Why Self-Inquiry?

Why must I inquire into my own self? The reason is because you have taken your self to be an entity that is limited to the body and mind. An entity that is born and will die.  An entity that assumes ownership of actions. An entity that believes itself to be the do-er of actions. An entity that believes it has feelings and emotions. An entity that believes that the present is not good enough and that someday or sometime in the future, it will achieve a state of peace or happiness or some state better than the present. An entity that hopes for a better day. An entity that is suffering and pining for a better mental state.

As long as there is a BELIEF in this entity, which you call 'me' or 'I' (the first person) there will no doubt be suffering.  The false belief in this self centered entity is the cause of all suffering.

There are essentially two main ways in which this false belief can come crumbling down. One, is the sincere and complete faith and belief in the sayings of the Sages or the Guru. The Sages have repeatedly said over the ages that "the REAL YOU are not the body nor the mind".  With sheer devotion to your Guru or the Sage, and if the mind is pure enough, just this LISTENING is enough and the false 'I' will immediately vanish. However, for the majority of seekers, due to years and years of mental conditioning and the strong belief in an entity called 'me', many questions persist which prevent him/her from executing the sheer devotion needed to accept the Guru's sayings. In such cases, where the belief in the entity 'me' is very strong, it becomes necessary to investigate, inquire, as to who is this 'me'. This investigation or inquiry by a 'me' into the nature of 'me' is called Self-inquiry (or Self-enquiry if you are British or from the Commonwealth!). With this inquiry, all one is doing is convincing oneself that there is really no-thing or no-one or no-entity called 'me'. It is all just a thought. It is the prime thought or the root thought (the 'I-thought') to which all other thoughts are attached. On proving the falseness of this prime thought (the 'I-thought' or the 'me') the other thoughts have nothing to hold on to and they gradually fall away, leaving only the PURE BEING to shine through effortlessly.

The Simple Truth of It All

You want to know your True Nature and hence it is assumed you are reading this message. Is that enough?  Reading this blog or any message on Advaita or Vedanta literature is certainly not enough.  People spend hours reading and discussing this subject without ever LISTENING to the message therein. After listening, the next step is to follow the pointers. Yes, there is a feeling of peace and calmness on reading these messages and literature or on discussing this subject. But are you really getting anything out of it other than mental entertainment? Be honest with your own self. Is it not true that once you are immersed back in your work or other activity, the feeling of happiness or peace that was present when reading or discussing Advaita or spirituality, passes away just as quickly. You are then left longing for the same feeling once again. That is called suffering- when you are longing for something or some feeling that you do not have currently and are constantly longing for or are in search of it. What does that tell you? That no state is eternal as all states are changing. Why are you still running after some "state" which you hope to achieve at some future time and place? Why not Realize that you are THAT STATELESS STATE- your TRUE NATURE- and you are ALREADY THAT. Would that not make more sense than running around in circles chasing any transient state ( for all states are transient)?

So, what is the solution to all this suffering? It is utterly simple. Simple when one makes a sincere, honest and concerted effort and yet extremely difficult if one is not sincere and does not have the desire to do so. All it needs is for you to inquire into your own self. Inquire into who is this "I" (the ego). Where did this "I" come from? Obviously, this "I" was not there in my sleep and there was no suffering or longing in my sleep. Now that there is an "I" in my waking state, I am suffering. You have to do the work of inquiry for no one else can do it for you. Upon inquiry you must have the firm conviction, that in fact, the "I" (the ego) does not have any independent existence nor does it have any substance. It is but a thought only (the I-thought). Unless and until one does this investigation into one's own self, all other efforts are entirely futile. Just try it and see how simple this whole process is. For there is nothing new to be gained here. Only the false has to be removed to reveal the REALITY which is already there.

Once this TRUTH is realized, then by all means do whatever you like including discussions about it or writing about it (like this author!).

Why Am I Suffering?

Question: I seem to understand all that is said about Non-Duality or Advaita, but I am still suffering. Why?

Advaitin: That is a fairly common question that arises for a seeker. It is essential that one must understand what is suffering and what are the components of suffering. It is essential that for one to claim that he/she is suffering, there has to be a 'me'- the individual that suffers i.e. the Subject of this suffering. There has to be an event or occurrence or Object that causes suffering to this subject. And lastly, the process of suffering itself.

Let us first start with the Subject. Who is this ‘I’ that claims to suffer.  Leaving the two other components, if one concentrates only on this ‘I’ and solves the puzzle of this ‘I’, it would automatically resolve the other two components namely the object and the process.  Therefore, question your self as to who is this ‘I’ or ‘me’ that is claiming to suffer. LOOK FOR THE SUFFERER.  Were you suffering in your deep sleep? Why not?  Is it not because there was no ‘me’ to suffer? So what happened to this ‘me’ or ‘I’ during deep sleep?  Since there was no ‘I’ in deep sleep, there was no suffering either.  That means that the appearance of the ‘I’ is concurrent with the appearance of suffering (or for that matter any other feeling).  On investigation, it becomes obvious that this ‘me’ or ‘I’ is nothing but a thought, the thought of being an independent and separate entity called 'me' or 'I'.  Can a thought really suffer? On sincerely looking for this ‘me’, the ‘me’ vanishes, leaving behind the state of pure thoughtless Being. In this state of pure thoughtless Being, there is no entity ( a 'me' or 'I') to claim suffering.  In this state of pure thoughtless Being, there is neither the sufferer, the suffering, or the object causing the suffering.  With the disappearance of the false ‘I’ or the ‘me’, there is no one to make the claim to suffer. So, it becomes obvious, that it is imperative to seek out the seeker for an end to suffering. The loss of individuality is the end of suffering.

You are NOT the Do-er

When one reads these teachings, the response usually is "so, what can I do to attain the Natural State or my True Nature?".  The fact that this question can arise, indicates that the Understanding has not yet occurred. There is still the sense that one is the Do-er of the action of the body-mind entity.  So, who is the Do-er of action? Is it really a 'you'? If so, can you without any doubt locate this 'you'? Where exactly is this 'you'? Is it anywhere in the body in particular?  If so, where exactly are 'you' located in the body? Is it not true that the 'you' or the 'I' is nothing but a thought? Can a thought be a Do-er of action? Can a thought actually see, or hear, or taste, or smell? Is it not true that actions are happening spontaneously without any Do-er that can be located? All actions and movements are an appearance in consciousness.  The supposed Do-er, the "I-thought", the ego,  the 'me', is actually a phantom with no substance, and when looked for disappears immediately!! This 'I-thought' cannot exist apart from consciousness since all thoughts are appearing in consciousness. Can 'you' exist without consciousness?

