Theory of knowledge

[nanda chandran]

Madhavan writes :
>If we don't have consciousness in deep sleep, how come we >experience
pain if a bug bite us. The brain is working while we are in >deep sleep
is a scientific fact. Consciousness exists in all states and >in
everything.

The mind and the senses are very intimately connected. The contact of a
particular sense with an object activates the mind. The mind in turn is
also capable of activating the senses.

In the example of your encounter with the bug :-), there may be two
situations : 1. You're in the state of svapna or dream or 2. You're in
the state of sushupti or deep sleep.

With the former, the consciousness is up and running, with the object
being the dream itself. So when the bug bites you, your sense of feeling
is aroused and subsequently the mind is also contacted. At this point in
time, since you're aware of the bug, the dream is broken and the bug
becomes the object.

When you're in deep sleep and the bug bites you, again the sense of
feeling is aroused which in turn arouses the mind. Here you should note
that what we're referring to the mind is just thought itself. Where the
thoughts originate, even Shankara pleads ignorance (or so I think). So
from a state which is neither consciousness nor unconsciousness, the
consciousness is activated, with the bug being the object. And here also
the deep sleep state is lost.


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