He also gave a discourse on mental consciousness, part of which follows: (August 06, 1960)
Those on the mental planes are not conscious of the gross or subtle planes. How then is it possible for one on the mental plane to speak, eat, drink, et cetera – in short, to perform actions similar to those of an ordinary man on the gross plane?
It is just as we hear of persons walking, or eating, drinking, writing, stealing and so forth in their sleep, and yet they are absolutely unconscious of these gross actions. It is not uncommon for a person to talk in his sleep. All those around him can hear him speaking in his sleep, but the person himself is not aware or conscious of his own speaking. In the same way, the ones on the mental planes are totally unconscious of gross and subtle actions and spheres, although all their gross and subtle actions are the outcome of their thoughts and feelings – the functions of mind …
Any action performed by one on the mental planes, as observed by the gross-conscious or subtle-conscious atmas, is nothing but a gross or subtle manifestation of a mental action. The apparent gross action that you on the gross plane see performed by one on the mental plane is merely the pattern of that mental function translated on the screen of your own gross consciousness. Hence, the one on the mental plane is totally dissociated from the gross and subtle, does not speak, eat or drink in the sense that those on the gross plane eat, drink and speak, though he may appear to do so. When you see such a one eating, drinking, speaking, et cetera, it is nothing but your own gross interpretation of the reflection of his mental activity.
For example, when you see the moon reflected in a lake, to all intents and purposes it is in the water as long as your gaze is directed at the lake. The moon is not in the water. The reflection of the moon is in the water, but it appears as if the moon is in the water. So the consciousness of the one on the mental planes is not here. The reflection of his consciousness is here, but it appears as if he is conscious of the gross plane.
When one on the mental planes performs an action, that act cannot be comprehended by anyone having consciousness only of the subtle or the gross. That same act is interpreted differently by the ones on the subtle planes and the ones on the gross plane, in the light of their own respective consciousness.
In short, the function of mind expressed by one on the mental planes, when perceived by you on the gross plane, comes through the channel of your gross consciousness and reaches you in the shape or movement familiar to your range of awareness and capacity of comprehension.
Lord Meher, Bhau Kalchuri, Original Publication, Vol 17, pp. 5783 – 5784.