Instead of just reading and doing an intellectual exercise and playing the game of spirituality,  is it not more important to sincerely answer these questions for yourself?  And does the answer not come up spontaneously? Who gave 'you' the answer?

The God in the House

Why is it that many a seeker or aspirant is unable to grasp or apperceive (have conscious perception of or comprehend) what is repeatedly told on this subject of non-duality? The main problem or obstacle is that most seekers approach this subject from a perspective of an individual. An individual who wants to 'attain' or 'gain' something like Self-Realization or Nirvana or Enlightenment. While it is understandable that at the stage of the seeker, it is natural to still identify oneself with the body and the mind, one must be prepared to leap on to the next stage of an advanced seeker- a seeker who is totally convinced and has the conviction of NOT being the body or the mind, but is still unsure as to who he or she really really IS. While, for the purpose of relative description, the language of time and process is used, there is actually no such thing as stages of a seeker. When understanding occurs, it is usually almost instantaneous.  Therefore, it is imperative to approach this subject with no preconceived notions or concepts and just an open mind, so that the knowledge can percolate all the way down to the deep level of consciousness without any effort from the seeker. Just let the Knowledge flow in.

The other problem is that the seeker is unwilling is lose himself/herself.  Meaning, the seeker is still hanging on to the identity that he or she is some body with a name and form.  When the seeker is ready to give up everything including the identity with a name and form, then the 'Enlightenment' happens naturally and effortlessly!

Here is an analogy.  What an average individual notices in a house is four walls, a roof and contents of the house. What the individual ignores is the fact that the house is actually an enclosure of space.  There was space first and then in that space, four walls and the roof were built to enclose a portion of the space and then it is called 'my house'.  One is so engrossed in the contents of the house that the fact that it is nothing but preexisting space is forgotten. The space inside the house is the same as the space outside the house. There are no boundaries or margins for space.

You are looking for God. You have looked everywhere outside, in the temple, church, mosque, and in the caves and mountains and all to no avail. You give up and come back home, disappointed that God could not be found despite your extensive search outside.  In your state of desperation, you ask God to reveal himself as all your efforts so far have been unfruitful. At this point, God in the form of a Guru's sayings appears to you. The sayings are 'God is already in the house. All you need to do is step out of the house'.  What the Guru means is that unless you vacate this house, God will not come out of hiding to occupy the house. How can God occupy the house when you are currently a resident?  Nobody wants to live in a house which is already occupied (including God)!  But the fact is that God is already in the house, but not visible (or perhaps in the basement?!).  Once, you step out of the house and give up ownership of the house, the house automatically becomes a House of God and also very obvious. What has changed? God was already in the house and is now in the house and will be in the house.  The only difference is that you have vacated the house and the rightful Owner just took over. Your search ends with you returning to the house and handing over the house to the rightful Owner.  You return home to the home you never left!

What this analogy reveals is that unless you are willing to completely give up all your identities, there is no way the Truth will reveal itself (Truth being God itself). When you are willing to lose your self (the little self-your ego- note the small 's'), the True Self (note the capital 'S') will reveal itself automatically and effortlessly, for the Self( or God or whatever name you want to give IT) is already there and always there. Just like space.  God is like space, without form or boundaries, and is everywhere, both inside and outside.  The space inside the house will be obvious only when you empty the house of all of its contents including yourself (empty the mind of all its contents including the ego- which is nothing but the thought of being the body and the mind).  When the little self (the ego) surrenders completely and without any conditions, the Real Self (or God) who is already present and all there IS, becomes obvious.  No one actually attains God, or Godhood, for God is all there IS.  Where is the question of a 'you' or a 'me' to attain or know God?  Once 'you' have completely surrendered to God, who is there to claim " I have become Enlightened" or " I know God "?

The question is 'ARE YOU READY TO VACATE THE HOUSE?'

Want Eternal Bliss?

Come on! Who doesn't? Seeking of any kind is actually a search for peace and happiness.  One searches for happiness in various pursuits. Whatever your pursuit, whether it is meditation, chanting, praying, hatha yoga, rituals, or visiting holy places, it is eventually all a search- a search for that elusive eternal or permanent bliss. Even your reading this page is an indication that you are in search of peace, or happiness or bliss. However, happiness in most cases is equated with something that one attains. Something that one hopes to attain and thereafter one hopes will be a life of perfect peace and happiness. When one thinks of happiness, it is a relative term. Relative to unhappiness or absence of happiness. The mind can only think in opposites- good versus bad, superior versus inferior, big versus small. All objective thinking is relative.


Suppose one does attain a feeling of happiness, how long do you think it will last? A few moments, a few minutes, maybe a few days or months or maybe years?  Doesn't matter. Eventually, this feeling must end.  All pursuits to attain bliss, however successful, cannot bring about permanent eternal bliss or happiness. Why is that? Because the bliss that one is trying to attain is a state of mind, a relative state compared to a state of unhappiness or absence of happiness or bliss. All states of mind are bound to change. All states of mind are transient by nature.  Even the state of absence of thoughts, however blissful, must come to an end.  Suppose, you do attain a state of fairly consistent and prolonged period of bliss by undertaking an intensive period of meditation or yoga or whatever, what happens when you come out of that state?  That state of bliss is gone and you are back to whatever state you were in before the state of bliss began.  Is that not a common experience of mankind? And because you like that state, you want to prolong it somehow. Not realizing the ephemeral nature of this experience, one falls into a trap seeking constantly to replicate this experience of bliss- a state of mind.

So you may ask, then how can one attain eternal bliss?  For that one must understand that anything relative is bound by time. Whatever you attain you will eventually lose.  What comes and goes is not real- so said Ramana Maharshi. The only way to eternal bliss is to realize that you are Bliss itself.  Not an objective state of bliss but the subjective Bliss itself. Bliss, not in the relative sense, but in the absolute sense. The dictionary definition of absolute is 'something that is not dependent upon external conditions for existence, something that is free from any restriction or condition, something that is perfect or complete'.  What could the bliss in the absolute sense be? Your own Self, which is self shining, Eternal and ever Present.  To realize that bliss is your True Nature is to realize Eternal Bliss.  Eternal Bliss is not a state of mind for as we have seen, all states of mind are transient and hence cannot be therefore eternal. 

One cannot get eternal bliss, one can only BE ETERNAL BLISS!

Jnana versus Bhakti- Knowledge versus Devotion

Eventually, there are two ways to Self-Realization- if that term can be used in the first place.  The path could be Jnana (Knowledge) or Bhakti (Surrender). Let us assume for matter of this discussion that there is an entity called "me", who wants to know what is the way or path to Self Realization.

