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Reference: Course on The Bhagavad Gita
Currently, Hinduism is full of many different fuzzy ideas about the vocabulary and concepts it uses. This glossary is an attempt to clear up that confusion by providing scientifically precise definitions of the key terminology related to each chapter of Gita. The tool for generating these definitions is Subject Clearing. These definitions shall be regularly updated with clarity in mind.
IDENTITY
It is the the body-mind system that identifies a human being. Therefore, the body-mind system serves as the identity of an individual. It is natural to have an identity. Having an identity is not a flaw. Also referred to as DEHA.
JIVĀTMAN
Jivātman is the viewpoint associated with the individual identity. You are the identity you are born with, but you have a viewpoint that can expand to become as large as the universe. Also referred to as DEHIN.
ĀTMAN
Ātman is the viewpoint resulting from the assimilation of the experiences of all identities in the universe. There is no corresponding concept in the Western religions.
PARAMĀTMAN
Paramātman is the supreme state of ātman.
MAN
Man spearheads the evolution in this universe. Man sees Paramātma (God) as the state he wants to evolve to. But, among man, there is delusion. Those who are deluded imagine Paramātma (God) to be a separate identity either in the sky or within them, that commands them.
ATTACHMENT
Attachment is FIXATION. Most people are fixated on identity. Fixation on other things comes from the fixation on one’s personal identity. A person can be very fixated on his identity, and yet appear quite calm. Such a person will lose that calm quickly when he loses his zone of comfort. Many people are also fixated on the identities of others, especially on the identities of celebrities.
CHIT (CONSCIOUSNESS)
Chit or Čit (चित्) is a Sanskrit word meaning consciousness or awareness. Chit is associated with Jivatman, Atman and Paramatman meaning that there are different levels, or different kinds of consciousness associated with these viewpoints.
ANTAHKARANA
Antahkarana (अन्तःकरण) literally translates as the “internal organ.” It consists of four parts: Manas, Buddhi, Chitta and Ahamkara. The environment impresses itself upon the MIND (MANAS). The assimilated impressions become BUDDHI; the unassimilated impressions become CHITTA. Both buddhi and chitta influence the functioning of the mind, which is expressed through AHAMKARA. This whole system is referred to as ANTAHKARNA.
MANAS (MIND)
Manas (मनस्), or mind, may be postulated as a matrix. This mental matrix is made up of perceptual elements that are generated from the sensations coming through the five sense organs (eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body). These perceptual elements get assimilated into the mental matrix and produce perceptions. The perceptual elements are connected with each other making infinity of different circuits possible within the mental matrix. Such circuits, when activated, form our thoughts and memories. The activity of thinking consists of the activation of these circuits.
BUDDHI (INTELLECT)
Buddhi (बुद्धि) is derived from the Vedic Sanskrit root Budh (बुध् ), which literally means “to wake, be awake, observe, heed, attend, learn, become aware of, to know, be conscious again”. The term appears extensively in Rigveda and other Vedic literature. Buddhi means, states Monier Williams, the power to “form, retain concepts; intelligence, reason, intellect, mind”, the intellectual faculty and the ability to “discern, judge, comprehend, understand” something. Buddhi is a feminine Sanskrit noun derived from *budh, to be awake, to understand, to know. The same root is the basis for the more familiar masculine form Buddha and the abstract noun bodhi. NOTE: We may say that Buddhi is the assimilated part of the mental matrix.
CHITTA (MINDSET)
Chitta or Čitta (चित्त) primarily represents one’s mindset, or state of mind. It is the term used to refer to the quality of mental processes as a whole. One’s state of mind at any given time affects one’s actions, speech, and thoughts. The citta is said to go off with a will of its own if not properly controlled. Generally speaking, a person will operate with a collection of changing mindsets, and some will occur regularly. While these mindsets determine the personality, they are not in control of themselves, but fluctuate and alternate. NOTE: We may say that Chitta is the unassimilated part of the mental matrix.
AHAMKĀRA
Ahamkāra (अहंंकाऱ) means “ego, I-sense in egotism”. See EGO.
EGO
Having an ego does not equate to having an identity. It equates to having a fixation on identity. Ego translates as fixation. You remove this fixation and you remove the ego. There is no shame in admitting that you are a Jivatman; for that is the truth.
EGO & IDENTITY
Since a differentiation is necessary between “I-ness” and “fixation on I-ness” we may accomplish this as follows:
I-ness = IDENTITY
Fixation on I-ness = EGO
SMRTI (MEMORY)
Smrti (स्मृति) is a Sanskrit word, from the root Smara (स्मर), which means “remembrance, reminiscence, thinking of or upon, calling to mind”, or simply “memory”. The word is found in ancient Vedic literature, such as in section 7.13 of the Chandogya Upanishad. In later and modern scholarly usage, the term refers to tradition, memory, as well as a vast post-Vedic canon of “tradition that is remembered”. NOTE: Smrti (memory) is a part of Buddhi, whereas, unassimilated impressions are a part of Chitta.
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KARMA
Karma means “action.” In Hinduism, karma refers to an anomaly that is left unresolved after some action is taken. Such anomaly is carried forward until it is resolved. All doubts, perplexities and problems come from such anomalies.
SANCHIT KARMA
Sanchit (संचित) means “accumulated”. Sanchit karma is the karma accumulated over time.
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ABSOLUTE
ANOMALY
Anomaly is anything that does not make sense because it is inconsistent, discontinuous or disharmonious. It generates doubts, perplexities and problems.
