Metaphysics
The many schools of thought that comprise Hinduism agree on the following postulates as a starting point for debates or meditations on “God”:
- There is something beyond to “what you perceive as you and what you perceive as reality” – that includes everything – space, time, mind, consciousness. Something Beautiful, Supreme, Serene, All Knowing, All Transcendent, that which has no beginning nor end – for beginning and end are meaningless (being constructs created by our perception of time as linear). Hinduism calls this the Atman.
- This Atman is present everywhere in everything, as a Divine Spark or Essence, that extends all the way back to the Source, Brahman. Brahman and Atman are two sides of the same coin. One may regard, Brahman as God Transcendent, then Atman as God Immanent.
“The power of the One extends beyond this world. It reaches from here all the way back to where it came from… The Source.”
- The MatrixIn the beginning was the Tao.
All things issue from it;
All things return to it.
- Tao Te Ching - Everything is Pure Consciousness. At every instance, in particular for every choice we make, a split takes place in the universe and you continue on that universe containing the choice you made.
“SPOON BOY: Your spoon does not bend because it is just that, a spoon. Mine bends because there is no spoon, just my mind.
(Neo watches as it curls into a knot.)
SPOON BOY: Link yourself to the spoon. Become the spoon and bend yourself.”
- The Matrix - Everything is also maya. What we think as reality, that is, the universe as we experience it is a construct, a veil, or illusion hiding the true nature of the underlying Reality.
“The Matrix is everywhere, it’s all around us, here even in this room. You can see it out your window, or on your television. You feel it when you go to work, or go to church or pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.”
- The Matrix - This maya causes bondage, attachments. And with attachment comes delusion, and with delusion comes suffering.
“That you are a slave, Neo. That you, like everyone else, was born into bondage… kept inside a prison that you cannot smell, taste, or touch. A prison for your mind.”
- The Matrix - This maya is caused by conditioning, through the sense organs, indriya. The moment we are born light falls on our eyes, a chemical reaction takes place and is transmitted in the form of electrical impulses to the brain via the optic nerve. If one were to even slightly alter the chemistry then our whole perception changes. We might see other wavelengths of light that we may not normally see, for example. Thus we are bound to the grosser senses (sight, hearing, touch) by chemical reactions. The eye alone is just an inert object. The optic nerve carries the sense impressions to the manas (or mind) which registers the sense impressions.
- These sensations that the mind feels are then interpreted by the buddhi or intellectual faculty. That is, it is interpreted, differentiated, named, cataloged, and stored (in the chitta or thought/memory space). The key is the word differentiated – i.e. when the buddhi percieves x and y are different.
“What is real? How do you define real? If you’re talking about your senses, what you feel, taste, smell, or see, then all you’re talking about are electrical signals interpreted by your brain.”
- The MatrixIt is my impression that the chitta is not just “memory”, but is a cosmic memory – ancient, old, eternal. Every thought wave goes back to the Source. The act of recollecting something from memory engages the cosmic memory space.
- Because of this indriya-manas-buddhi binding the jiva-atman sees things as “this” and “that”, and develops an identity “I am”, ahamkara or ego.
“When the reaction comes from Buddhi, along with it flashes the external world and egoism”
- Swami Vivekananda [Collected Works, Vol.1] - The ego is bound up in the prithvi-narayana principle, i.e. the self-limiting principle that makes us think we are the just the “body” and that mind is confined to the small space inside our head. This is called avidya, ignorance or delusion.
“(Sitting across from Cypher is Agent Smith.)
AGENT SMITH: Do we have a deal, Mr. Reagan?
(Cypher chews the steak loudly, smacking it between his teeth.)
CYPHER: Mmm, so, so fucking good.
(Smith watches him shovel another hunk of meat into his mouth.)
You know, I know that this steak doesn’t exist. I know when I put it in my mouth, the Matrix is telling my brain that it is juicy and delicious. After nine years, do you know what I’ve realized?
(Pausing, he examines the meat skewered on his fork. He pops it in, eyes rolling up, savoring the tender beef melting in his mouth.)
CYPHER: Ignorance is bliss.
AGENT SMITH: Then we have a deal?
CYPHER: I don’t want to remember nothing. Nothing! You understand? And I want to be rich. Someone important. Like an actor. You can do that, right?
AGENT SMITH: Whatever you want, Mr. Reagan”
- The Matrix - In Hinduism the science of yoga is the act transcending the self-limiting conditioning and to realize our true nature, true potential, our true Self. Our grosser sense attachments mask our subtler senses. It is like room full of ten radios playing heavy metal rock music, and one playing light classical music. We cannot hear the classical music unless we turn off the heavy metal. To see/hear/know the Self, one must completely withdraw from sense objects like a tortoise withdraws its limbs [Bhagavad Gita, 2:58], through yoga. Yoga in Sanskrit meaning, “union with” [Reality/The Source/God]. In the process of aiming towards such a divine goal, ones life becomes more harmonious and fulfilled, just on the basis of the holistic nature of the universe alone.
“You must let go of everything.”
- The Matrix - Hinduism says all of the above itself is based on conditioning. One needs to transcend the Vedas to “know” the Truth, and the Vedas itself will help you do that. That is, the only way to “know” the Truth is to experience the Truth directly.
“Agent Smith: Why, Mr. Anderson, why? Why, why do you do it? Why, why get up? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you’re fighting for something, for more than your survival? Can you tell me what it is, do you even know? Is it freedom or truth, perhaps peace – could it be for love? Illusions, Mr. Anderson, vagaries of perception. Temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself.”
- Matrix Revolutions“Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.”
- The Matrix - And finally, Hinduism asserts that anyone can experience (directly see, have the vision of, merge with, become one with) the Truth (God, Self, Atman, Shiva, Krishna, Kali,…) through yoga. If their desire is strong enough and that is what they really want, they can extricate themselves from maya, from bondage.