A person who is a true Bhakta (devotee of God), eventually reaches a state of complete surrender to God.  The Bhakta has given up all and says that there is nothing that he does, can do or ever done without God.  He surrenders himself completely to God, including the idea of being a separate individual.   In surrendering his ego, or the sense of a "me", he Realizes his True Nature to be none other than the God that he is praying to.  So, eventually, the Knowledge dawns on the Bhakta.

The one who embarks on the path of Self Enquiry or Jnana, continuously questions the validity and existence of this sense of "me" or the ego or "I-thought".  When the Realization dawns on him/her, the sense of a "me" vanishes. There is only the Self and no question of a "me' apart from the Self. That is,  he Realizes his True Nature to be none other than the Self.

The end result of both paths is the same. Therefore, Bhakti and Jnana are one and the same.  The one who has surrendered to Jnana is a true Bhakta.

The World is like a Mirage

The World and the Universe are like a mirage. This statement raises eyebrows when a seeker or non-seeker hears it.   An object looks different depending on the distance and the angle from which it is viewed. In the same way, this statement may sound preposterous to many but to a tiny minority there is complete truth in this statement. It all depends on the perspective.

Let us take this example.  A man and his goat were walking back home in the desert one hot sunny afternoon.  He had taken his goat with him to see if it could be sold in the market place. It was a long walk back from the market that they had gone to visit. On the way home, they are fairly tired, hungry and thirsty.  The sun was shining brightly and it was a hot day.  Out in the distance, they both see what appears to be an oasis. The water in the oasis looks real to both the man and his goat.  Unfortunately, it is only a mirage. The goat thinks it is water and rushes out to the mirage. The man uses his knowledge and the power of discrimination (his intellect) and knows it is only a mirage. He cannot deny that the appearance of the water in the mirage is very realistic. Yet, because of his intellect the man can differentiate the real from the unreal and hence he does not run towards the mirage.  The goat on the other hand, does not have the intellect to differentiate or discriminate and rushes towards the mirage.

From the point of view of the goat, the mirage is real. From the point of view of the man, he knows that the mirage is unreal. From the point of view of the sun, where is the question of real or unreal, mirage or no mirage, man or goat, world or no world?  The sun shines regardless of anything.

The non-seeker is like the goat, not using the power of discrimination and intellect that nature has given him.  He takes the world to be totally real and does not even question it.  He suffers with the ups and downs that the world presents to him.

The man who has heard and understands the Truth, is one who uses his intellect to discriminate between the real and the unreal.  Yet, he believes that 'he' has understood and uses the statement " I understand the Truth" and needlessly argues about the reality or non-reality of the world.  He has not yet given up on the idea of being an individual.

The Jnani (the Realized) on the other hand,  is like the sun. Just the self shining Self, with no question of reality or non-reality of the world. The Jnani has merged in the Absolute, where there is no question of knowledge or ignorance. The Jnani just IS.

The Goal of Desire is to be Desireless

The goal of every desire is to be desireless. Let us study this statement closely. When there is a desire, the mind is agitated and cannot focus on anything else other than the desire itself. For instance, if one wants to drink a cup of coffee, the thoughts are constantly on how to get the cup of coffee. The thoughts lead to actions that will fulfill the desire. One thought leads to another and the goal is to get the cup of coffee and consume it. Till the desire is fulfilled or replaced by another desire, it will constantly occupy the focus of attention of the mind. Once the cup of coffee is in the hand and a sip of it is consumed, then there is contentment. Yes, the contentment or happiness may be fleeting but it is there because the desire was fulfilled. In that moment of happiness, there is no desire or there is desirelessness (only until another desire arises!). Therefore, it can be concluded that desirelessness is equal to happiness and vice versa. The goal of every desire is to lead up to this desirelessness (happiness or contentment), which is our True Nature. One experiences this state of happiness or desirelessness every day, but the mind interprets the happiness to be due to the attainment of the object of desire and not to the fact that for that fleeting moment there are no desires (or desirelessness). Because of the misinterpretation of this state of happiness, the mind is constantly chasing desires thereby resulting in a state of constant seeking. The mind gives the impression that someday or sometime, there will be no further desires to be fulfilled and then there will be contentment.

But, desirelessness is actually our True Nature and it is present right here and right now. It is a state of peace and contentment. Once, one realizes that the state of desirelessness is indeed one's True Nature, the seeking stops immediately. It is just a matter of Understanding which leads one to Realization.

So Said Ramana Maharshi

THERE IS NO PATH

When you speak of a path, where are you now? And where do you want to go? If these are known, then we can talk of a path. Know first where you are and what you are. There is nothing to be reached. There is no goal to be reached. There is nothing to be attained. The conception that there is a goal and a path to it is wrong. We are the goal or peace always. You are the Self. You exist always.
-- Sri Ramana Maharshi

TAT TVAM ASI- THAT THOU ART

Tat tvam Asi or 'That thou art' is a Mahavaakya (Great Pronouncement or Great Saying) in Vedanta Advaita literature. It is originally mentioned in the Chandogya Upanishad as a dialogue between Uddalaka and his son, Shvetaketu. In any case, the reason this author has brought this up is to emphasize the simplicity and depth of the meaning behind this simple pronouncement. Just mulling over this Mahavaakya can be in itself all that a seeker needs. However, it is imperative for the seeker to understand the meaning of each of these words, the placement of the words in the sentence and how to approach the process of assimilation of the profundity of this statement.

TAT is That or the Reality or Brahman or whatever label you may want to give the eternal Reality that is self evident to all. THOU is the "you" or the "me". This "me" is also called the Jiva (pronounced as 'Jeeva'). What you mistakenly take yourself to be is this Jiva or the personality or the individual. At its very essence, the Mahavaakya is self explanatory. Note that this statement starts with a That rather than Thou. Meaning thereby that what IS, or THAT is already present BEFORE a 'Thou' (or a 'you' or 'me') arises. The Mahavaakya can lose its meaning if translated as "Thou are That" or "you are That", as is often seen in Advaita literature. Translating it in this manner gives substance to the feeling that there is actually a 'you' or 'thou' or 'me'. The seeker continues to think that he/she is an entity with some substance and independent nature and begins to analyze the statement from that reference point of a 'me'. Unfortunately, this just reinforces the concept or the sense of a 'me' or an 'individual', which defeats the very purpose of this statement. Of course, one could argue that this placement of words in this Mahavaakya is due to Sanskrit grammar and has nothing to do with the essential meaning of the statement or how this author has proposed that it should be interpreted. But remember that language is just a mode of communication and one can go on arguing endlessly about irrelevant topics thereby failing to see what is being pointed to.

