Deep Sleep Is Nihilism's Name: A Commentary on Gaudapada.

According to Gaudapada,

deep sleep is the non-apprehension of reality,

and the states of the waking dream

and dreaming dream are both

non-apprehension, and further,

misapprehension of reality.

The former is cause and the latter, effect.

Thus deep sleep,

or the absence of duality (nihilism, nothing),

is not reality.

Reality is not just nothing; reality is nondual.

Whereas people see all manner of things unwell,

reality eternally is witnessing

only self-awareness.

afterword

so, if deep sleep is nihilism according to gaudapada, then what is the waking and dream state?

i'm guessing the waking state is full bore materialism and the dream state is some religious halfway house.

in other words, those three states of consciousness are represented in the world by three schools of thought: materialism, religionism, nihilism. but they are not the truth. the stateless fourth state is the truth.

footnotes

1. my autocorrect says godapada and so far i'm okay with that.

2. deep sleep is like the big bang, like a cosmic worm hole, like the necessary self-forgetting (maya) before self-awareness.

3. religion is the greatest dream state.

4. scientific materialism is the greatest religion.

5. it's one thing not to see the rope but it's another thing to see the snake.

6. the primal cause is ignorance. the first effect is fear.

7. deep sleep is nothing. nihilism is not reality. reality is nondual.

8. awareness is witnessing self-awareness. cool, cool, cool.

bibliography

updating the mandukya and karika translation observations—gambhirananda is still in first. although i feel there are significant mistakes in a few places, these actually help in understanding sankara's commentary, which is surprisingly deferential in faithfulness to the paraguru.

swartz is in second place despite the sometimes poor editing and questionable design decisions, and an obvious, if transcendentally fine, agenda. still, i feel there is some true insight in places, none more insightful as the one in seeing the i-sense as the proof of Mandukya 7.

third is chinmayananda. as far as i'm concerned, c. is nearly a prerequisite for its complete translation services. it is almost necessary for triangulation purposes. but it's commentary, although truly profound in places, is mundane overall, which actually might be its intent.

fourth, but not last, is raphael. it's been nicely esoteric in a western way, but is, so far, a fourth wheel in triangulation. yet it's still early, although if its approach to mandukya 7, possibly the world's greatest statement on nonduality, is any guide, don't hold your breath.

i feel it's necessary to say i have not read nikhilananda's translation as well as many others. i still may, of course. and as for jones, no comment.

haiku

october crickets

awareness is as love sounds

aum self-awareness