There ain't no place for a "me"

When one says, I want to Realize or get Self Realization, one is trying to objectify something out there or out here. That would mean there is something or entity apart from you that you are trying to obtain. But, you have been told repeatedly ( for anyone who has been immersed in Advaita philosophy), that you are already what you are looking for. In that case, there are two "I"s or two "me's" or two "you's", one searching for the other. Can there really be two "me's"? Does that not sound strange and illogical? On investigation, you realize that the "me" is a false entity created in the mind. There cannot be two "me's" or "you's". Because only one entity can occupy this body and make it function. Let us see who is in-charge. So, let us see what this "me" is doing in this body. Is this entity called "me" doing any effort to digest the food? Once the food is past the tongue in the mouth, who is "doing" the rest of the work? Who is giving the orders for the stomach to inject the enzymes into the stomach cavity? Who is beating the heart? Who is telling the kidneys to process the blood and remove waste ? Who is the overall Director of Body Functions? If it is a "me", can this "me" please stop the digestion at this moment since it feels like it? You get the point!! When this false "I" (also called the "I-thought" or "me") is investigated and seen to be false and removed the Real "I" comes forth.

The body being the house, two "I's" cannot occupy it at the same time. When the false "I" (the "I- thought" or the "me") is evicted then the Real "I" (or call it God, Awareness, or whatever) surfaces and claims it. As long as the false "I-thought" is occupying the house, the Real "I" just waits in the background, patiently awaiting the eviction of the "I-thought"!!

Simple questions to unravel the Answer

Anyway to make this whole search for Reality easy? Let us try another way of going about it. Forget for now any other concepts you may have. Start with a fresh clean slate of mind ( so to say).

Can I deny I exist at this moment? No way, right? Who else could be typing this message, uh? I am alive at this moment, no doubt. There is Life here and now. And the reader of this message is also alive to be able to read this message. So, no questions that Life is present here and now. Does this Life have any form or shape or color? Irrespective of your race,color, ethnicity,gender, or whatever else, life is life and one who is alive cannot deny it. So far, so good. Can I think, feel, laugh, cry, get anxious, worry, seek, find, interact, speak, listen, enjoy, or for that matter do anything or have any thoughts without LIFE? The answer is obvious!!! Without life, could I write this message? Without life, can you read this message? Without life, would you as an entity (called John Doe or Jane Doe) exist? Meaning, could you say I am John Doe/Jane Doe? Without life, would you ( John Doe or Jane Doe) be there to question all of this? Is the Life (that Divine Spark) different in an African compared to a Caucasian or an Asian? Can you see the world without being Alive? Is it not true that we all ignore the very Source of all there is and try to go around looking for some Bliss( Ananda), or an "ah- ha" moment, or some utopia and feel frustrated when we cannot find it out there? Did you choose to be alive? Did someone remind you that you are alive? Are you making any effort to digest your food, beat your heart, make the lungs breathe, circulate your blood? All of this happening because of Life. Would you agree on that principle? Why look for something that you already have? Is it not true that the very search is the source of misery? If it is not lost, how can anyone find it? It is already there!!! Just stop looking out and look right here. Turn around the finger towards your own self!!

Please ask and answer all of the above questions. Don't just read it. Now, just replace the word Life, with whatever suits your mind and you will get it even better. You like Awareness better than Life? Go ahead replace it. You like Presence Awareness better than Life? Go ahead, replace it. You like Universal Spirit or Soul? Go ahead, put whatever word you want to replace Life and yet you cannot grasp it. It will all be a play of words. If you do not get the meaning behind the words or what the words are pointing to, then it is just black ink on white paper.

Who asks the questions?

It has been the aim in posting these messages to keep the message as simple as possible, without getting mired in spiritual jargon. Forgive the writer if the above goal is not always adhered to. We will set out to answer some questions raised by a sincere seeker recently. Teaching is an art and this writer does not claim to be a master teacher. Mostly, these messages are written out of a desire to share the thoughts on the only subject worth talking about!

A seeker asks: " if after realizing there is no thing that I can see, touch, point to, or anything else that serves as a "me", there is still confusion as to who is asking the questions. Who is it that all this is happening to? There is no realization that I am all and that all is happening within me. What other realization must happen past seeing that there is a nobody there who asks? It seems like there should be an "ah ha" moment with crystal clear understanding."

