For a long time I have been convinced that our ancestors had
a great view of what the important elements of LIFE are. I have also felt that
the followers have all interpreted the original teaching in a way that
necessitated elaboration of esoteric concepts such as soul and spirit. In the
process they started different schools and some of the followers of these schools have
become so attached to “their” school and “their” masters that they have become
closed-minded.
In addition, we now have a better understanding of the physical
aspects of the Universe which means that many of the metaphysical concepts will
have to be reinterpreted in light of actual, verified and verifiable facts.
Both Buddha and Sankara asked us to do so.
This is why I have felt that each one of us should go back to the
originals, read them for ourselves and not blindly follow older interpretations,
however much we respect the authors.
When I read the major Upanishads and synthesize what they
say with modern physics and neurobiology, where do they take me? Here are some
ideas:
1, Isa Upanishad:
(Shukla Yajur Veda). In summary, it states that true wisdom does not simply
come out of knowledge of the
supernatural or of the natural. It comes only with the realization “So aham asmi”, which means “I AM HIM
(SELF)”. This “so aham asmi” is one of
the 4 mahavakyas or great revelations of the Upanishads.
Sloka 16 refers to Sun as pushan in Sanskrit. That word means a “nourisher”. Sun is also
called “solitary traveler” and “controller”, both of them appropriate. Then he
is “surya” which on the basis of its
verb root means “one who secures” the vital forces and rays and “makes them his
own”. In the next sloka it says: “let my vital force attain the immortal
all-pervading” air.
One gets the impression that the saints and seers who wrote
those words easily recognized that vital force or breath (used synonymously as prana) and the sun, the source of energy
(surya) are the two primary
requirements for life. This point is made in almost all the Upanishads. Prana is specifically emphasized in Kaushitaki Upanishad.
This idea shows up again in Katha Upanishad, Section 3.
Based on Rg Veda I. cxv. 1, the Sun is considered the Self of all that move and
do not move. It is responsible even for the up (prana) and down (apana)
movements of the big Prana or the vital force. It says that breath depends on
some other force which is in each body. In light of modern knowledge, we can
say that breath is necessary for energy exchange and the source of energy is
Sun. In that respect Sun is the Self of all because without life no one can
think of the Self.
