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Living Absolute Truth in Practical Reality

Overview

How can one know the absolute truth while facing and understanding practical reality? The Ashtavakra Gita and other scriptures provide profound guidance on this integration.

From Ashtavakra Gita

The Ashtavakra Gita is particularly direct and radical. It teaches:

1. Self-Knowledge (Atma-Jnana)

  • Recognize yourself as the witness (sakshi) of all experiences
  • “You are not the body, not the mind, not the doer - you are pure consciousness”
  • This recognition happens through direct insight, not gradual practice

2. Simultaneous Engagement

  • Live in the world but remain unattached
  • Like water on a lotus leaf - in contact but not affected
  • Perform actions without identification: “I am not the doer”

3. The Witness Attitude

  • Observe your thoughts, emotions, and actions as if watching a movie
  • The witness remains untouched by what it witnesses

From Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita offers a more practical path:

1. Karma Yoga (Path of Action)

  • Perform your duties without attachment to results
  • “कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन” - You have right to action, not to fruits

2. Nishkama Karma (Desireless Action)

  • Act for the sake of dharma, not for personal gain
  • This purifies the mind and prepares it for knowledge

3. Equanimity (Samatvam)

  • Remain balanced in success and failure, pleasure and pain
  • “समत्वं योग उच्यते” - Equanimity is called yoga

From Upanishads

Isha Upanishad beautifully addresses this balance:

“तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथाः” - “Enjoy through renunciation”

  • Engage with the world but with an attitude of non-possession
  • Everything belongs to the Divine; you’re just a trustee

Practical Guidelines

Here’s how sages suggest living this balance:

1. Two Levels of Awareness

  • Surface level: Engage fully with practical responsibilities
  • Depth level: Maintain awareness of your true nature as consciousness

2. Viveka (Discrimination)

  • Constantly discriminate between the permanent (Self) and impermanent (world)
  • Ask: “Who is experiencing this?” to return to witness consciousness

3. Detached Involvement

  • Be like an actor playing a role - fully engaged but knowing it’s a play
  • Don’t deny the role, but don’t forget you’re the actor

4. Present Moment Awareness

  • The absolute truth is always NOW
  • Past and future are mental constructs
  • Stay rooted in present awareness while handling practical matters

A Beautiful Teaching from Ashtavakra

Chapter 18 of Ashtavakra Gita describes the Jivanmukta (liberated while living):

  • They appear to act but don’t identify as the doer
  • They seem to enjoy but are not attached
  • They live in the world but are internally free
  • To others they appear normal, but internally they rest in absolute truth

The Key Integration

The secret is not choosing between absolute and practical reality, but holding both simultaneously:

  • Absolute perspective: “I am pure consciousness, unchanging, eternal”
  • Practical perspective: “This body-mind performs actions in the world”
  • Integration: Act through the body-mind while resting as consciousness

Analogy: Driving a Car

Think of it like driving a car:

  • You ARE the driver (consciousness)
  • You’re NOT the car (body-mind)
  • But you use the car skillfully to reach destinations
  • You don’t confuse yourself with the car, nor do you abandon it

A Daily Practice Suggestion

  1. Morning: Remind yourself of your true nature through meditation/contemplation
  2. During day: Act fully in the world while maintaining witness awareness
  3. Evening: Reflect on the day as if watching a movie of someone else’s life
  4. Night: Release all identifications before sleep

The Essential Understanding

The Ashtavakra Gita emphasizes that this is not a gradual achievement but a sudden recognition - when you truly understand “I am not this, I am THAT,” you live freely in both realities without contradiction.

Key Concepts

  • Vivartavad: Theory of apparent transformation
  • Parinamvad: Theory of real transformation
  • Sakshi: The witness consciousness
  • Jivanmukta: Liberated while living
  • Karma Yoga: Path of selfless action
  • Viveka: Discrimination between real and unreal

Source: Discussion on Ashtavakra Gita and related scriptures