That pretty much covers the entire topic of Advaita, doesn't it?!! Well, let us try to answer as best as possible. Why us and not just me? Because you are what I am. Mind you, it is consciousness speaking to consciousness. All questions arise in the mind. But don't stop there. The mind is but an instrument of expression of consciousness. Can there be a mind in the absence of consciousness? Obviously not. In that case all that is happening, is happening in consciousness. However, understand that since all is happening in consciousness, there is no question of a separate subject called "me" asking a question to another subject called "you". The "me" and the "you" are in reality only objects in consciousness assuming a false subjectivity. Therefore the knower, the knowing and the known are all one arising in consciousness. Once the falseness of the assumed subject called "me" ( John Doe or Jane Doe or Nobody) is clearly and deeply understood, then what is your identity? Without a name and form, try to describe yourself. Just try and see, even if it seems amusing. Once the false subject is uncovered, and the conviction of the knowledge is firm, no questions regarding one's true nature ever arise. The mind subsides in itself when it is exposed as having no independent existence apart from consciousness. All that remains is the feeling "I am". If all there IS, is consciousness, then is it not clear that all that is happening is happening within you and you are all there IS. If there is confusion because of the use of the word "consciousness", then call it Awareness or whatever else you want to call IT. Names and words cannot describe the infinite. How can the words which by themselves are an expression of only the finite describe the infinite? They can just be pointers to THAT.

To answer the remaining part of the questions now. When the window to a dark room is opened the sunlight fills the entire room all at once. The darkness is dispelled instantly. In the same manner, when the light of Knowledge strikes the darkness (ignorance) vanishes immediately. All becomes clear. Many a seeker in deep meditation will come to a point where he/she experiences a "void" or "emptiness" or a "blank". But it becomes immediately clear that there is Awareness of the "void"/"emptiness" and therefore you cannot be the void or emptiness. The void or emptiness are but still objects to that Awareness. Pure Awareness, beyond concepts is your true nature and although it cannot be grasped by the intellect, it can certainly be known to be as such. It becomes clear that one cannot know IT, one can only BE IT. There is no other realization other than knowing that there is no subject other than the only Subject - call it Pure Awareness if you like. The mind tries to classify and objectify everything. But all objects are in the realm of space and time. Space and time itself are concepts in the mind. So, how is it possible for the mind to objectify that which is beyond space and time ( spaceless and timeless, so to say)? When one sticks to words and imagines the words as Reality itself then there is a problem in understanding. Remember, the words are only pointers to that Reality which is beyond any description.

Just consider this. Even without ever having read this message or any other message on Advaita, you still exist. Without any thoughts, you still exist. When thoughts are, you are. When thoughts are not, you still ARE. Is it not clear that irrespective of what you think or feel, your true nature still remains untouched and ever present. Until the seeker finds himself/herself to be just a concept like any other concept, the search continues. Nothing wrong with that. Even after Realization, the journey continues.

First, find your own self

The question frequently posed by many is "what and how did you realize or get this understanding?". Firstly, remember that you are trying to find your own Self. The equipment or instruments of manifestation of the ONE are many. Each manifested entity has its own set of attributes. Based on its attributes, each manifested instrument will experience the same object differently. Therefore, when one "experiences" the Truth, it is likely to be different from another one "experiencing' the same Truth. Therefore, do not worry about what" experience" or absence of experience another person had. Just worry about your own self. First, with single mindedness, investigate who you are, before you question about anybody else. (Explanation: Because of difficulties of expression in words, the liberty of using words in different manner has been taken here. Despite that, hopefully the message gets through).

When one expects one who has realized to behave in a particular manner, it contradicts the very notion of perfect freedom. Freedom from predictability. Again, behaviour is based on the combination of the basic three attributes (sattva, tamas, and rajas). The realized one knows for sure that he/she is neither the body nor the mind and is oblivious to the actions of the body-mind. In the Absolute state, nothing has ever happened. All happening is in the realm of consciousness. The Absolute is prior to consciousness.