The meaning of the Mahavaakya is clear when pointed out that before a thought of a 'me' can arise, I already AM. If one can just stick with the identity of THAT, then there is no question of identifying with what arises or comes after THAT. If one starts off as THAT and sticks to it, and then understands that what arises as an 'I-thought' (or a 'me') is nothing but just a thought, the meaning becomes immediately clear. All thoughts, actions, feelings, emotions, or anything else can BE, only if THAT is there to start with. THAT is always and eternally the Present. What can one say if the identity with THAT is established once and for all? One can only say that " I am every thing and no thing in particular".

For some seekers, this direct pointing out works wonders and hence this simple three word sentence has been labeled a Mahavaakya. As THAT, one realizes that he/she is nothing but just the Pure Awareness. The he/she cannot exist apart from THAT/Pure Awareness. Just ponder over this powerful pointer.

Thought for the Day

There is no question of becoming what you already ARE.
There is no question of being other than what you already ARE.
BE as you ARE.

Stop Struggling and Just Surrender

The author fully understands that there are many out there who do not comprehend what is being posted in this blog. Despite proclaiming to be a blog about the simplicity of seeing into your True Nature, there are many that do not just see it the way a small minority do. It might just be easier for some to not struggle to decipher the whole Truth (as there is really no 'one' to decipher it!!) and instead settle for what seems obvious to them. Remember, there is nothing to attain or gain in this entire venture. What many want is just some peace and stillness and what is wrong in asking for that? Remember, that the seeking is itself the source of suffering. Perhaps, for the struggling seeker, it may be better to stop seeking and be happy with some simple knowledge. The purpose of this article to cater to the many who are at this stage of seeking and the author hopes that reading further may be of help to them. As is commonly seen in many commercials, no guarantees are implied and individual results may vary!! The author has nothing to sell. So, what are you waiting for? Read on!

So, you see this so called 'unreal world' and 'illusory world' as real? You just cannot understand what these so called 'Non-dualists' or 'Advaitins' talk about all this 'illusory world being like a dream' etc.? Nothing wrong with that! You are not alone. The majority of the population, in fact a good 99.99% of the population does so! You are reading this so that you can have some peace, some stillness, and enjoy 'life' as it should be, correct? If not, then it is time for you to stop reading right now. If you already are an 'Awakened Non-dualist', then there is no reason for you to read this, correct?

Accepting that you are indeed a person, a person with a body and a mind, let us move on. What is needed is just a change in perspective, that is all at this stage. If you can just get this change in perspective, then you have achieved what you were struggling to achieve so far. Stop at that point and go no further. Relax into this simple understanding and let it settle in for good. When the desire to dig deeper arises in the future, do so.

Firstly, what are you missing right here and right now? What will make you complete? What will give you contentment, right now and right here? Do not just read these questions. Answer them and write it down with date and time stamp, if you will, please! Now, that you have an answer, let us go about figuring out how to satisfy that missing need or desire.

The answer in most cases is that "there is nothing missing right here and right now, but....". And then, there are a lot of thoughts after that 'but.....' and the list goes on and on. Hey, this author did not say that all needs will be satisfied, only that we will go about trying to figure out how to satisfy the needs. There is no end to the needs and wants of this body as long as there is a mind that can conjure up those needs and wants. The needs and wants are called desires. The primary desire is the desire to live. Without that desire, no other desire would exist, correct? Where did this love to be, the desire to be come from? Was it not spontaneous? If the primary desire to just BE was spontaneous, would not all other desires be spontaneous too? That means that 'Spontaneous' was responsible for the desires, not you! If 'you' were not responsible for these desires as they were spontaneous, then why are 'you' suffering especially since they cannot be fulfilled? Gotcha! Let the one who created the desires solve the problem. Since the desires arose spontaneously let them be fulfilled spontaneously. Again, Spontaneous will decide if these desires can be fulfilled or not.

No point dwelling over these thoughts and desires and suffering unnecessarily. This could include the desire to be Awakened. Leave it be. Just chill! You know by now that all your desires cannot be fulfilled or else everyone would be happy and all would be at peace in this world ( a desire of a lot of so called 'spiritualists' and 'spiritual teachers'). These 'spiritual teachers' create an illusion (an unreal utopia) of a world full of content and happy people,- if only the people would follow their teachings. However, despite several thousands of these spiritual teachers and Gurus over the past thousands of years, has there been permanent peace and lack of conflict in this world? Be honest. Knowing that there is really nothing that you can do to stop the thoughts and to fulfill the needs and desires arising from these thoughts, would a sensible 'you' still continue to try to do so? A sensible 'you' would just quit trying to control thoughts. In giving up, there is immediate sense of peace. In surrendering to the Unknown (Spontaneous), there is immediate peace to the 'you'. Let that Unknown creator of thoughts take care of fulfilling the needs of those thoughts (desires). Just surrender completely. Don't worry, things will be done and actions will go on. You will not become a lazy no-good person. Just stop pretending you are the one having the thoughts and taking care of the desires and needs. As soon as a thought arises, ask whose thought it is and where did it come from. Don't try to struggle with the thoughts. Let them arise and let them go. Just be the silent observer of these thoughts. On complete surrender to the Unknown, the actions will go on spontaneously, except there will be no 'you' struggling to do them.

For now, just be satisfied with this basic understanding and stop struggling or seeking any more. Good luck!! Questions or comment? Don't shy away! Go ahead and ask or write your comments.

Whose Thoughts are These?

For one to get to Understanding, one essentially has to give up the idea of being an entity, a 'me' with a name and form. Metaphorically speaking, one has to dismiss the concept of being a body-mind entity. The primary concept is the "thought-I am'. This primary concept of being an individual is the root of all other concepts. For, without an owner of thoughts, the thoughts cannot take hold. The thoughts will continue to appear but there is no one taking ownership of the thoughts. The thoughts then fall off just as they appear. While this may appear to be a process involving time and effort, in actuality and on the Understanding taking place, it becomes clear that there is no one ever owning thoughts (like 'my thoughts') and likewise no one ever giving up thoughts.

Thoughts appear and disappear in consciousness with no one ever making any effort to create or dismiss them. Think carefully over this. Do you, yes a 'you', do anything to think? Or, do thoughts appear spontaneously? If a 'you' could control thoughts, would you ever choose to have "bad thoughts"? Since thoughts precede actions, would you ever choose to do "bad things"? How many times have you looked back and said " I wish I had never said that" or " I wish I had never thought like that"? Would there ever be regrets if there was a 'you' who could control the thoughts before they appear? Is it not true that all 'your' suffering is due to 'your' ownership of the thoughts and the actions that follow? What if a 'you' inquires into the reality and existence of the 'you' and then see what happens thereafter? Do 'you' still need convincing about whose thoughts are these?

