Advaita: What gives sentiency to a thing?

[Martin]

It was a long time ago, an Advaitin swami on youtube said something similar to what you've just said. That there needs to be a reflective medium, for Consciousness to reflect upon.

According to him, this mind aka subtle body is a reflective medium or tool, which reflects/borrows Consciousness and makes itself and the rest of the body sentient, even though it has no sentiency of its own, just like moon which has no light of its own, simply borrows and reflects sunlight, and makes its lunar body luminious. This is a very beautiful example that he gave :=)

Now the question that comes to my mind is that, who is it that decides which object in the universe should breathe and think (have tools like mind, senses, prana etc.) and which objects should just stay dead.
... Is it the personal God Ishwara who decides everything, OR is it just ME in my True impersonal Brahman state (before manifesting the universe) who decides how the world should really look and function like?

Maybe Brahman/consciousness is like gravity, a sort of fundamental force or energy. It doesn't decide anything, but it effects everything.

 

[The Crimson Universe]

When cells organize into tissues
And tissues into organs
And organs into systems and neural network connectivity, then mind develops.
Immediately the false I false local ego develops. Machine learning.
Yet, this false ego does not know me , who is their origin, that they are me.

For cells to organize into tissues and then organs and so forth, the cells must have a mind or intelligence to perform those actions.
So do cells in our body really have a mind as per vedanta?
You say the mind comes later on, upon the completion of neural network connectivities and brain, but that's the bigger human mind.
What about before the human mind is created. Are there microscopic minds of each cells?

 

[Aupmanyav]

(a) As per biology, each cell in our body is a separate living being. Does vedanta agrees with this? (b) If yes, then does each cell in our body has a soul/subtle body/mind?

Not separate living being but a separate entity, if one does not look in the way of Advaita. And in a cell each molecule is a separate entity. And in each molecule, each atom is a separate entity, and so on. But how does (a) leads to (b)? How does it prove the existence of soul either in the parent body or in each separate atom? In advaita, the body, the cells, the molecules, the atoms, loose all their separate-ness, and become one, one with what exists / constitutes all things in the universe, Brahman, making it a continuum, IMHO.

.. that they are me.

'Me' has to exists before it can be known. There is no 'me'.

.. but it effects everything.

Seems to, in 'Vyavaharika'. In 'Paramarthika', it does not do anything.

 

[ameyAtmA]

For cells to organize into tissues and then organs and so forth, the cells must have a mind or intelligence to perform those actions.
So do cells in our body really have a mind as per vedanta?
You say the mind comes later on, upon the completion of neural network connectivities and brain, but that's the bigger human mind.
What about before the human mind is created. Are there microscopic minds of each cells?

Not their mind but they organize by my mind. BG 7 kshetra kshetradnya yog

Also, pitAhamasya jagato mata dhata pitamah rk sama yajur omkarah

Gatir bhartA prabhu sakshi niwasah sharanam surhud

Prabhava pralaya shtanam nidhanam
Beejam avyayam.

UpadrashTA anumantA bhartA bhoktA maheshwarah

BramhA animates the proton
VishNu animates neutron
Shiva animates electron
Devi animates force interatomic, in the drama. Just a thought

However, despite being the kshetradnya, all this is on autopilot by design.

Organisms are generated based on rules of karma-vAsanA that bend with machine learning bhakti and krupA , grace.

Other matter of panchamahAbhuta also gets organized and has history
Why is uranium radioactive but hydrogen isn't?
That is the property of uranium.
Periodic table.

 

[Viswa]

For cells to organize into tissues and then organs and so forth, the cells must have a mind or intelligence to perform those actions.
So do cells in our body really have a mind as per vedanta?
You say the mind comes later on, upon the completion of neural network connectivities and brain, but that's the bigger human mind.
What about before the human mind is created. Are there microscopic minds of each cells?

Sir,
There is only one mind, and within one mind we separate ourselves as individual minds. Within that Cosmic Mind, everything is connected from Quarks to Massive Black Holes.

The Mind is like a stem in a tree, and every matter are it's branches. It's said in Bhagavat Gita as Ashwattha Tree in upside down form in the heart, full of desires - branch extends. Everything, every matter and whole psych - unite there in the space of heart, and that's where we/conscious go when we are sleeping. It's like the tree shown in Avatar Movie, that tree is the heart and mind, but no need of anybody to share the experience/knowledge, it records all actions by connecting to everything.

Even biologists researched and found that a slime mold (Physarum polycephalum) cell named Blob, without any brain can learn from experience and act according with knowledge.

 

[ameyAtmA]

Not separate living being but a separate entity, if one does not look in the way of Advaita. And in a cell each molecule is a separate entity. And in each molecule, each atom is a separate entity, and so on. But how does (a) leads to (b)? How does it prove the existence of soul


'Me' has to exists before it can be known. There is no 'me'.

I have always been. and that answers how a leads to b. Please see post 24.
How can you pose a challenge to me about my own existence?

 

[The Crimson Universe]

@ameyAtmA

Could you please answer what Martin asked here. These are my questions too.

You say: "I am the sky... and conscious".

What basis do you have for these assertions?
In what sense are you the sky?
And how could empty space (the sky) be conscious?

If Brahman is consciousness, then "sky" is merely an appearance, and therefore unreal.

