We generally
associate cognition
with the activity of the mind. But as we discussed
in the case of Yoga, (Refer to my book “How and Why of Yoga and Meditation”, Chapter “Shutting off the unruly Ghost”)
the mind stops when one attains the ultimate states of meditation.
In that case does it make any sense to talk about cognition when the mind is
not even working? Sounds more like an oxymoron!
But Upanishads do talk about such a state. Are they talking
about the state of the mind? Or are they talking about something else? The word
mind becomes a bit blurry in that case.
While talking about Mind, one of the great philosophers of
ancient India namely Gaudapäda (Grand Guru of the Advaita philosopher Šankara)
differentiates between the Mind that is associated with an individual body and
the Mind that is boundless and universal.
In his notes (Kärika) on Mändükya
Upanishad Gaudapäda says that when one is in deep state of meditation, the individual Mind identifies itself with the Universal Mind.
That is the Turïya state described by the Upanishad. (Refer to my book “Important missing dimensions of our current understanding of the Mind" – Chapter “The Mind only theory of Gaudapäda”).
The cognition that takes place in ‘that’ Turïya state is
what we were talking about in the previous post. This is the state in which we
can find the ‘proof’
of existence of Ätma
or God.
In the next post, let us see how the Mändükya Upanishad describes this state.
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