[Advaita-l] 'We are more than what we know'

[V Subrahmanian]

Someone sent this message:  " We are more than our consciousness in the
same way that the painter is more than his paints and the poet is more than
his pen. All our body-mind experiences are paintings and poems which we
have created using our consciousness."

Here the word 'consciousness' means the things/events etc that we are
conscious of.   The 'more' refers to the Consciousness, the Atman.  The
Vishayi is 'more' than the vishaya.  In the Bhashya, Shankara, speaking on
the Omniscience, Sarvajnatva, of Brahman, gives the analogy: The knowledge
of Panini, etc. is more than what they produced.  I recalled this  passage
when I read the 'he painter is more than his paints', although the 'paints'
is only the tool with which the painter expresses himself. A nice thought
to contemplate upon.  The 'vishaya' has limits but the Vishayi has no
limits.  The 'drishti' , the mind with which we experience, has limits but
the 'drashtaa' of this drishti is 'avinashi' says the Upanishad;  न हि
द्रष्टुर्दृष्टेर्विपरिलोपो विद्यतेऽविनाशित्वात् .

regards
subbu