Friday, March 30, 2007
How does a Robot Achieve Bliss?
The The Arunachala Ramana website has a post The 1939 Prose Version of 'Who Am I?'. This is a summary and commentary of that piece.
Similar to my last post, this piece starts out by focusing on the negative, In this case by determining what I am not:
I am not this physical body
I am not the five organs of sense-perception
I am not that unconscious state of nescience which retains merely the subtle vasanas.
That which then remains separate and alone by itself - pure Awareness. This Awareness is by its very nature Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.
There is no such thing as the physical world apart from and independent of thought.
Every other thought can occur only after the rise of the 'I-thought'. The mind is nothing but a bundle of thoughts. Like the waves of the ocean, the mind is agitated by a succession of objects of sense-gratification. Working backwards, the enquiry 'Who am l?' allows the mind to settle down. Picture a storm, a flooded river, or a painful burn subsiding. Then the 'I-thought', implicit in such an inquiry, having destroyed all other thoughts, gets itself finally destroyed or consumed, like the stick used to stir the burning funeral pyre gets consumed.
During such contemplation or meditation, extraneous thoughts may sprout up. Immediate vigilant inquiry as to whom it has occurred reveals it is 'I'. If then, you inquire 'Who am I?' the mind gets introverted and the rising thought subsides. Through perseverance in the practice of Self inquiry, the mind finally vanishes and pure Consciousness or the Self remains. There is not the slightest trace of the 'I-thought'. The Self alone is the world, the 'I' and God.
The practice of pranayama (restraint and control of breath and vital forces) is one way to get the mind to subside. Breath has its origin in the same place that ego rises. Therefore when the mind subsides, breath and vital forces also subside. Conversely, when breath and vital forces subside, the mind also subsides.
During sleep, the vital forces are still apparent even though the mind does not manifest itself. The mind has sustaining and controlling power over breath and vital forces. Thus, the practice of pranayama is merely helpful in subduing the mind but does not bring about its final extinction.
Other practices, such as meditation, mantras, regulation of diet, also are only aids to control the mind. Through such techniques, the mind becomes one-pointed, steadily holding on to that alone. To illustrate, when a mind is is filled with countless and varying thoughts, each individual thought becomes extremely weak and inefficient. When such thoughts subside until they are finally destroyed, the mind becomes one-pointed, acquiring strength and sustaining power in the quest of Self.
A moderate satvic food diet is most conducive to the development of the satvic qualities of the mind. These, in turn, assist the quest of the Self.
satvic foods: digested easily and closest to the natural form such. Eating raw foods is not considered Satvic. Examples:
If we apply an analogy to the double negative of positive emotions (e.g. the cessation of deliberation is decisiveness), then the cessation of desire is dispassion and the cessation of 'I-thought' constitutes knowledge.
That which is Bliss is verily the Self. Bliss and the Self are not distinct and separate but are one and identical. And That alone is real. Not even in one of the countless objects of the mundane world is there anything that can be called happiness. It is through sheer ignorance and unwisdom we fancy that happiness is obtained from them.
When the mind is externalized, it suffers pain and anguish. Wandering astray forsaking the Self and returning back again to it within, is the interminable and wearisome lot of the mind. To illustrate, imagine a scorching sun on a hot summer day. A person toiling in the sun seeks the cool shade of the tree and is happy under it. Staying there for a while, he moves about, but once again unable to bear the merciless heat of the sun, he seeks the shade again. In this way he moves, going out from the shade into the sun, and coming into the shade from the sun. The wise man never leaves the shade. The mind of the ignorant one, on the other hand, often entering the phenomenal world suffers pain and anguish; and then, turning for a short while towards Self, experiences happiness.
There is no difference between the waking state and the dream state, except that the former is long and the latter is short. While dreaming, all activities of the dream state appear just as real as the activities of the wakeful state seem to be while awake. However, during the dream state the mind assumes another form. Thoughts, name and form occur simultaneously during both the wakeful and dream states.
There are not two minds, only the vasanas or tendencies of the mind that are of two kinds, good and favourable, evil and unfavourable. When the mind is associated with the former, it is called good; and when associated with the latter, it is called evil. However evil-minded other people may appear to you, it is not proper to hate or despise them. Likes and dislikes, love and hatred are equally to be eschewed. It is also not proper to let the mind often rest on objects or affairs of mundane life. As far as possible one should not interfere in the affairs of others. Everything offered to others is really an offering to oneself; and if only this truth is realized, who is there that would refuse anything to others?
Having summarized and commented on all of this, the question remains - how does this all relate to artificial intelligence? How does a Robot achieve Bliss?
Connections: The subject piece was discovered by a reference to a quote by Sri Ramana Maharshi. "The universe is not vast at all but it's the mind that's vast" while watching a video called The Yoga of Time Travel, Part 2 by The Theosophical Society.
Similar to my last post, this piece starts out by focusing on the negative, In this case by determining what I am not:
I am not this physical body
I am not the five organs of sense-perception
- eye (sight)
- ear (hearing)
- nose (smell)
- tongue (taste)
- skin (touch)
- vocal organs that articulate speech and produce sound
- hands and feet that govern the movements of the physical body
- anus that excretes faecal matter
- the genital organ which yields pleasure.
- respiration
- digestion
- assimilation
- blood circulation
- perspiration
- excretion
I am not that unconscious state of nescience which retains merely the subtle vasanas.
