THE  ABSOLUTE 

By 

Achala Bhakthan

Everything in the world that we refer to is relative, i.e. it is all in relation to a Life Circle.  The past is in relation to the present life circle, the future is in relation to the present life circle and the present is in relation to the past and future of a life circle.  Thus, the present is the center of this life circle. But still it is a relative term.  All that we refer to in this life circle is in a relative term.  This means that every thing is conditioned by a Time Span. Then what is Absolute.  Absolute means which has no past, present or future, which is not conditioned by the time span; which has no relation with any other. Let us see an anology.  

“I had gone to the temple yesterday”. This is an expression referring to a past activity

“I will be going tomorrow to the temple”. This refers to an activity I am planning in future. 

“I am going to the temple”. This refers to the present action that I am in. 

If we now look at it, Yesterday is past,. Tomorrow is future and Today is present.  This is in relation to a DAY. Can you express these three terms without a reference to the past, future or present? No, isn’t it?  This shows that our life in this world is only relative = conditioned by Time span and is always related to something. All of us know that anything which is conditioned or related is impermanent, because the past, present and future are part of a vicious circle and go on repeating one after the other endlessly. In English, Absolute means : “Complete”, “Not relative or comparative”, “unconditional”. It means Absolute is unconditioned, is not related to anything, nor is it dependent on anytbing.  It is fullness and it stands on its own.  “Complete" is the base for everything related or conditioned.  Therefore, it must be the substratum of all phenomena and must be ever permanent without a beginning or end.  The Life circle, which as seen by us, is impermanent because it is conditioned, related and dependent and has a beginning and end.  It rotates on the Absolute as its base.   The Absolute is, therefore,  the substratum of our life.  Isn’t it?   How to know the Absolute then?  We have to go beyond – beyond the time span, beyond the conditions, beyond dependency.

Our aim in this life should be to know this Absolute – the substratum of our life.  How to go about it?  To know the Absolute, we must first cut asunder this Life Span, that too being in this Life span.  "Be in it and go beyond it" is the method.  When does our life start?  The moment the Brunam is placed in the womb the Life begins and the conditioning also comes with it. It is conditioned by the time span, it is dependent on the strength of the womb, it becomes related to the mother's health etc.  Thus, you will agree that we have to go beyond this phenomenon of "beginning".  When does the Life gets extinguished?  When the Body Mind and Intellect stop functioning due to aging.  Again the "End" is also bound by the time span, conditioned by the aging and related to the individual.  Thus, you will see that we have to go beyond this stage of "End".  Is it possible?  What is the method?   Yes, intellectually we can enquire and investigate the truth.  But we can understand anything only in relation to this Life Circle and from this Life Circle.  Let us see. 

Absolute means “Complete”.   If the absolute is the substratum, all things coming out of it must be part of it.  Anything which is a part of something else is not complete.  Our life is thus not complete, is part of the Absolute.  It arises from the Absolute, it exists in the Absolute and it disappears into the Absolute, because Life has a beginning, existence (temporary) and End.  OK?  Thus, we agree Absolute is beyond Life Span and is ever permanent.  Our aim is to understand this Absolute, be that Absolute.  Anything that is complete is not dependent on anything else, is not conditioned by anything else, has no relationship with anything else, because it stands alone – it is the very existence permanent.  Don’t  you agree?

This brings us to the conclusion that the Absolute is the substrataum of all life spans, since it exists in all Life spans and therefore knows all that happened in each life span.  Thus, the Absolute is the KNOWLEDGE  SUPREME.   The knower, the known and the aprocess of knowing all in one.  How to know this?  It is not possible to scale it or assimilate through our intellect, because intellect is conditioned and dependent and impermanent.   Only a Lawyer can understand another Lawyer, a Scientist can understand another Scientist etc.  Therefore, if you want to know the Absolute, you have to be the Absolute, that is merge with it, be That.  The process, therefore, is enquiry or contemplation beyond intellectual assimilation and beyond the impermanent.  Some one call it Meditation, Sadhana, Self-enquiry etc. In Meditation, we are trying to merge with this Absolute by going beyond the Body, Mind and Intellect (BMI).  If you want to reach Pune, you have to travel in a train and cross over all the stations enroot without getting down in any station till you reach Pune.  Thus, you will be approaching each station and leaving them behind one after the other till you reach Pune, without getting down in any station.  Similarly, the BMI is the vehicle and all the stages in the process of Meditation are the stations which you have to cross over, without getting influenced by them,  to reach the Absolute. 

You may wonder, why I am practicing an acrobatism with words instead of explaining in simple terms.  As the Absolute is beyond all limitations and conditions, no language can explain it, because the language itself is conditioned and dependent and can only explain relatively..  We have to explain through the medium of language to the best of our ability, which the intellect should understand and put to use by practically going beyond through this Sadhana, Meditation etc. No one – not even your Guru can take you through – they can only guide you by opening all the doors.  It is for you to choose the door and go through it with complete faith on your Guru.  The Guru ultimately ends his taching by saying 'TAT TWAM ASI"  -  "OM TAT SAT".

I am trying to conclude here, because I have dealt with “THE MIND”, "LOCATIONA OF MIND”, "MEDITATION”, “GOD”, "ATTAINMENT”, "REALISATION”, “ART OF LIVING” and many such related articles in this website, which fully explain the method. 

                                                  Hari Om Tat Sat