Not present. There’s nothing in deep sleep.
Yet you (Brahman) still say “I love sleep!”, or sleep is blissful.
In other words, one doesn’t need body/mind to continue giving oneself validity of Existence (Brahman).
Else we’d all fear going to sleep, of fearing going out of existence.
In fact, only reason we love sleep is because mind/body is not present. And yet you still say “There’s nothing in deep sleep”. How do you KNOW there is “experience of nothing”, or “Experience of bliss”? Because YOU (Brahman) are still present in deep sleep, even while body/mind is absent.
In Advaita Vedanta, what really happens after Videha-Mukti (when a liberated person dies)?
Yes, there’s no doubt that the physical body falls dead. But what happens to the causal/subtle body? Does it still continues to exist in some higher plane of existence or astral realms?
Or is it completely destroyed and ceases to exist?
1) Physical body: the one with mass. The one we weigh on the scale.
2) Subtle body: Mind. An instrument that translates causal body’s samskaras (impressions/habits you’ve done in the past) into desires, in form of thoughts/emotions/perceptions/values.
3) Causal body: For example, what thought will come in your subtle body in 11 minutes from now? Nobody knows because it’s in potential (IE: Causal Body).
While alive, “I” (atman) disassociates with Causal body (the one that gives birth to subtle and physical body).
Hence upon death, there’s noone to claim ownership of samskaras (causal body). There’s noone to say “I desire to enjoy family, to become the president, to invade another country, to be someone popular”.
Hence all samskaras simply go back into potential. Never again to be owned by Self.
Next question, what is the experience like after death for one who is liberated? “I am resting as myself whose nature is limitless”.
Don’t say more then above statement. Because a limited mind can’t describe infinity.
In short: Don’t worry what happens “after”. Just focus on living an honest, moral life… while keeping mind on self-knowledge.
Can Brahman witness anything without mind and body ?
Yes. Where is your body/mind while in deep sleep? Not present. There’s nothing in deep sleep.
Yet you (Brahman) still say “I love sleep!”, or sleep is blissful.
In other words, one doesn’t need body/mind to continue giving oneself validity of Existence (Brahman).
Else we’d all fear going to sleep, of fearing going out of existence.
In fact, only reason we love sleep is because mind/body is not present. And yet you still say “There’s nothing in deep sleep”. How do you KNOW there is “experience of nothing”, or “Experience of bliss”? Because YOU (Brahman) are still present in deep sleep, even while body/mind is absent.
In Advaita Vedanta, what really happens after Videha-Mukti (when a liberated person dies)?
Yes, there’s no doubt that the physical body falls dead. But what happens to the causal/subtle body? Does it still continues to exist in some higher plane of existence or astral realms?
Or is it completely destroyed and ceases to exist?
Thank you.
Firstly what is a person? Person = 3 bodies.
1) Physical body: the one with mass. The one we weigh on the scale.
2) Subtle body: Mind. An instrument that translates causal body’s samskaras (impressions/habits you’ve done in the past) into desires, in form of thoughts/emotions/perceptions/values.
3) Causal body: For example, what thought will come in your subtle body in 11 minutes from now? Nobody knows because it’s in potential (IE: Causal Body).
While alive, “I” (atman) disassociates with Causal body (the one that gives birth to subtle and physical body).
Hence upon death, there’s noone to claim ownership of samskaras (causal body). There’s noone to say “I desire to enjoy family, to become the president, to invade another country, to be someone popular”.
Hence all samskaras simply go back into potential. Never again to be owned by Self.
Next question, what is the experience like after death for one who is liberated? “I am resting as myself whose nature is limitless”.
Don’t say more then above statement. Because a limited mind can’t describe infinity.
In short: Don’t worry what happens “after”. Just focus on living an honest, moral life… while keeping mind on self-knowledge.
Thank you