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.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
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!
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!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
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.
Friday, January 8, 2010
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.
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?
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