My True Identity is No Identity

The problem with most seekers is that they eagerly jump from one identity to another. As the thoughts flow, so do the identities. Even on somehow arriving at the pointers to the Truth, they get fooled into thinking that they are now unique in their thinking process and so must be different from the other persons. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The fact is that you are no different from any other person. All is ONE and ONE is All.  All that appears different is just that- an appearance. When one turns one's attention to one's own self, the appearance disappears immediately. An appearance cannot be without the one to whom it appears.  The substratum is the same regardless of the appearance. The problem is that almost everyone is interested in the appearance and therefore forgets one's own self. You may say one ignores one's own self. Hence the confusion with various identities that one adopts or imposes upon one self.

When one truly turns the attention of the mind away from the objects, which are nothing but appearances, and LOOKS at one's own Source, then it becomes clear that one cannot identify with any thing.  Zero (shoonya). Upon careful inquiry, all identities dissolve into nothingness. One is left empty.   And yet, even saying emptiness or nothingness is not true since that in itself would create a mental concept and thus create another identity in itself.  All concepts are based on opposites. Emptiness versus fullness. Nothingness versus somethingness.  But your True Identity transcends all concepts.  The best way to perhaps describe THAT which is beyond any description would be to say that your True Identity is No Identity. THAT is who you really are. All else is an appearance - basically, nothing-just an illusion.

THAT is Beyond I Am

Presently, you KNOW you are. This knowledge of I AM, has given you this sense of being.  You have taken this knowledge to be real and because of it, you are suffering. One has to question as to how this knowledge of beingness came about. What were you prior to this knowledge of beingness?  Unless these questions are inquired into, the final answer will not come about. Did you do anything to attain this knowledge, I Am?  You may wonder, "if this knowledge, I Am, is not the Reality, then what use is it?". Don't dismiss this knowledge I AM.  In fact, the ultimate purpose of this knowledge I Am, is for you to unravel the mystery of how this all came about. In fact, I Am is your God and this God is going to pave the path to Self Discovery and Self Realization. So, hang on to the I Am for it is everything.

What you really, really ARE is beyond the knowledge I Am. Since, there is no description for that State, it is simply called THAT or the Absolute. In THAT, there is no I Am. It is beyond I Am. It is beyond all dyads and triads. Because, it is a State prior to consciousness and thereby the mind, it is impossible for the limited mind to fathom what by nature is beyond both limited and unlimited. When one says "I am That", one acknowledges the fact that I Am is a derivative of THAT.  There is no way for one to know THAT in the objective sense, since IT is beyond both the subject and the object.  You are none other than THAT. Just reach this Understanding.

Nothing is Simpler than Seeing one's own Self

It is indeed amazing how a Guru can show the clearest and easiest path to Liberation and yet the seeker (or more appropriately 'the ego') will refuse to see the clarity and simplicity of the message. Contrary to what many of you readers may be thinking, it is not necessary to blindly accept what the Guru is saying. Instead, it is imperative that you must question and analyze the teachings and sayings of the Guru and come to your own conclusion. This process is called inquiry into the Self. However, it is this author's opinion that complete and unquestioned faith in the Guru is the essential ingredient in the successful culmination of one's effort to attain liberation. Nothing could be simpler than SEEING one's own Self.

As Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi said - " When rightly considered, nothing will be more wonderful and laughable than one's toiling very much through some sadhana(spiritual practice) to attain Self in the same manner as one toils to attain other objects, even though one really ever remains as the non-dual Self".

If one listens carefully to the above (Shravana) and then cogitates over this simple teaching (Manana) and meditates on the nature of one's own Self or internalizes one's conceptual understanding as a fact (Nidhidhyasana), then one merges with the Guru, which is Self Realization or Liberation. Ramana Maharishi started out by clearly saying "when rightly considered....." and hence He implies inquiry and questioning the very methodology i.e. sadhana or practice, by the seeker.  However, upon careful and complete inquiry, there is no doubt that one will arrive at the conclusion that it is utterly ridiculous for one to perform any kind of sadhana to BE what one already IS!! There is only ONE without a second and hence the concept of being any thing other than THAT ONE is nothing other than a concept.  A concept is not real. Only THAT is the Reality.  Why don't you investigate and SEE for your self?