 

[Viswa]

Now the question that comes to my mind is that, who is it that decides which object in the universe should breathe and think (have tools like mind, senses, prana etc.) and which objects should just stay dead.
... Is it the personal God Ishwara who decides everything, OR is it just ME in my True impersonal Brahman state (before manifesting the universe) who decides how the world should really look and function like?

I feel that, it is the Ishwara BUT just a 'means'.

The real decision makers are 'we' through our 'collective beliefs'. If the whole humanity, collectively strongly beliefs on something to be in some manner, then the Ishwara makes it so.

If the whole humanity, collectively strongly needs/belief/sankalpa for "Kalki avatar" or "return of Son or Messenger" - then it happens so.

 

[Viswa]

You say: "I am the sky... and conscious".

What basis do you have for these assertions?
In what sense are you the sky?
And how could empty space (the sky) be conscious?

If Brahman is consciousness, then "sky" is merely an appearance, and therefore unreal.

It's both "ME" and "not me".

It can't be some other second one or it's appearances, but it's all My/Brahman's appearances, so in this manner it is "ME" and no second.

But, it is "not me" as it is just an appearance limited to time, but I am beyond everything beyond time beyond appearances.

 

[Aupmanyav]

OP: Scentience is a phenomenon created by working of brain based on inputs from sensory organs. Vegetation is sentient because of chemical reactions.

I have always been. and that answers how a leads to b. Please see post 24.
How can you pose a challenge to me about my own existence?

You are just a temporary bundle of molecules in 'Vyavaharika'. In 'Paramarthika', you are Brahman and eternal. "Me' exists only in 'Vyavaharika'.
Your post 24 is not very clear. Could you say what you wanted to say in simple English?

.. so in this manner it is "ME" and no second. But, it is "not me" as it is just an appearance limited to time, ..

Agree with you.

 

[Martin]

It's both "ME" and "not me".

It can't be some other second one or it's appearances, but it's all My/Brahman's appearances, so in this manner it is "ME" and no second.

But, it is "not me" as it is just an appearance limited to time, but I am beyond everything beyond time beyond appearances.

An appearance to Brahman, yes.
But where does Maya fit in here?

 

[Martin]

Sir,
There is only one mind, and within one mind we separate ourselves as individual minds. Within that Cosmic Mind, everything is connected from Quarks to Massive Black Holes.

The Mind is like a stem in a tree, and every matter are it's branches. It's said in Bhagavat Gita as Ashwattha Tree in upside down form in the heart, full of desires - branch extends. Everything, every matter and whole psych - unite there in the space of heart, and that's where we/conscious go when we are sleeping. It's like the tree shown in Avatar Movie, that tree is the heart and mind, but no need of anybody to share the experience/knowledge, it records all actions by connecting to everything.

Even biologists researched and found that a slime mold (Physarum polycephalum) cell named Blob, without any brain can learn from experience and act according with knowledge.

Do the scriptures support this idea of Quarks and Black holes all connected within a "Cosmic mind"?

 

[ameyAtmA]

Do the scriptures support this idea of Quarks and Black holes all connected within a "Cosmic mind"?

Bhagavad Geeta does.

 

[Viswa]

An appearance to Brahman, yes.
But where does Maya fit in here?

Maya? What is Maya?

Is it an entity/second to Brahman or a quality of Brahman like three gunas?

Maya is something means, we can't know how appearance come into being, what is the cause for appearances, etc., It cannot be known, and that is Maya - the quality of Brahman.

The Appearances cannot be said as Real, nor unreal, and that is Maya, the power of Brahman.

 

[Viswa]

Do the scriptures support this idea of Quarks and Black holes all connected within a "Cosmic mind"?

Yes. Yoga Vasishta and many.

And only because of this, siddhi powers are attained - to manipulate things/appearance by connecting to the cosmic mind.

 

[Aupmanyav]

An appearance to Brahman, yes.
But where does Maya fit in here?

'An appearance of a form of Brahman.' What creates the appearance at this end (brain) and at that end (what is observed) is from within the veil of 'maya'.

Do the scriptures support this idea of Quarks and Black holes all connected within a "Cosmic mind"?

There is no cosmic mind. There are fundamental forces (4+gravity) which interact or perhaps just one (we do not know). But sure, what all we see, quarks, galaxies and black holes, is Brahman as perceived from within the veil of 'maya'.

Foggy window:

 

[Martin]

Maya? What is Maya?

Is it an entity/second to Brahman or a quality of Brahman like three gunas?

Maya is something means, we can't know how appearance come into being, what is the cause for appearances, etc., It cannot be known, and that is Maya - the quality of Brahman.

The Appearances cannot be said as Real, nor unreal, and that is Maya, the power of Brahman.

But Maya is said to be an illusion, like the snake superimposed on the rope.

 

[Martin]

Ether is the word I used in my post. Ether, space, sky.
Space is my property. Time is my property.
I am conscious Ether (space , sky follow), and was conscious while becoming a Galaxy, Star, Planet.
It is not from scripture but Guru krupa.
The only reason for bringing it up is -- this give us a glimpse into how my awareness remained while becoming these celestial bodies. Witnessing the formation, not as a 3rd person, but as a 1st person. Quadrazillion years ago, and also recently.

What is "ether", and how it it conscious?

And are you saying you can remember the big bang?

 

[Martin]

Yes. Yoga Vasishta and many.

And only because of this, siddhi powers are attained - to manipulate things/appearance by connecting to the cosmic mind.

Some actual quotes would be appreciated.

 

[Martin]

Bhagavad Geeta does.

Which chapter/verse are you referring to?