Prior to I AM

Prior to this knowledge of existence (the knowledge that I Am), what was I? This I Am is not eternal and since it has come it must go. That leads one to question as to where it arises from? All these questions are a result of the presence of I am. So, hanging on to the I am, is the way of going to its source. The I am is the doorway to the very source. In the journey backwards ( so to speak), the investigation should continue. No one else can do the investigation. It must be done by the one seeking the knowledge. If one tells the seeker that it is so and so, it becomes an object in the imagination of the seeker. The seeker then gets enmeshed in a myriad of complex concepts that are created in the mind and gets totally lost. What is pointed to is beyond any description or attributes and hence the need to investigate personally. It is best to stay with the very subtle message, I am, and undeniably it will lead one to its source.

What was I prior to the birth of this body-mind entity?

These postings are for the advanced seekers of the Self. The fact that they even investigated and sought out these postings indicates the sincerity in their effort. Strangely, when the answer is found, it will come as a surprise that the very entity "the seeker" was false construct of the mind and what they were actually seeking is already and always present here and now. The seeker becomes the sought.

These postings are not the intellectual property of any individual. There is no copyright on this knowledge. This knowledge is available to all and in fact there is nothing new here( or anywhere). There is nothing here (or anywhere) that one can obtain or gain. Whatever you are looking for is already there in you. Once the veil of ignorance is removed, what is left is what you are looking for.

Hopefully, one has read the previous postings. If not, try to read them first, if at all possible. The investigation (vichara) can take many paths but all lead to the same end point. What was I before this form and name? Let's investigate. Before, I came to know that I am, I did not have that knowledge. Obviously, that knowledge came from somewhere or some unknown entity or non-entity. What were the properties of that unknown entity or non-entity, which was before this body-mind came into existence? I know for certain that prior to the birth of this entity called "me", I did not look, behave, feel, or appear like this body-mind entity. THAT which knows this knowledge was present before the appearance of consciousness in this entity called "me". Obviously, THAT is what this message is pointing to. Merge with THAT, the true identity.

Are we all Objects?

What we think we are is not who we really are. Let us inquire into who we really are. To make this inquiry easy, it will be necessary to make some false statements which we may have to clarify as we go along.

You, the reader, are looking at your computer screen, which is an object in your awareness. You are currently conscious of this computer screen and the matter that you are reading, both of which are objects in "your" consciousness. If the writer of this blog were to stand in front of you and speak out this matter in the form of words, you would say that the writer (or me), is an object in "your" consciousness. I ( the writer) would say the same about you. Meaning, you are an object in "my" consciousness. In that way, we can see that all the things in the world are objects in "our"( what we think as individual) consciousness. In fact, since you can see your body, it is also an object in "your" consciousness. Yes, the thoughts in your mind are also objects in "your" consciousness, since you know them. Since, I am an object in "your" consciousness and you are an object in "my" consciousness, it is a fact that we both are objects.

Now, let us see if we can identify this consciousness as having any individuality. Can there be any "your consciousness" or "my consciousness"? If so, where is the consciousness? Can it be located in the body? Obviously NOT, as the body is an object in the consciousness. Can it be located in the mind? Obviously NOT, since the mind is an object in the consciousness. Is it not true that you claim IT as yours and I do so too. Then where is IT? How can anyone call IT "my consciousness", if IT belongs to all? There is ONLY Consciousness, period. Not mine or your consciousness. It is precisely this mistaken identification which results in constant suffering and searching. What is universal, unlimited and timeless and the only ONE is taken to be personal and limited and time bound. Seeing this folly is all that is required to realize one's own True identity.

Consciousness is the ONLY Subject and all else is an object in THAT. Why can I not know the Consciousness? Well, if you try to know IT, will it not be an Object (in "your"consciousness) and therefore cannot be the Subject? The one and only Subject cannot be known, even if a "you" wants to know IT. For knowing IT, relegates it to the level of an object like all other objects and therefore cannot be the Subject. The Unknown is who we really ARE.

The notion of being a separate individual is only a thought in the mind. The mind itself is nothing but a bundle of thoughts. The mind has no separate and independent existence apart from the consciousness. The mind appears and disappears as in waking and sleep states respectively and is therefore unreal. The primary illusion is the thought "I" which appears on waking and thereafter all other thoughts are assumed to be belonging to this "I" thought.

Hope this simple message is clearly understood and once done what else is there to do and by whom? May the seeking stop on realizing this simple and open TRUTH.