Knowledge is Ignorance

What you seek in the form of knowledge has to be based on the Primary Knowledge that you exist. This Knowledge of Existence is delivered in the form of the thought 'I am". You KNOW you ARE.  There is no doubt about it. You are absolutely certain about your existence without anyone telling you about it.  In your Original True State, you did not know you exist and then all of a sudden this Knowledge appeared spontaneously. This knowledge or "I-consciousness" arose spontaneously in your early childhood. You took this knowledge as being true and thereafter started building a story about yourself being an entity with a body and name. The "I-consciousness" or the Knowledge 'I am' is the Primary Illusion. Based on this illusion, you have gone about accumulating more and more indirect or acquired knowledge. Never having questioned the validity of this Primary Knowledge, your quest for spiritual knowledge was pursued in the wrong direction! The spiritual knowledge or indirect knowledge is nothing but more layers of ignorance(not knowledge as you think) added upon the Primary Illusion or Primary Knowledge of "I-consciousness".  Hence, despite all your claims to understanding of the pointers to your True State, you have continued to suffer because you have failed to understand this Primary Knowledge.  Suffering means that you have continued to search and seek out knowledge or experiences.

It is imperative that you question as to how this Primary Knowledge or consciousness came upon you. This Primary Knowledge can be present only as long as this body form is nourished with food and maintained. When this food body disintegrates (called 'death' in common lay terms), then the Primary Knowledge departs.  So, where has all your accumulated knowledge gone to?  What is the use of all your accumulated indirect knowledge of the arts, spirituality, sciences etc.? What is the sum total of all your indirect knowledge and experiences?  Could you have had any experience of any kind without consciousness?  Is it not true therefore that all experiences are in consciousness? And is it not true that you have placed so much emphasis on the experiences and on the indirect acquired knowledge of spirituality without inquiring as to who or what is the primary experiencer? Is it not true that all your sadhana (spiritual practice) is only to perpetuate and pay homage to the acquired knowledge and experiences? Can you in all sincerity ask yourself these questions and come to conclusions?

This Primary Knowledge is time bound and body bound. Therefore it is not eternal. What you truly, truly ARE is THAT, which is ETERNAL.  Eternal means that which is not born and therefore does not die, that which is timeless and therefore any thing cannot be IT.  So, it is essential to analyze and understand the true nature and origins of this Primary Knowledge and having understood that it is only an illusion, an appearance bound by time, you discard it as not you. The Primary Knowledge- I am, is itself not the Truth but it is all that you have access to. Therefore, while you must pray to this Primary Knowledge as your God, you must realize that what you truly, truly ARE is Prior to this Primary Knowledge.  Question this Primary Knowledge of I am.  Stay with this Knowledge.  Pray to this Knowledge.  It will lead you to Its Source. Keep the mind focused on this Primary Knowledge, the Knowledge 'I am'. Anything else you think about is leading you away from Its Source.  As this author's Guru Nisargadatta Maharaj pointed out- "Go back. Recede." Realizing that you are Prior to any knowledge or ignorance, can you take any pride in knowing who you truly, truly ARE?

What you truly, truly ARE is prior to or beyond any knowledge and ignorance. Discarding all knowledge and ignorance as not mine, I rest in my True State which is the Stateless State of THAT.  I am THAT.

No Questions About IT

"I clearly understand all that is taught in Advaita philosophy, but.....". This is perhaps the most common comment from a true seeker and most will admit that while this teaching in some way resonates with them, they still continue to have doubts and as a result continue to suffer.  Why is that? The reason is quite simple enough.  Almost all seekers look at this teaching as something to attain. They somehow have this notion that once they intellectually understand the teaching, then everything will automatically fall in place. The problem is that they have started out with the wrong belief of being an individual, an entity that has some substance and is independent of the world around them. They look at themselves as being separate.  To them, THAT is some 'thing' that can be attained and added to their list of achievements. To them, God is a separate entity, an entity that can be KNOWN. They fail to realize that anything that is known is an object.  And all objects can exist only if there is a SUBJECT that can know them.  They have failed to understand the very foundation of the entire teaching of Advaita or Non-Duality.  Instead of turning their ENTIRE ATTENTION TOWARDS THE SUBJECT i.e. "I", they look to the world of objects, reading material, talks, and sensual experiences for an answer.  As long as there is this feeling of being a separate entity, there is no way that one can REALIZE one's True Nature.  Give up this concept of being a conceptual entity. Enquire into the nature of this concept called 'me'.  Giving up all concepts, what and who are you?  Without a form or name or a label, can you please describe your self?  Any description has to be related to a concept.  Because you believe your True Self to be also a concept, you look for conceptual understanding.  You are not a concept. YOU ARE THAT!  How can THAT which is beyond all concepts be ever described or grasped?

So, what can one do to REALIZE?  One can only let this Knowledge sink in deep within, without trying to conceptualize. Thereafter, the intellect is given up in favor of intuition. Intuition comes from the Heart. Heart is what one has to rely on to Realize one's True Nature. Heart is where the Grace is.  When one gives up the intellectual battles and relaxes, leaving everything to Grace, then Grace takes over and Self-Realization is natural. In fact, you can never be apart from Grace. All struggle, including the struggle for Realization is by the ego. Giving up the struggle means giving up the ego.