No Action Required, Only Understanding

One major obstacle that keeps coming up in the seeker's mind is the nature of action that will eventually reveal this Knowledge to the seeker. This is perhaps one of the most misunderstood aspects of this path to Self Knowledge. Unfortunately, despite repeated hammering away at the fact that you are not the body nor the mind, the idea that you are an individual that actually does actions and thereby reaps the rewards of the action is hard to dispel for many a seeker.

Non-duality or Advaita is not a topic to be studied or memorized. It is not a play of words. On the other hand, it is purely intuitive knowledge. The words once listened to or read, will suddenly strike somewhere deep inside of you and the clarity of this teaching will become immediately evident. It also becomes clear that there is nothing actually done by anybody and there is actually no one to attain anything (including this Knowledge). What is evident is that what you are seeking, you already ARE. Then what is it that has happened? What actually happens is the realization that you are not an individual entity and all that is happening is happening in consciousness. No one has, can, or will ever DO anything. All happening is just a play in consciousness.

It is imperative that the seeker keep his/her mind constantly focused on where he/she came from. Obviously, the "I-thought" (or the ego) was not there in deep sleep and suddenly spontaneously it arose and thereafter the idea of an entity called "me" came with it. What cannot be denied is the fact that the one who is awake is also the one who was sleeping. There is no denying the fact that you existed in deep sleep and the one reading this article is the one who was sleeping last night. However, in deep sleep there was no "I-thought" or for that matter any thoughts. That means the "I-thought" is discontinuous and you are continuous ( for you know that you are the same one that existed in deep sleep as well as now). Anything that is discontinuous, or which appears and disappears is not real. What is continuous and always exists is the real. This 'you' that the author is pointing to is the Real You. No effort was needed by this entity called 'John or Ashok or Ali' to be Present through all the three states of deep sleep, dream and wakeful state. Also, this John/Ashok/Ali (or whatever name you want to give to the entity called 'me'), did not do any action to wake up. Wakefulness came spontaneously. In the same way, seeing is happening. Before any thought can arise, seeing is happening. However, a thought comes along and translates the natural happening of seeing into the thought "I see". The thought has divided this happening into a subject (I), the action (seeing) and an object (seen). This is the way the mind works. In the same way, Understanding happens spontaneously. There is no question of any entity called 'me' (which does not exist in any case) doing something to make understanding happen. In the same way there is no question of an entity claiming "I understand". There is just Understanding.

THAT Awareness is always present, irrespective of the supposed 'actions' of this entity called 'me'. Just think over this carefully. You are always aware and present.

What action are you doing to beat the heart, or to make the lungs move, or to digest the food, or to make the liver metabolize the food? Is this not happening spontaneously, right now? Yet is it not uncommon in terms of language to say "I am digesting my food"? This is because, the ego believes it IS the body. The ego gives rise to the idea that it is a Do-er of all actions. Hence the quest to 'do some action or practice' to get this Realization. The entity thinks that if he/she does some practice or ritual over some period of time, then "I will get Self Realization". All through, there is nothing but the Self and yet it is ignored.

Having said that, as long as the idea that you are the body/mind entity exists, the above statement that no action is required will not fly. This is almost like a 'catch 22' situation. Hence, the ancient sages insisted on first investigating the very existence of the ego. This is done by asking oneself the question "who am I?" or "where did I come from?". When looked for, the ego is like a ghost which just vanishes and yet functioning continues in the ego-less state. This ego-less state is your state of Pure Beingness or Pure Consciousness. Once there is this understanding, what is there is to be done and by whom?

Stay With the Knowledge of Being

What is written here is nothing new. It is just this author's take on a topic that has been dealt with exhaustively over the centuries. In fact, you will note that the same message is being repeated again and again. The only reason you are reading this message is because the message has not hit home, as yet. There is nothing you can do to make the message hit home. Once heard and if there is sincerity in the desire to know, the message will by itself hit home. When this message is approached with your identity with the body and mind, the message will perhaps not hit home. However, when you approach this entire topic with an open mind and with no preconceived concepts, then suddenly everything will become clear. As is obvious to anyone who has spent some time studying this topic of non-duality, the message itself is simple and straightforward.

However, because of years of conditioning of the mind it is difficult to see the clarity of the message. Remember, that you have taken yourself to be a person for several decades. You have built up a well fortified image of someone who has a long story of events that go back for several decades. The slate therefore cannot be swiped clean with one stroke. It make take some scrubbing before the mind becomes cleared of all this residue before it can let the pure Knowledge shine through.

For some, the message becomes clear fairly quickly. In others it may take quite some time before it becomes clear. In either case there is nothing one can do about it. Well, in a way, there is something one can "do"- if you still are stuck with the idea of being an individual who actually does do things. In that case, the best thing to do is stay with the knowledge that you ARE. Stay with the feeling of being, of being alive, of being present, of existing. Keep the mind lodged in this presence that you ARE. Eventually, this knowledge of being present will deliver all the remaining knowledge- including the knowledge that you actually never did anything ever.

Where the sense of ego is strong, there is always the sense that something must be done to achieve anything. In this case, the ego believes it is the do-er of the action. Hence, the constant thought "what do I do to get this knowledge?" or "what do I do to achieve Enlightenment?". Where the ego is constantly pushing for action, the best thing "to do" is to stay put in the knowing that you are present. That way the ego slowly diminishes in its strength and gradually but surely the self shining Knowledge becomes obvious. Don't try to kill the ego, for it does not exist. The ego is a phantom and hence cannot be killed. Eventually, just realize the illusory nature of the ego and then there is no attempt to do anything about it. Clear? No?!! Then in that case, just be with the sense of being. Just BE and SEE clearly!

The No-thing and Every-thing

When reading Advaita literature, you may have come across the statement that everything is essentially nothing or nothing appears as everything. To the ignorant (assuming one who has not realized one's True Nature) this statement is rather confusing. However, as discussed several times on this blog, all of what will be written today is essentially mental entertainment and as such is irrelevant. The most important issue still remains establishing one's True Identity or Nature. Focus your attention only on that issue. Just Be! When one learns about one's own True Self, all other answers will come naturally and effortlessly. But since this author started off on this issue, this topic will be addressed today.

What you truly, truly and really, really are is essentially a No-thing- not a thing that can be grasped or attained or described. Just this Infinite Intelligence which is empty or no-thing. All things or objects must occupy space and be present in time for them to be recognized as an object or thing. For instance, let us take a clay pot. The clay shaped as a pot must occupy some space for it to be perceived. Also, the pot must be present for a length of time for it to be perceived. If some object just flashes by in front of you at lightening speed, you may not even perceive the shape, size, nature or type of object that flashed by. Even microscopic organisms occupy space and time. Yes, and with instruments of perception like the microscope or electron microscope, one can peek into the depths of material objects. Yet, undeniably any object to be perceived using any instrument, must occupy space and time.