- nescience: absence of knowledge or awareness; ignorance
- vasanas: collective imprints that propel us into a certain way of living; A layer of ignorance expressed as the sense of incompleteness, desire, agitation, and eventually, action. The smallest action we do in this world leaves its impression, its fragrence, on our subconscious mind.
That which then remains separate and alone by itself - pure Awareness. This Awareness is by its very nature Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.
There is no such thing as the physical world apart from and independent of thought.
- In deep sleep there are no thoughts nor is there the world.
- In the wakeful and dream states thoughts are present, and there is also the world.
- The mind projects the world and absorbs it back into itself.
- When the mind projects, it externalizes and forsakes its true nature of the Self; when the Self is realized, the world ceases to appear as an objective reality.
Every other thought can occur only after the rise of the 'I-thought'. The mind is nothing but a bundle of thoughts. Like the waves of the ocean, the mind is agitated by a succession of objects of sense-gratification. Working backwards, the enquiry 'Who am l?' allows the mind to settle down. Picture a storm, a flooded river, or a painful burn subsiding. Then the 'I-thought', implicit in such an inquiry, having destroyed all other thoughts, gets itself finally destroyed or consumed, like the stick used to stir the burning funeral pyre gets consumed.
During such contemplation or meditation, extraneous thoughts may sprout up. Immediate vigilant inquiry as to whom it has occurred reveals it is 'I'. If then, you inquire 'Who am I?' the mind gets introverted and the rising thought subsides. Through perseverance in the practice of Self inquiry, the mind finally vanishes and pure Consciousness or the Self remains. There is not the slightest trace of the 'I-thought'. The Self alone is the world, the 'I' and God.
The practice of pranayama (restraint and control of breath and vital forces) is one way to get the mind to subside. Breath has its origin in the same place that ego rises. Therefore when the mind subsides, breath and vital forces also subside. Conversely, when breath and vital forces subside, the mind also subsides.
During sleep, the vital forces are still apparent even though the mind does not manifest itself. The mind has sustaining and controlling power over breath and vital forces. Thus, the practice of pranayama is merely helpful in subduing the mind but does not bring about its final extinction.
Other practices, such as meditation, mantras, regulation of diet, also are only aids to control the mind. Through such techniques, the mind becomes one-pointed, steadily holding on to that alone. To illustrate, when a mind is is filled with countless and varying thoughts, each individual thought becomes extremely weak and inefficient. When such thoughts subside until they are finally destroyed, the mind becomes one-pointed, acquiring strength and sustaining power in the quest of Self.
A moderate satvic food diet is most conducive to the development of the satvic qualities of the mind. These, in turn, assist the quest of the Self.
satvic foods: digested easily and closest to the natural form such. Eating raw foods is not considered Satvic. Examples:
- milk
- fruit
- most fresh vegetable
- grain
- natural sweeteners
- vegetable oil
- purity of heart
- self-restraint
- evenness of temper
- tenderness towards all beings
- fortitude
- freedom from desire, hatred and arrogance
If we apply an analogy to the double negative of positive emotions (e.g. the cessation of deliberation is decisiveness), then the cessation of desire is dispassion and the cessation of 'I-thought' constitutes knowledge.
That which is Bliss is verily the Self. Bliss and the Self are not distinct and separate but are one and identical. And That alone is real. Not even in one of the countless objects of the mundane world is there anything that can be called happiness. It is through sheer ignorance and unwisdom we fancy that happiness is obtained from them.
When the mind is externalized, it suffers pain and anguish. Wandering astray forsaking the Self and returning back again to it within, is the interminable and wearisome lot of the mind. To illustrate, imagine a scorching sun on a hot summer day. A person toiling in the sun seeks the cool shade of the tree and is happy under it. Staying there for a while, he moves about, but once again unable to bear the merciless heat of the sun, he seeks the shade again. In this way he moves, going out from the shade into the sun, and coming into the shade from the sun. The wise man never leaves the shade. The mind of the ignorant one, on the other hand, often entering the phenomenal world suffers pain and anguish; and then, turning for a short while towards Self, experiences happiness.
There is no difference between the waking state and the dream state, except that the former is long and the latter is short. While dreaming, all activities of the dream state appear just as real as the activities of the wakeful state seem to be while awake. However, during the dream state the mind assumes another form. Thoughts, name and form occur simultaneously during both the wakeful and dream states.
There are not two minds, only the vasanas or tendencies of the mind that are of two kinds, good and favourable, evil and unfavourable. When the mind is associated with the former, it is called good; and when associated with the latter, it is called evil. However evil-minded other people may appear to you, it is not proper to hate or despise them. Likes and dislikes, love and hatred are equally to be eschewed. It is also not proper to let the mind often rest on objects or affairs of mundane life. As far as possible one should not interfere in the affairs of others. Everything offered to others is really an offering to oneself; and if only this truth is realized, who is there that would refuse anything to others?
Having summarized and commented on all of this, the question remains - how does this all relate to artificial intelligence? How does a Robot achieve Bliss?
Connections: The subject piece was discovered by a reference to a quote by Sri Ramana Maharshi. "The universe is not vast at all but it's the mind that's vast" while watching a video called The Yoga of Time Travel, Part 2 by The Theosophical Society.
# posted by xltd @ 3/30/2007 12:23:00 AM 
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