Viveka (विवेक); Discrimination

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* From the tattvabodhaH (1.1), Sri Adi Shankaracharya
What is meant by the discrimination between the permanent and the impermanent?
The Reality alone is eternal; everything else is ephemeral. This conviction alone is the discrimination between the permanent and the impermanent.

Viveka (विवेक) is the ability to discriminate or discern. This ability is critical to seekers of truth. Without this discriminatory ability transcending the mind, body identification will be extremely difficult. What are we discriminating? We have to have the ability to discriminate the appearances of thoughts, feelings, sensations and emotions from ourselves.  We have to be able to discern the awareness in which these appearances appear, from the appearances themselves.

Our own real nature, or self realization can be achieved by inward enquiry. It is called tvampada-vicaara. There are variations of tvampada-vicara. These ways to enquire use discrimination for, drgdrsyaviveka (subject-object discrimination), pancakosaviveka (self/non-self discrimination), and avasthaatrayavivieka (evaluation of the three states of awakeness, dream and deep sleep). To discriminate using any of the above methods, the discriminatory capabilities of a being need to be fairly developed. There are mainly two types of Viveka.

Dharma Viveka: Dharma Viveka focuses on the ability to determine right Vs wrong in the transactional reality of this world. It also helps determine other aspects of life such as means Vs goals.
There are 5 types of Darma Viveka.
1. Dharma/Adharma: This helps you determine right vs wrong or duty Vs not duty; without which that cannot exist, or the way things are. The Dharma of anything is its inherent quality or qualities. For example, the quality of water to always flow towards gravity or the quality of fire to always flow upwards. If and when these qualities are violated it is against the Dharma or inherent nature of the thing.
2. Shreyas/Preyas: Good Vs “Pleasant & not good”. This discrimination helps you discern things that appear to be pleasant but really aren’t good for you. For example, smoking a cigarette can feel pleasant for someone, however it still may not be good for their health.
3. Sadhan/Sadhya: Means Vs Goal and where things belong. This discrimination helps us determine what is a mean and what is a goal. For example, if your only means to travel is a bicycle, that is a mean, however if you have a better vehicle such as a car and you still choose to use a bicycle, it may be because it is your goal to ride the bicycle.
4. Amsha/Amshi: Part Vs Whole application (holistic view). This will help you understand what is the substratum or container for a part of something. For example, The world is the “whole” and each of us is a “part” belonging to that whole. Our relationships to our country, our culture, our religion, often times belong to this whole/part category.
5. Sukha/Dukha: Happiness Vs Sorrow balance. This discrimination will always enable you to see what the difference is between what you mean by sorrow and by peace. It also helps one determine what enables sorrow and what provides peace or happiness.

Brahma Viveka: This discriminatory ability is much deeper than Dharma Viveka and gives a being the ability to determine the subtler aspects of their pshyche. An aspiring seeker needs to be proficient in determining whether the appearances in awareness are permenant Vs what remains when these appearances disappear. This is an advanced and subtler discernment that helps you also look at how you are separate from the “happenings” and “doings” of the mind/body complex.
There are 5 types of Brahma Viveka.
1. Nitya/Anitya Viveka: Nitya/Anitya Viveka helps you understand the difference between the Permenant and Impermenant. Nityānitya vastu viveka (नित्यानित्य वस्तु विवेकम्) is the ability to correctly discriminate between the eternal (nitya) substance which is Brahman or Consiousness, and the substance that is a transitory existence (anitya) or untrue appearances in the awareness.
2. Dvaitadvaita Viveka: This critical discrimination will help understand duality. It further needs that the following conditions determine the duality of anything. A non-dual thing cannot have,

a. Svagata (having differences between the same unit being)
b. Svajatiiya (differences within the same speices)
c. Vijatiiya (diferrences between spieces) differentiation in entity which is beyond time and space. When the following conditions are met, the being or thing is not dual

3. AtmaAnatma Viveka: This Viveka will help you see whether the evaluated entity is permenant and non-dual conciousness (atmabhava) or it is something other than conciousness (anatmabhava).
4. Pancakosha Viveka: The panchakosha Viveka will help discern whether you are separate from the five layers of (Annamayakosha) gross body, (Pranamayakosha) energy body, (Manomayakosha) mental body, (Vijnanamayakosha) intellect and (Anandamayakosha) the causal body. This is critical to determine that the being (Brahman or Consciousness) transcends, and is not part of or dependant on any of these external layers.
5. Mahavakya Viveka: The pursuit of knowledge alone will not bring (purshartha) self awareness. This discrimination is very critical. Quiet often seekers get lost in the world of “knowledge” of the ancient texts or knowledge about their psyche. It is critical to understand that knowledge is not “knowing”. Knowledge is based on information and data, while knowing is experiential and happens actively in the moment.

While this may seem daunting at first, the reality is this discrimination is like a sharp knife. It sharpens with repeated practice and awareness, and dullens with ignorance. Continuous enquiry about the Self will surely sharpen a beings ability to discriminate between truth and the ever-changing spotless consiousness that you are.

If you wish to study this topic more, the Vivekachudamani by Sri. AdiShankaracharya is a perfect work to study.