Why You Are NOT The Mind - Part 2

Now that you have hopefully convinced yourself that you are not the material body, it is time to convince yourself fully that your are not the immaterial mind. Before we go any further, what exactly is the mind? It certainly is not matter, contrary to what you may think. The mind is nothing but a bundle of thoughts. Let us examine if you can be the mind.

There are several ways in which one can go about investigating this subject.  It does not matter how you convince yourself as long as you can and develop the strong conviction that there is no way you can be the mind. Depending on what hits home one can reach one's conclusion his or her own way.

One way would be to examine the subject versus the object. For example, right now you are looking at a computer screen, which is an object. If asked as to who owns the computer, you may say "my computer". In that case, there is an "I'(me) -the subject and there is the "not-I" which would be the object or in this case the computer screen. Same way, you can point to your pen and once again you may say "my pen". In this case there is the "me or I"- the subject and there is the pen (not "I"). In the same way, you can point to your hand and say "my hand". Again, "my" (the subject) and the hand ("not-me"). You can also qualify that statement by saying that "I am the knower of the existence of my hand". In this case, the knower would be "I" and the known would be "the hand" ("not I"). You can say "my thoughts" quite correctly since you know the thoughts and are aware of your thoughts. Therefore there is the "I" (the knower of the thoughts) and there are the "thoughts" ("not-I"- the known or the object of your knowledge). Since you know your thoughts you obviously cannot be the thoughts. The knower (subject) cannot be the known (object).  Since you are the knower of the mind, you cannot be the mind.

Another way to go about it would be to see if you can actually be a thought. A thought is transient. It comes and goes. However, you cannot deny the fact that you exist apart from thoughts. You KNOW that you are, right now and right here. Even if the thoughts are constantly changing, you remain as you are - unchanging. In the absence of thoughts, you ARE. For instance, there are no thoughts in deep dreamless sleep. Yet, you cannot deny the fact that you existed in deep dreamless sleep. For you wake up and say "I slept". For one to have remembrance or memory of the experience of absence of thoughts(like in deep dreamless sleep) one would have to have existed then and now to recollect that experience. To put it another way, without your existence in deep dreamless sleep, there is no way you can recall your experience of ignorance or forgetfulness or absence of thoughts during sleep. Once again, you are the KNOWER of your experience of absence of thoughts (the KNOWN) in deep dreamless sleep. Therefore, the subject- "I" is beyond or prior to the object and existed in the absence of thoughts. The subject, "I", is beyond objectification for as soon as you try to objectify the "I",there has to be another "I-the knower" of the "I" that you are trying to objectify or know .

There are so many ways in which one can investigate to attain the conviction that one is not the mind. At the end of this investigation, you are sure that you are neither the mind nor the body. So, where does that leave you?

I Am All There Is

Get this clear as it is relevant to who you are too. Because I am, there is the world of objects. If I am not, can there really be a world or the universe or for that matter any thing?  Since, all feelings arise in me, they are all me. Since, thoughts arise in me, all thoughts are me. Since, sensations arise in me, they are all me.  All perceptions arise in me, and hence all perceptions are me. Since all objects are nothing but thoughts, and thoughts arise in me, all objects are therefore me and nothing else. All thoughts, feelings and perceptions arise and subside in me. Therefore, all is me. I AM ALL THERE IS.  There can be none other than me. I alone AM.

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.