But space and time are concepts in the mind. Space and time are absent when there is no mind or thoughts, as in deep dreamless sleep when there is no mind and thereby no space or time. Mind itself is a content of Awareness and lacks any independent existence. Therefore, mind and thereby space and time cannot be in the absence of Awareness. Meaning thereby that because of Awareness there is a mind and in the mind are the concepts of space and time. Awareness is a No-thing (i.e. cannot be objectified). And every-thing or every-object is a content of the space. Space itself is a content of the Awareness/No-thing. Therefore, every-thing is coming from THAT No-thing. Therefore, it could be said that every-thing is no-thing and vice-versa.

Another way of looking at this would be to argue that space is essentially nothing. Just emptiness with no center or boundaries. Space by itself has no boundaries that the mind can conceive. But all things or objects are a content of space. If space is nothing or just empty, can any thing or object come from nothing? Therefore, all things are essentially nothing.

Yet another way of looking at this issue would be to argue from a more scientific viewpoint. Well, modern day scientists and quantum physicists in particular have found out that all matter is essentially energy. If we take any physical object and look at it closely, it is noted to be made up of molecules and these in turn are made up of atoms. The atomic theory is not new. It began as a philosophical concept in ancient Greece and India and entered the scientific mainstream in the early 19th century when discoveries in the field of chemistry showed that matter did indeed behave as if it were made up of particles. The atoms are made up of particles called neutrons, electrons and protons. In 1924, Louis de Broglie proposed that all moving particles — particularly subatomic particles such as electrons-exhibit a degree of wave-like behavior. A consequence of describing electrons as waveforms is that it is mathematically impossible to simultaneously derive the position and momentum of an electron; this became known as the Uncertainty Principle. This invalidated Bohr's model, with its neat, clearly defined circular orbits as if often thought of when describing atoms. The modern model of the atom describes the positions of electrons in an atom in terms of probabilities. The position of an electron in relation to space is one of many probabilities and depends on the observer. The space between electrons, relative to the size of the electrons is enormous. Anyway, scientists have come to the conclusion that the tiniest finite particle is essentially a wave of energy, which appears as a particle only if there is an observer to observe it. Therefore, essentially matter is no-thing, but just empty waveforms of energy. Now, this energy is infused with intelligence. What we see as objects are nothing but this same Intelligent Energy shaping, patterning, and forming itself into various objects. Hence, every-thing is nothing but this No-thing or Intelligent Energy.

Not satisfied? Another way to look at this issue is to look at the origin of the galaxy and solar system itself. We now know that the solar system like any other star arises from empty space. We also know of black holes, where the stars involute and disappear. So, the creation of stars and planets and the eventual dissolution is from empty space. Can this earth and all its various objects really come out of nothing? Or is it just the nothingness which appears as objects? The appearance of any object is possible only if there is an observer to which it appears. If there is no observer, to whom will it appear? Find out who is the observer!!

The author hopes that this will clear any confusion on this issue of no-thing appearing as every-thing. As noted previously, all this curiosity is only a mental game and diverts one's attention from what should be always be the main focus of inquiry. Focus on "Who am I?" and once this "I" is known, every question will be answered automatically and spontaneously.

Still have questions? Please leave comments.

The Silence of Being

Having read and practiced the inquiry into your own Self, there is a natural tendency to come to the conclusion " I have finally understood". But, if this thought arises, and a "me" takes delivery of this thought, then one has still not understood. It is only when this "me" says "I know that I don't know" is there clear Understanding. You say " how can that be? You mean to say all this time I have been fooling myself? Where does all this lead to? What is my final goal? What should I look forward to experiencing? Can I ever get there? You mean there is no hope of Enlightenment for me? Oh, this is all so frustrating!". If any question or answer still remains after inquiry then understanding has not occurred. There is still the misconception of being an entity, an "I" or a "me" that is a subject that will or has understood a concept or an object being described (the No-Thing). You are just going around in circles creating one concept after the other. In the final Understanding, there is just that Understanding- no one who can claim to understand and no concept or object that is understood. On Understanding, the one who thinks he/she has understood (the "me" or "I-thought" or the ego) disappears.

So, who is to understand what? The "I-thought" or a "me" is nothing but a thought and as we have seen, a thought has no substance or independent nature and is ephemeral (transient). Can a thought ( the "me" or "I-thought") claim to understand when it itself is nothing but transient with no substance or independent nature apart from the consciousness? So, what do you mean by Understanding? What really happens is that there is Understanding and then a thought arises and translates this Understanding into a subject and an object- the one who understands and the object understood. But, one should immediately question as to who this subject or the "me" or "I" is-who claims to understand. On questioning the very nature of this "I" or the "me" that is claiming to understand, it disappears- making it immediately clear that the "me" is itself a thought and then there is just SILENCE- NO THOUGHTS. In the absence of thoughts who is there to ask any questions or make any claims? So, all of this is happening in the form of thoughts. But, your True Nature is THAT which is prior to thoughts. And THAT is a No-Thing, just an empty presence, nothing that the mind can grasp, nothing that one can grab hold of and give to someone, nothing that one can describe in words, and nothing that a "me" can claim to attain. Yet that empty Presence or Knowingness is cognizing everything and functioning. THAT is the Presence of awareness or the Awareness of presence or the Knowingness. The word 'THAT' is often used as there is no other way to describe the Presence. All other words immediately conjure up images or concepts. Thoughts appear in THAT. You are NOT a thought. You are THAT! When there are no concepts-there is just THAT.

BEFORE a "me" started this inquiry, the sense of Presence or the Knowing that I am, was there. AFTER completion of the inquiry, THAT sense of Presence or Knowing that I am, is still there. Has THAT sense of Presence or Knowing that I am, changed in any way at all? So, what has changed? What has changed is this thought of a "me", who thought that he/she started an inquiry into the Self and having now finished the inquiry, feels great about himself or herself. What this Author is trying to point out to whoever is reading this article, is to stay AS THAT sense of Presence or Knowing that you are, which no one can negate or deny and which obviously is totally unchanged from the beginning to the end of this inquiry into the Self. So, it becomes clear that this sense of Presence or the Knowing that I am, is all there IS. Unknowingly, this sense of presence or knowledge that I am came and then a feeling that "I am this body" or "I am so and so" arose and mistakenly was taken to be the real. A feeling or thought is not the Real as it keeps on changing. What changes cannot be REAL! What comes and goes cannot be real- so said the great Guru Ramana. Feelings and thoughts including the thought of being a person, a "me" come and go. As in deep sleep, there is no thought of a "me' and yet I exist. One cannot deny their existence in deep sleep, for the one who on waking up says "I am" is absolutely certain that he/she was the one who was sleeping just a while ago.

