Thoughts Change, Consciousness Doesn't (Advaita Explained)

Added: 2026-05-20

[00:00:00]The best way to understand the difference between the thought and consciousness just to understand.

[00:00:07]Yeah.

[00:00:09]This is actually the This is a central question of this book.

[00:00:14]It's very interesting. Take two thoughts.

[00:00:19]Say um you take the thought thought that um Sacramento is the capital of California.

[00:00:27]It's a thought.

[00:00:29]And California's on the west coast.

[00:00:31]That's another thought.

[00:00:33]Two thoughts.

[00:00:36]One thought came and it went away.

[00:00:38]The second thought came and it went away.

[00:00:41]And each thought the thoughts are different from each other. One is about the capital of California. One is about the geographical location of California.

[00:00:47]Two thoughts.

[00:00:49]Two different thoughts.

[00:00:51]But both of them arose in the same mind. They were illumined by the same consciousness.

[00:00:59]Thoughts are different. What is common to the You experience two thoughts. So, the each experience is different. What is common to the two experiences?

[00:01:09]Or let me put it this way.

[00:01:11]You are looking at that light, the chandelier. You look at it. Yes.

[00:01:15]And then you hear a sound.

[00:01:17]Yes.

[00:01:19]That experience of seeing the light, this experience of hearing the sound, they're two different experiences.

[00:01:25]One is sight. One is hearing. One came before. One came afterwards. They're two different experiences. But what is common to both of them?

[00:01:35]That which was experiencing.

[00:01:38]That which was experiencing.

[00:01:40]It's I can make it even more simple.

[00:01:41]Consider the example of the microphone and the book.

[00:01:44]They're two objects.

[00:01:46]They are different from each other. But both are shining in the same light.

[00:01:51]The light The light which illumines the microphone is the same light which illumines the book.

[00:01:55]In the same way, there is an unchanging light within us which shines upon different objects externally, different thoughts in our mind and gives us the experience of our life. Gives us this movie which we call our lives.

[00:02:10]That light, unchanging light, is consciousness.

[00:02:14]In Panchadasi written by Vidyaranya Swami, we find What does it mean? Sounds.

[00:02:32]Throughout the day, we hear so many sounds.

[00:02:36]Touch.

[00:02:38]We touch so many things. We taste so many things. We see so many things throughout the day. Hundreds and hundreds of experiences. Each is different from the other. Each comes and goes.

[00:02:48]Apart from all of them is the one unchanging consciousness. He calls it samvit.

[00:02:55]The consciousness which illumines a sound the consciousness which illumines your sight it's the same consciousness. The sound and the thing seen are different from each other.

[00:03:09]Only thing is, don't try to make that consciousness an object.

[00:03:14]You see, our problem is we Everything that we experience is an object.

[00:03:20]Everything that we experience is an object. Everything in the universe.

[00:03:24]So, when they try to teach us about religion, God, that also we think is an object. God.

[00:03:31]Now, the problem about teaching us about consciousness is this. Whatever we the teacher or the books tell us about consciousness, we tend to make it an object.

[00:03:43]How shall I understand consciousness?

[00:03:45]When you ask this you ask, "How shall I understand consciousness?" You are thinking in terms of making consciousness an object of your understanding.

[00:03:55]It can never be the object of your understanding. The very first verse of this book said, Dṛg-dṛśya-viveka dṛśya tu na dṛśyate.

[00:04:02]The witness never becomes the witnessed.

[00:04:09]The best way to understand this is the example which I really like is the one I gave earlier. Eyes.

[00:04:15]How do I know the table is there and the microphone is there and you are sitting there? Because I see it. I see you. I see the book. I see the microphone.

[00:04:26]How do I know that I have got eyes?

[00:04:29]The problem here is I cannot see my eyes.

[00:04:32]You may say that you can see it in a mirror. I can only see the reflection of my eyes in a mirror. This eyes cannot directly see themselves.

[00:04:39]The eyes cannot directly see themselves.

[00:04:41]Then how do I know that I've got eyes?

[00:04:46]By seeing anything?

[00:04:50]Seeing anything. Whatever we see is a proof that I have got eyes.

[00:04:55]That's the only way I can know that I've got eyes.

[00:04:58]So, that consciousness is understood by experience. Experience of what?

[00:05:03]Anything.

[00:05:06]The proof that you are here for me, the proof that you are here is because I see you.

[00:05:12]So, seeing the object is the proof that the object exists.

[00:05:17]For me.

[00:05:19]But then how do I prove that the eyes exist? I cannot see the eyes.

[00:05:25]It's only the very act, the experience of seeing which proves that the eyes exist. Experience of seeing anything.

[00:05:32]So, the conscious experience, experience, any experience proves consciousness.

[00:05:38]In fact, a very beautiful, okay, we'll come to you and conclude with that.

[00:05:41]Beautiful definition of Brahman, the ultimate reality, is catch this. The beautiful definition of Brahman Anubhava Matram Param Brahma Pure experience is Brahman.

[00:05:56]What do you mean by pure experience? Is there an impure experience?