In modern times we say what is the bottom line? Supposing, somebody asks you the question after listening to my lecture: ‘what is the bottom line?’ Bottom line is not seen physically, what you see, what you hear physically is bla, bla, bla that is going on. So many words, so many sentences, so much plethora of things told. What is the bottom line and yet you are able to see the bottom line. You see it, by what means do you see this bottom line. In sophisticated language it’s called the essence. Bottom line is really the essence, what is the essence of the matter. Essence again is never seen physically. You look at the whole world you have never seen essence. Physically essence is not seen and yet what is most important is essence. All manifestations are manifestations of essence. If essence does not exist the manifestation doesn’t exist.
Similar idea is the idea of all, the word all, is a very curious word in a sense that we may say all the persons sitting in this room has a specific meaning namely 1+1+1+1+1 Including every one, all put together is all, very simple. All children happen to be naughty at a given stage of the development. Here I used the word − all. Surely I have not seen every child in the world. In any case I have not even seen the children going to be born tomorrow; they are not at present before me physically. What is the image that I have when I used the word − all. Surely it is different from the kind of image of all that I have, when I describe all the people seated in this room, there you can say this is the meaning of all. But what is the meaning of the word – all, when I say all children happen to be naughty in their development at a particular stage. All crows are black. Whether I see it here or there or whether I have not seen – All crows are black, what does it mean? There is something like where ever the white colour may be it is always distributable in a spectrum of seven colours. Where ever white colour may be, I have not seen all the whites, I have not seen every where, what is the meaning of every where, what is the meaning of all? What is the meaning of any universal? Universal is a term which we use in all our ordinary expressions. This object is black, black is universal. That object is golden, golden is universal. This object is particular, but the gold, golden that is there is not confined only to this object. It is present in many objects even which I have not seen.
Although I may start a proposition from a physical observation, I am led by some curious method which is in us, which you call the mind, a particular sight which grasps the universal, my physical mind does not grasp, my vital mind does not grasp. It’s the pure mind which has this capacity to grasp the universal, all, essence, identity. These are some of the examples which are grasped by the pure mind, which are seen by the pure mind. Not only that but if you do not have these ideas, you can’t even think and this is very important. If you do not see these universals identity, even ordinary thinking is not possible; all our thinking requires these perceptions. There is distinction between physical perception and thinking. Physical perception is seen by my physical eyes when there is a light, both in my eyes and on the object.
All thinking implies the use of identity, essence, universality, all thinking. If you don’t use this identity and universality, you will make an exercise try to eliminate these two elements and you will not be able to think. All thought processes involves these basic perceptions. The simple example that is given is ‘All men are mortal.’ Socrates is a man therefore, Socrates is mortal. This is normal logical example that is given in the books of logic. Unless mortality which is a universal quality is understood, unless humanity, all men is understood, you cannot come to a conclusion which is true of one of this particular object. All our thinking processes involve the perception of universality, essence and identity and this perception is a direct perception of the pure mind.
These perceptions are really called ideas. Usually we use the word ideas for any thing, but really speaking ideas should be used only for these. You might say that they are parent ideas, just as when I open my eyes and I see objects. Similarly the moment I really begin to think, you don’t need to manufacture these ideas, they are directly perceptible. If you examine the question of identity, you will not be able to show identity anywhere in the physical world. There is nothing in the world which is identical with the other, there will be some difference and yet you understand what is identity exactly, point by point it must be identical. This idea of identity, which is directly perceived by your mind, is you might say the real object of the pure mind. Just as these physical objects are the objects of the physical sight. Similarly these ideas, there are not many of them, but these ideas are the direct perception of the pure mind.
There is something in the mind which is a sight and the objects of this sight are the ideas of essence, identity, universality. At least these three by the help of which all our thinking processes are managed so that if they are absent you can’t think. When you dwell upon this kind of thought process, the pure mind develops more and more.