This "me" or the ego, is nothing but a thought, and as soon as one wakes up from sleep, this thought or the "I-thought" takes ownership of this body and mind, and goes about giving the impression of being the do-er of deeds or the feeler of feelings or the thinker of thoughts, or the seer of the world of objects around. As soon as a thought arises, it conjures up an image of an entity- an entity with a body- a "me" that is based on an image created out of memory and previous thoughts, who then takes delivery of that thought. The imaginary "me" (which in itself is only a thought) then goes about being the judger, the evaluator, the decider, the chooser and the do-er of actions. How can a thought ( in this case the thought "I' or a "me") ever do anything? Can a thought hear? Can a thought see? Can a thought taste? SEE for yourself.

So, after all this reading or inquiry, can one say with certainty that he/she has gained anything? Can one gain Presence? Can one say that he/she now has Knowing that he/she IS? Can one say that he/she has gained Awareness? Was one not present and aware even without reading this or doing any inquiry? Is it not true that the one who claims so, is nothing but a thought, an imaginary entity, an image called "me"? This "me" wants so desperately to tell everyone that "I have finally got it!" or " I understand now" and this "me" wants to show off to all that "I have some understanding or knowledge that you don't have"- an Understanding that everyone already has- namely the knowledge or knowing that he/she IS! How ridiculous is that?!!

When final Understanding is there, there is no one here to take delivery of that Understanding. Meaning that a "me" disappears in favor of this Presence, which was always there anyway to start with. What has happened is that the false entity, the "me" has disappeared. Enlightenment is nothing other than the firm conviction of the unreality of this "me". The Presence or Knowingness or Beingness or the Awareness that one IS, has neither come nor gone, neither changed nor unchanged, neither gained any knowledge nor lost any knowledge, neither appeared nor disappeared, neither become enlightened or otherwise. What has happened is a bunch of thoughts (including the thought of a "me") have appeared and played a game called inquiry. All of this is just happening in THAT consciousness or beingness or knowingness. All a passing showing appearing in consciousness. So, what action is required to know that you ARE? Will any action lead you to that sense of Presence or are you already present? Does anyone need to tell you that you are present? Or is this knowledge self evident? Are you not present in the absence of thoughts?

THAT itself is no-thing. THAT itself does not have thoughts. Thoughts appear in THAT (call it Presence or Awareness or Consciousness or No-Thing or whatever else one wants to call). Being THAT means no thoughts- just Silence. In Silence, there are no thoughts including a thought of a "me" or "I-thought". Silence is just Being- not being a this or that. Don't try to be Silent- YOU already ARE SILENCE! The one that tries to be or do anything is just this thought "I" or the "me". No effort is required to BE.

So, who is going to understand this message? Is it not true that the one who wants to understand actually does not exist independent of THAT ? So, truly there is no teacher, no student, no disciple, no teaching, no one who can understand and no object or subject to understand. All of this is just an appearance in that No-Thing. Can any-thing come from no-thing? Absolutely not- you say. So, there is just this No-Thing and all else is just an appearance. End of story!!

Yes, even this Author is just an image for you, an imaginary entity who pretends to teach other imaginary entities about THAT, so that they may become free from their imaginary bondage. What will be absolutely clear to anyone reading this is that nothing has changed in the sense of Presence or the Knowing that you ARE, from the beginning to the end of this writing. And your True Nature is just THAT Knowingness or Presence. You did not start the functioning and you will not end the functioning. So, JUST STOP AND BE!

The Simplest Inquiry into the Self- Part 2

If you had stopped after the first part of this discussion, you could perhaps see the simplicity of it all. However, as you will perhaps notice, when we explore the false, we begin to complicate the issues. As you go on reading this part 2, there is no doubt that talking about the false "me' gets things complicated. It takes no effort to just BE. It takes a lot of effort to be some-thing or the other.

Now, let us explore, who is this "me" or "you"- the individual that we believe ourselves to be. If we are indeed this no-thing, then why do we believe ourselves to be individuals with a notion that we are the one in-charge of all the functioning of this body-mind entity. Further inquiry will reveal that in fact, there is no individual at all. So, this belief is precisely that- a belief-acceptance of an alleged fact without evidence or direct proof thereof. Unless, one does the inquiry on his/her own, there is no way any one else can convince him/her of this fact of non-existence of an individual. One has to constantly and sincerely inquire into the nature of this "me".

This "me" was not present in deep sleep. Then, in the dream state, a different kind of a "me" ( a dream "me") along with the dream world and dream objects and dream functioning appeared. Remember that this dream world includes a "me", a functioning dream subject, who is in the dream and thinks that he/she is doing all the actions. Please understand that the dream world appeared real when it was occurring. On waking up in the morning, the dream world, along with the dream objects, the dream subject (the dream "me" or the individual in the dream) are absorbed back into the mind from where they arose. Meaning, that the dream disappeared. On waking, a new 'dream' has begun. This time, there is a different type of "me"- an individual once again- with a name and form (just like the individual in the dream) who thinks he/she is the controller of the functioning of the body (just like the individual in the dream thought so). We falsely call this waking state the real state, since it appears to be continuous-the same objects appear everyday. However, the fact of constant change in everything in this waking state cannot be denied. We just do not notice the subtle changes occurring at the molecular level of all objects.

After the wakeful state comes the deep sleep state and once again, the world (which we call real!) and the individual "me" are absorbed back into the mind from which they arose. Yet, in all these states of the mind, the deep sleep, the dream state and the waking state, there is no denying that there is one unchanging Awareness/ Existence. Even in the deep sleep, when there is no world or a "me", I still exist! It is clear to anyone that the one who is awake now is the one who was asleep last night.

It becomes clear from the above that the waking state of the mind, creates a world with a subject called "me" and various objects. It is the mind, which is the creator and also the destroyer of this creation. And, this is experienced by all of us every 12 hours or so.