One who has REALIZED will never say " I understand IT!".  He or she will just keep quiet. When there are no further doubts or questions, then one can be sure that there has been UNDERSTAND-ING.  The one who has questions dissolves as soon as Realization occurs.  Who is there to have any questions? There can be no questions about IT.

Transcending Consciousness- Part 2 (Simple Analogy)

It is suggested that you read Part 1 of this article before reading this part. As is evident after reading part 1, that this can all be quite confusing to the ordinary mind that is conditioned to create a concept out of every bit of knowledge.  What is being pointed to in Advaita literature is beyond the reach of the mind as the mind is a content of THAT and there is no way one can describe THAT with the mind.  It is similar to one being unable to see their own eyes without a mirror.  The reflection in the mirror is not your real eye, but the reflection definitely gives you an idea of how your eyes appear to others when they see your eyes.  The pointers are all meant to give you an idea of what Reality is, but nothing beyond that. One has to leave the mental concepts behind and let intuitive process take over. Let us see if there is some analogy that will make the discussion of the Absolute and consciousness easy. Remember this is just an analogy and cannot obviously be taken at face value.

Let us take the example of the computer. Right now you are in front of one of the computer monitors, it is assumed. The computer runs on electricity or electrical power. The computer can be compared to the physical body. The computer memory or the hard drive is the brain.  It stores previous memories and also is able to display the knowledge based on its previous memory (education or knowledge put in) through the computer screen or monitor (similar to your organs of speech etc.).  The electricity can be compared to consciousness, which is required for the computer to function. The computer can display its knowledge through the monitor or the speakers only if there is electricity (consciousness).  Therefore, the consciousness is the power that makes this physical body function. When the computer is in the sleep mode, there is no sound coming from the speakers and nothing seen on the monitor.  The knowledge or memory is still intact in the computer and it can easily be woken up on the touch of a key.  In the same way, when the physical body is asleep, the knowledge cannot be displayed as the organs of speech and action are all asleep at the same time.  The consciousness is however latent in the body for on waking up all these organs function to allow the body to display its knowledge.  If the electricity (consciousness) is completely cut off, there is no way the computer (the physical body) can function.  The computer can no longer display its knowledge, whether through sound or the monitor.  Although, the memory chips and the hard drive are still in the computer, it cannot function. The computer is said to be "dead". Just like the physical body which is unable to function without consciousness and is called "dead".  Now, what are the memory chips and the hard drive made up of? Are they not made of silicon and metal and other inert material?  Just like the physical body which is made up of water, carbon, oxygen, etc., all inert materials?  So, it becomes clear that it is the consciousness (electricity) that is the basis of functioning of the inert material of the physical body or in the case of this analogy, the computer. So, who has the knowledge? The inert material of the computer or the electricity (consciousness)?  Is it not clear that all knowledge is in the realm of consciousness, including the knowledge of being a 'me'?  Don't get excited as yet!!

Now, the electricity itself has to come from somewhere, isn't it? THAT which creates electricity is the source of electricity.  In the same way, THAT as the Absolute, is the source of consciousness.  Or to put it more precisely, the consciousness is a reflection of the Absolute. Of course, the flaw in this analogy would be the fact that electricity comes from coal, or nuclear material, or hydro (water) and therefore cannot be a perfect analogy as such. However, if you can somehow accept the fact that water or coal or uranium by itself is inert and there is some force or energy that is released from these materials to create electricity, then the analogy seems more acceptable. Okay?  So, everything is essentially energy (or contains energy like the coal etc.) and it is just the energy that is able to make everything function. However, if you actually look for energy, it is not something tangible and has no shape (roopam) or form.  It is not something that can be described other than saying that it is some force that makes things happen or move or function. THAT (the Absolute) is not concerned about what is being done with the electricity (consciousness) or for that matter how the functioning is taking place. While all the functioning is taking place in consciousness, the Absolute is not affected by the functioning in any way.  YOU ARE THE ABSOLUTE!

At this time, the one thing you are absolutely sure of, is the fact that you are conscious. You did not do anything to be conscious, did you?  It arose spontaneously.  Is there any way for a 'me' to attain or go prior to or beyond consciousness? Can a 'me' actually transcend consciousness? If so, who is this 'me' that wants to do so?  Can there be a thought of a 'me' or 'I' without consciousness?  Does this not make it clear that this whole process of transcending consciousness is actually a game played in the mind, by the mind and for the mind ( a 'me'). In reality, there is no entity called 'me' that can transcend consciousness for the 'me' is nothing but a subsequent product of consciousness. It is similar to a shadow wanting to get behind the object that created it in the first place!  So, what do you want to do?

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.