WHAT IS MAN? – SPIRITUALITY AND SELF-REALIZATION :

What is Man? I want to respectfully begin this conversation by stating my motivation for asking the question.

WHAT IS MAN? SPIRITUALITY AND SELF-REALIZATION. SPIRITUALITY IS NOT LEARNED OR ACQUIRED EXPERIENCE.

The motivation to know Real Man comes from a statement expressed in the Sanskrit language: “Sarvesham Swastir Bhavatu” that seeks the well-being of all humans, of all races, of all cultures, of all religions, and of all nations.

The meaning and purpose of human life are affected by whatever we think is the ‘real’, or ‘true’ nature of Man. But, more importantly, our efforts to support the well-being of man would require correct understanding and knowledge of ‘real’, or ‘true’ Man.

Human Cultures and Traditions all over the world venerate people recognized as Prophets and Saints, as people of Spiritual Knowledge. Such Spiritual Masters, Spiritual Teachers, Spiritual Gurus, or Spiritual Guides instruct Man to discover True Self-using a process called  Self-Realization. This could be defined as complete fulfillment of the Self or full development of one’s ‘real’, or ‘true’ Self without which Man is thought to be incomplete.

I submit to my readers that I do not intend to show any disrespect towards any of these Masters of Spiritual Learning and Teachers of various kinds of Spiritual Practices. I have a basic right to know and understand ‘true’ or ‘real’ Self and I believe such understanding has practical applications to promote and preserve the well-being of all humanity. The reasoning process that I use could be called Applied Philosophy which involves Application of Conceptual Analysis to questions of Belief and Faith which affect what we think about ourselves and what we think we ought to do individually and socially. We need to carefully verify the concepts of Soul, and Spirituality to define Self-Realization.

HUMAN BIRTH IS A DIVINE PHENOMENON :

Spirituality is the potency that brings Man’s Essence and Man’s Existence to come together to provide Man the Subjective and Objective Reality of his own biological existence in the Physical and Material Realm. Spirituality is the potency that shapes Man’s Existence as a Spiritual Being. Human Birth is a Divine Phenomenon. The Newborn Baby always arrives as a Spiritual Being. This statement has two important implications; 1. There are complete development and fulfillment at birth for Man to exist as a Spiritual Being, and 2. Spirituality is not Learned or Acquired Knowledge and Behavior. Man does not transform himself into a Spiritual Being by his physical or mental efforts. In other words, Spirituality does not involve learning from Holy Scriptures, the practice of techniques like Meditation, and observation of religious rituals like a pilgrimage and Temple worship. Man, the Physical Being is created not as an Embodied Soul but as a Living Soul that lives as a Spiritual Being.

Man acquires several important benefits by reading Holy Scriptures and through religious practices such as Prayer, Meditation, and Worship. I do not discourage or disrespect such practices and religious behavior. Rather, I categorically submit to my readers that Man does not transform himself into a Spiritual Being by virtue of any of his physical, and mental efforts. To think that Man is born as a Physical Being and slowly transforms himself into a Spiritual Being through a process called Self-Realization is a myth.

If the Human Body is described as a field of activity or ‘KSHETRA’, the Knower, and the Enjoyer of this field of activity called ‘KSHETRAJNA’ exists at birth. This Spiritual Being does not come into existence during a later part of life through a process of Learning from sensory experience or intellectual introspection.

CREATION AND SELF-REALIZATION :

Man, like all other living entities, represents a thermodynamically unstable system. Man does not exist in the physical, material world because of his own Power/Force/Energy. Man needs a continuous supply of energy from an external source during the entire span of his life. The fact of Man’s Physical Existence in Natural World could be explained as Manifestation of Power/Force/Energy of the Supreme Being. Operation of this Divine Power or Potency underlies the process of Self-Realization, the process or mechanism by which the Creative Power/Force/Energy establishes the complete Self. In Indian tradition, the process of Self-Realization involves Four Stages before it arrives at the Final Stage called God-Realization. These initial Four Stages are as follows:

1. First Stage of Self-Realization – The Establishment of Knowledge or ‘JNANAMOYA’:

Human Life begins at conception as a Single, Fertilized Egg Cell. This Egg Cell always comes from a previously existing Egg Cell that experienced Growth and Development into a human being. Father is the Originating Principle. Mother, the divine source of Life, Energy, and Knowledge, is the Providing Principle. In my view, Self-Realization begins with implantation of Knowledge in Substance of the Egg Cell making it Conscious or Aware of its own Living Condition that initiates its Growth and Development into Embryo, Fetus, and a fully formed human baby. Hence, Life could be defined as “Knowledge in Action.” In Indian tradition, this aspect of Self-Realization is described as “Jnanamoya”, the Living Symptoms manifested as Consciousness.

2. The Second Stage of Self-Realization or The Establishment of Vital Functions, ‘PRANAMOYA’:

The Newborn Baby upon separation from Mother begins life as an independent living entity by the initiation of its vital, living functions such as Respiration and Circulation. To survive in the physical world, the Baby needs to breathe on its own and circulate vital supply of Oxygen to all the tissues, and organs of the entire body. In Indian tradition this manifestation of living symptoms as Consciousness or Self-Realization is called “Pranamoya”; the ability to perform vital functions like Breathing independent of Mother.

3. The Third Stage of Self-Realization or The Establishment of Nutrition, ‘ANNAMOYA’:

WHAT IS MAN? SPIRITUALITY AND SELF-REALIZATION. RESPIRATION PLAYS CRUCIAL ROLE IN ENERGY TRANSFORMATION FOR COMPLETE FULFILLMENT OR FULL ESTABLISHMENT OF SELF WITH CONSCIOUSNESS AS ITS LIVING SYMPTOM.

During the stages of Growth and Development, Embryo and Fetus receive nutritional support from Mother. Complete Fulfillment or Full Establishment of Self with Consciousness as Living Symptom primarily involves the acquisition of Matter and Energy from an External Source.

What is Man? Spirituality and Self-Realization. Fulfillment or Establishment of Human Life primarily involves the acquisition of Matter and Energy from an External Source.

The Newborn Baby must continue to feed through all the stages of its physical existence for the rest of its entire life span.

WHAT IS MAN? SPIRITUALITY AND SELF-REALIZATION. THE PROCESS OR MECHANISM CALLED CELLULAR RESPIRATION IS NOT LEARNED OR ACQUIRED EXPERIENCE. NO SPIRITUAL TEACHER, NO SPIRITUAL MASTER, AND NO SPIRITUAL GUIDE CAN IMPLANT THIS KNOWLEDGE OF CELLULAR RESPIRATION IN MAN.

No Spiritual Teacher, no Spiritual Master, and no Spiritual Guide can implant Knowledge in Man to perform Living Function called Cellular Respiration, the Living Symptom manifested as Consciousness. In Indian tradition this manifestation of Consciousness or Self-Realization as Living Symptoms that involve dependence upon Food for Existence is called “Annamoya”, or the Materialistic Realization of the Supreme Being’s Divine Power, Energy, or Potency.

4. The Fourth Stage of Self-Realization or The Establishment of ‘The Knowing-Self’, ‘VIJNANAMOYA’ :

The cells, tissues, and organ systems of the Newborn Baby display functional subservience for the benefit of Self which lives because of their living functions. Reticular Formation in the Brain Stem functions as ‘The Knowing-Self’, and is involved in the composition of Consciousness which brings functional unity in the complex, multicellular human organism to generate Singular Effect called Man. Reticular Formation of Brain Stem can be described as the “Knower”, and the “Enjoyer” or “KSHETRAJNA” of the field of activities of Human Body called “KSHETRA”. In Indian Tradition, Establishment of this “Knower”, “Enjoyer”, or the ‘Knowing-Self’ as a manifestation of Living Symptom of Consciousness  is described as the Fourth Stage of Self- Realization, or ‘Brahman-Realization’ called “Vijnanamoya.”

For the reasons I shared, the Complete Fulfillment or Full Establishment of Self as Living, Spiritual Being is not Learned, or Acquired Behavior.

Rudranarasimham Rebbapragada

BHAVANAJAGAT.ORG