In the waking state, the first knowing is that of being. This beingness appears from that no-thing. Once it is there, this beingness gets translated into a thought "I am". This beingness falsely assumes ownership of this body, giving the impression of being the body-mind entity, a person. With this "I-thought" being established, all other thoughts are assumed to be owned by this "I-thought". This "I-thought" gives rise to the thought of " I am this body". This "I-thought" gives rise to "I am this' or "I am that" or "I am so and so" etc. This "I-thought" is what is known as the ego. The ego is nothing but the concept of being an individual, a "me" who is in-charge of this body-mind entity and who believes is the do-er of all actions. On inquiry into the nature of this "me', one discovers that it has no independence or substance whatsoever apart from this beingness. Meaning that this "me" appears in the waking state and disappears in the deep sleep state and strangely another type of "me" (a whole different personality) appears in the dream state. Yet, the real "I" is the one who is aware of these three states of the mind and does not change or appear and disappear. In the absence of a world or a "me" in deep sleep state, there is still existence. There is no denying that the heart is still beating, the lungs are still moving air in and out, the digestion is still going on and functioning is still happening. But, there are no thoughts and therefore there is no "I-thought" (or a "me"), no body or a world for that matter, and hence there is experience of peace and happiness. Anyone who emerges from deep dreamless sleep will testify to the fact that they "slept happily". Your True Nature is your state of absence of thoughts. In that state of absence of thoughts (as in deep sleep), you are still aware-for on waking up you know you were asleep. This Awareness is your True Nature. You are prior to the thought "I am". In that state of absence of thoughts, what can you say? In that state of absence of thoughts, no questions arise, no question of the presence or absence of a world, of a "me" or a "you", of this discussion, or of this functioning or the absence of functioning. All this discussion is in the mind- a bundle of thoughts- with no existence or substance or independence apart from the no-thing.

Remain as that no-thing.

Just STOP THINKING AND BE!

Still have questions and comments? This author will try and answer them. Do not hesitate to ask. Inquiry is the way to freedom.

The Simplest Inquiry into the Self- Part 1

As noted previously in this blog, it is not uncommon for the seeker to go around in circles searching for the Truth. It is also not uncommon to find that the Scriptures and several teachers also either use complex words and concepts in trying to explain the simplicity of the eternal Truth or sometimes use esoteric concepts in alluding to the Truth that is being pointed to. Although, using simple metaphors and words does not necessarily mean that the message will get through. It is important for the seeker, to approach this message from the heart and not from the mind. This approach has already been discussed here previously. This author will now attempt to simplify the message as much as possible.

We go around assuming that we are the body and the mind. Rarely does anyone question if they truly are the body or the mind. Without knowing the truth of who you are, it is pointless to explore any other "Truth". In fact, knowing who you really, really are, is all there is to knowing the Truth, for Truth is all there is. Therefore, let us start with what you believe to be- a body and a mind entity. What exactly is the body? Forget about any philosophical concepts. Let us see what is objectively known to all of us. Let us look at what science has so far shown us. Science has shown us that the body is made up of essentially mostly water (more than 90%) and the mineral elements including carbon, iron, calcium, etc., oxygen or air, and space. These various elements interact uniquely in each body and produce unique characteristics of the body including characteristic shape, size and features. These elements also interact with each other and produce heat. The interaction of the various elements in relation to each other produces heat, which is essential for the survival of the body. The water in the body is H2O. At a molecular level, this water is no different from the water in the surrounding environment including the rain, the streams, the rivers, the lakes and the ocean. The oxygen (or air) in the body is no different in nature than the oxygen outside the body. The space inside the body is no different in nature than the space outside the body. Therefore, one cannot separate the elements in the body from the elements in the surrounding environment or the world around the body. One cannot claim the elements to be personal and unrelated to the elements in the atmosphere and the world. An analogy would be appropriate here.

There is space all around. One then builds four walls in a square formation, then puts a roof over the walls and calls it his/her space or home. Although the walls are creating an impression of separation of space inside the walls from the space outside the walls, it is obvious that one cannot really separate the space. Also, there was just this space initially, in which the walls were built in the first place!! In the same way, the space inside the body cannot be separated from the space outside the body. Space is space and has no attributes.

Now, you are probably reading this post with a firm conviction that you are a body, sitting on a chair and reading this on your computer screen. You are perhaps wondering and thinking about what is written above. Would you say that the body is doing the thinking, reading, seeing and pondering? If so, can the water really think, read, see or ponder? O.K., it is not the water. Then, perhaps it is the calcium, sodium, potassium, iron or is it the magnesium that is doing the seeing of the printed matter, the thinking, and the reading?! Perhaps, it is the oxygen that is doing all the functioning. You say, none of these. Then, can you please tell as to what is doing all the functioning right now and right here? Look and see. Can you find any- THING, that is doing all this functioning or making all this functioning happen? Oh, yes, you say, it is the brain. Is the brain not made up of the same elements as the rest of the body? And, by the way, the brain is located within the body. So, eventually you have to admit that no-thing can be found that is responsible for the functioning of the elements which constitute the body. Yet, undeniably, this functioning is happening, right here and right now.

So, it is this no-thing that is responsible for all this functioning that is obviously going on right here and right now. For us to discuss about this no-thing, we need to label 'it' with a name, just like we like to label every-thing. It is natural to label all things and we have to label even this no-thing! How about we call it the Spirit? No? How about Atman? Too abstact, you say. How about Om? No? How about Brahman? How about Awareness or better still Space like Awareness? With each label the mind builds up an image, a concept about what is being talked about. Again, all these names are giving rise to mental images and concepts about a no-thing. It is supposed to be a no-thing and the mind builds images about things as soon as we label it. Ah-ha, you say, let us call this no-thing, The Functionator!! You get the belabored point! For now, we will call it the no-thing.

Where is this no-thing? Is it anywhere in the body in particular? Is it anywhere outside the body in particular? Is it located only in California or in Wisconsin or perhaps in the mystical land of India? Is it not true, that functioning is going on everywhere and every place at the same time. Omnipresent, as they call it-present everywhere at the same time. Is it not true, that this no-thing is responsible for all the knowledge functioning through various brains all over the universe, at any time or Omniscient, as they call it. If this no-thing can do all this, it is all powerful, since there is no other entity that can accomplish what this no-thing does! Omnipotent- or all powerful, as they call it. Was this no-thing present yesterday but not today or will it be present tomorrow? It always IS. Is it not all pervading? Present both inside and outside the body and yet you cannot locate it. It is subtler than the subtlest. The more subtle the entity, the more pervasive it is. Can you say that the no-thing functioning the body reading this post is different from the no-thing functioning the body writing this post? So, it is not a part but the whole itself, which is responsible for the functioning of "your body there" and "my body here" simultaneously. You say, this no-thing is very complicated and just beyond any concept that the mind can create. The mind has to eventually give up in trying to grasp this no-thing with a concept.

If you are this no-thing, then who is this "individual"- the "me", who claims to be reading this post? So, no-thing is writing and no-thing is reading this post. In fact, all this functioning is happening because of this no-thing. In fact, the entire universe is functioning because of this no-thing. That includes the functioning of the tiny atoms and the subatomic particles including the electrons which are spinning around. It is everywhere and yet nowhere. It is every-thing and yet no-thing.

So, what is wrong with assuming the identity of this no-thing, right here and right now? Who are "you" in all of this?