Chapter-4

THE YOGA SUTRAS OF PATANJALI

Beyond Mind To Awareness

Second Question

Energy Enhancement Enlightened Texts Yoga Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

The second question:

Question 2

CAPACITY OF RIGHT KNOWLEDGE IS ONE OF THE FIVE FACULTIES OF THE MIND, BUT IT IS NOT A STATE OF NO-MIND. THEN HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT WHATSOEVER ONE SEES THROUGH THIS CENTER IS TRUE? DOES THIS CENTER OF RIGHT KNOWLEDGE FUNCTION AFTER ENLIGHTENMENT, OR CAN EVEN A MEDITATOR, A SADHAK BE WITH THIS CENTER?

Yes, the center of right knowledge, praman, is still within the mind. Ignorance is of the mind; knowledge is also of the mind. When you go beyond mind, there is neither; there is neither ignorance nor knowledge. Knowledge is also a disease. It is a good disease, a golden one, but it is a disease! So, really, Buddha cannot be said that he knows; he cannot be said that he doesn't know. He has gone beyond. Nothing can be asserted about it, whether he knows or whether is ignorant.

When there is no mind, how can you know or not know? Knowing is through mind, not knowing is also through mind. Through mind you can know wrongly, through mind you can know rightly. When there is no mind, knowledge and ignorance both cease. This will be difficult to understand, but it is easy if you follow: mind knows so mind can be ignorant; when there is no mind how can you be ignorant and how can you be knowing? You are, but knowing and not knowing both have ceased.

Mind has two centers; one, of right knowledge. If that center functions it starts functioning through concentration, meditation, contemplation, prayer -- then whatsoever you know is true. There is a wrong center: it functions if you are sleepy, live in a hypnotic-like state, intoxicated with something or other-sex, music, drugs or anything.

You can be addicted with food; then it becomes an intoxicant. You may be eating too much. You are mad, obsessed, with food. Then food becomes alcohol. Anything that takes possession of your mind, anything without which you cannot live, it becomes intoxicating. So if you live through intoxicants then your center of wrong knowledge functions, and whatsoever you know is false, untrue. You live in a world of lies.

But these both centers belong to the mind. When mind drops and meditation has come to its totality... In Sanskrit we have two terms: one term is dhyana; dhyana means meditation; another term is samadhi: samadhi means perfect meditation where even meditation has become unnecessary, where even to do meditation is meaningless. You cannot do it, you have become it -- then it is samadhi.

In this state of samadhi there is no mind. And there is neither knowledge nor ignorance, there is only pure being. This pure being is a totally different dimension. It is not a dimension of knowing, it is a dimension of being.

Even if such a man, Buddha or a Jesus, wants to communicate to you, he will have to use mind. For communication, he will have to use mind. And if you ask a certain question, he will have to use his center of the mind for right knowledge. Mind is the instrument of communication, of thinking, of knowing.

But when you are not asking anything and Buddha is sitting under his bo tree, he is neither ignorant nor a knower. He is there. Really, there is no difference between the tree and the Buddha. There is difference, but in a way there is no difference. He has become just as if a tree; he just exists. There is no movement, even of knowledge. The sun will rise, but he will not know that sun has risen. Not that he will remain ignorant -- no, simply that is not now his movement. He has become so silent, so still, that nothing moves. He is just like the tree. Tree is totally ignorant. Or, you can say tree is just below the mind. The mind has not started functioning. The tree will become man in some life, the tree will become mad like you in some life, and the tree will try for meditation in some life, and the tree will also become one day a Buddha. The tree is below mind, and Buddha sitting under the tree is beyond mind. They both are mindless. One is still to attain the mind, and one has attained and crossed it over.

So when mind is transcended, when no-mind is achieved, you are a pure being, satchitananda. There is no happening in you. Neither action is there nor knowing is there. But it is difficult for us. Scriptures go on saying that all duality is transcended.

Knowledge is also part of duality -- ignorance, knowledge. But so-called saints go on saying that Buddha has become "a knower". Then we are clinging to the duality. That's why Buddha never answers. Many times, millions of times it has been asked to him, "What happens when a person becomes a Buddha?" He remains silent. He says, "Become and know." Nothing can be said about what happens, because whatsoever can be said will be said in your language, and your language is basically dualistic. So whatsoever can be said will be untrue.

If it is said that he knows it will be untrue, if it is said that he has become immortal it will be untrue, if it is said that now he has achieved bliss it will be untrue -- because all duality disappears. Misery disappears, happiness disappears. Ignorance disappears, knowledge disappears. Darkness disappears, light disappears. Death disappears, life disappears. Nothing can be said. Or, only this much can be said-that whatsoever you can think will not be there, whatsoever you can conceive will not be there. And the only way is to become that. Then only you know.