BRAHMA
Brahma is the reality of the Universe. We perceive this reality according to our viewpoint; but, there is no separation of “Supreme” from Brahma.
DIVINITY
When you meditate on divinity you simply end up realizing that you and the universe are one. Your mental matrix is totally assimilated. You are free of anomalies.
GOD
God, in Hinduism, is a synonym for Paramātman.
SELF
Self, in Hinduism, is a synonym for Ātman.
SOUL
Soul, in Hinduism, is a synonym for Jivātman.
STATIC VIEWPOINT
Static Viewpoint is a synonym for Paramātman.
SUBJECT CLEARING
Subject Clearing is the general technique employed to clear up the confusion of relationships among different concepts. This handles the source of many problems the person is having.
SUBTLE BODY
Subtle body, in Hinduism, is a synonym for Jivātman.
VIEWPOINT
Viewpoint is the person’s frame of reference. It is made up of that person’s considerations.
UNIVERSAL VIEWPOINT
Universal Viewpoint is a synonym for Ātman.
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Reference: Hubbard 1950: Dianetics TMSMH
These are some comments on the chapter “Some Types of Engrams” from DIANETICS: THE MODERN SCIENCE OF MENTAL HEALTH.
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Engrams are unassimilated impressions, which appear as facsimiles of some incident that happened to the person. There are four types of facsimiles: (a) Contra-survival, (b) Pro-survival, (c) Sympathy, and (d) Painful emotion.
The contra-survival facsimile lies across the dynamics; it has no alignment with purpose, and it is antagonistic in nature. The command of the facsimile is more important than the action people take in it. These commands are hypnotic. In therapy this facsimile is somewhat drained of power just by being touched with the returned awareness.
The pro-survival facsimile pretends to assist survival of the person by its content. It is more difficult to access. It contains allies who defended the person’s existence in moments when the person conceived that his existence was under attack.
The sympathy facsimile contains the effort of the parent or guardian to be kind to a child who is severely hurt. The aberrative aspect of this facsimile is a “conviction” that if the ally were not around and if one were not on good terms with her, one would starve, die or suffer generally. This facsimile comes forward and stays chronic as a psychosomatic illness.
The painful emotion facsimile is caused by the shock of sudden loss such as the death of a loved one. It contains the death, departure or denial by an ally. It contains an emotional charge which, if it will not display itself, is elsewhere suppressed. A condition of such painful emotion is that it has early physically painful engrams upon which to append.
For examples of these facsimiles please read the chapter.
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The following definition is missing in physics.
Matter is a substance so condensed that it has a center of mass. Less condensed substances, like electricity and light, have no center of mass, but they have consistency.
Consistency is a dimension of a substance that is actually the subject of Quantum mechanics. The size of the quantum is determined by the consistency of the substance. Quantum is the energy involved in subatomic interactions.
The nucleus of an atom has mass, but the substance around the nucleus has consistency but no mass. Consistency also has inertia just like mass. Therefore, the electromagnetic substance, such as light, has momentum even when it is not made up of atoms.
The “mass” of an electron is actually a measure of inertia in response to enforced motion. It is the result of electron having the highest consistency among electromagnetic substances.
NOTE (Sep 15, 2021):
I have revised the above to make the definitions of “substance,” “mass,” and “consistency” more clear. It also clarifies the definition of “quantum” as “the energy involved in subatomic interactions.” It also puts the definition of “inertia” in proper perspective.
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Reference: Course on The Bhagavad Gita
The evolution of Atman to Paramatman seem to occur as follows:
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Atman (Sanskrit) is translated as SELF.
Paramatman (Sanskrit) is translated as SUPREME SELF.
Jivatman (Sanskrit) may be translated as THE INDIVIDUAL SOUL.
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The most confusing concept pertaining to particle physics is the concept of “particle” itself. We are familiar with mass particles. Such particles have a center of mass, and momentum. A mass particle reduces to an atom. The nucleus of an atom acts as the center of mass. The rest of the atom is configured around this nucleus.
When we get beyond the atom and look at electromagnetic radiation, we are dealing with a very different kind of substance. It has momentum but no center of mass. It has fluid-like properties. This “fluid,” when it flows, have wave-like characteristics. It is not a disturbance in some other medium, which we associate with waves in the material domain.
EM substance is very different from the material substance, which is made up of atoms.
The electromagnetic substance has consistency (a degree of density, firmness, viscosity, etc.) and also a fluid-like continuity. The quantum aspect of this EM substance comes from its interaction with material substance. Such interaction involves a precise energy based on the consistency of the EM substance.
The consistency of EM substance gives it momentum and the interaction with matter gives its the quantum property. But this substance does not have the center of mass around which to generate spatial particles. The EM substance is, therefore, continuous in space.
The most confusion, therefore, comes from the use of the word “particle” in Particle Physics. These are particles based on discrete energy interactions that vary according to the consistency of the EM substance. They are not particles based on discreteness in space, which is a characteristic of material substance only.
NOTE: Electrons have the highest consistency in the EM spectrum. There is a threshold of consistency above which we have material substance. Nucleon’s consistency is about 1836 times the consistency of electrons. It qualifies as material substance. Mass is associated with material substance. It has the property of “having a center” that identifies it as a “point particle”. Electrons are not material (or point) particles. The apparent “mass” of the electrons is essentially the manifestation of its inertia. Inertia is a property of consistency and not just that of mass.
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