IAT Self-Exploration - Ch 19.2 Subjective Vs Objective

Listen to Ektaji guide us through a self-exploration meditation “Everything is subjective but the reality is Objective” from the Chapter 19 of Nisargadatta Maharaj's book I Am That. Is the body subjective or objective? If I am able to witness the body then it is an object. If I am able to witness the waking world then that too is subjective. Then what exactly is objective? Lets find out in this meditation.

Transcript

Let's do a self-exploration meditation on I Am That, Chapter 19. The topic is Everything is Subjective, But the Reality is Objective. Let's close our eyes, Sit comfortably and attempt to take a step beyond the body-mind and rest as the witness. I am not the body. I am not the mind. I am the witness of the body and the mind. Now let the witness collapse into the ocean of nothingness. Whenever the I arises in this nothingness, Attempt to be the higher witness of the I. Let the I collapse back into nothingness. Recognize the emptiness, The stillness, The nothingness of the Now. Recognize that there is only Me, The Consciousness. And right now, Consciousness is looking in the mirror and seeing itself in an illusory form called I. This I is termed as the Witness Consciousness or the Sense of Being. Let it collapse into the vast, Brilliant nothingness. Notice that the sense of I Am automatically and naturally keeps popping up in the nothingness of Consciousness. Again recognize that there is only Me, The Consciousness. And right now, I, The Consciousness, Am looking in the mirror and seeing myself in an illusory form called I. This I further looks into the mirror and reflects as thought. Thus, The reflection of the mind is born. The mind looks into the mirror and reflects as sensation. Thus, The reflection of the physical body is born. The body looks into the mirror and reflects as perceptions of sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, And touch. Thus, The reflection of the world is born. Such are the illusory reflections of myself. My names and forms are numberless. I, The reality, Am not diverse. My reflections are diverse. But I am not in these dualities. My truth is non-duality. Advaitam. All my reflections are subjective. I, The reality, Am objective. My names and forms, Nama Rupa, Are called the world, The body, The mind. These simply reflect a myriad of subjective ideas. The waking world is a subjective idea. The dream world is a subjective idea. The darkness of deep sleep is a subjective idea. But I, The reality, In which the waking, Dreaming, Deep sleep ideas appear and disappear, I am objective. The waking world is a subjective idea. Thus, It is illusory. The idea of persons existing in a waking world is a subjective idea. Thus, It is illusory. The idea of situations existing in a waking world that affect the persons in the waking world is a subjective idea. Thus, It is illusory. The idea of things existing in a waking world belonging to the persons in the waking world is a subjective idea. Thus, It is illusory. All aspects of the subjective waking world are subjective and therefore illusory. The idea of the birth of a person is a subjective idea. The now is never born. Reality is ever existing. The idea that a person ages is a subjective idea. The now is not even a minute old. Reality is ever new. The idea that a person dies is a subjective idea. The now never dies. Reality is ever existing. All the ideas of the waking world like ignorance, Materialism, Greed, Anger, Hatred, Love, Religion, Spirituality, God, Guru, Rites, Rituals, Worship, Meditation, Samadhi, Enlightenment, Liberation, All these waking world ideas are subjective ideas. The now is beyond all these ideas. Reality is ever liberated and unbound. The waking world is illusory because it is subjective. Everything that is limited to the waking world is subjective. Reality is not limited to the waking world. Reality is beyond. Reality is objective. Similarly, The dream world is illusory because it is subjective. Everything that is limited to the dream world is subjective. Reality lies beyond the dream world. Reality is objective. The darkness of deep sleep is illusory because it is subjective. That which is limited by the darkness of deep sleep is subjective. But reality lies beyond the darkness of deep sleep. Reality is objective. All desires and fears are subjective. They are limited to the waking world or the dream world. Hence, They are illusory. Reality is beyond desires and fears. Reality is unlimited, Infinite and objective. All the ideas of God, Devil, Religion, Materialism, Spirituality, Ignorance, Liberation are limited to the waking world or the dream world. They are subjective ideas. Subjective means dependent on the waking world or dream world or subjective means related to the illusory person of the waking world or the dream world. There is no seeing God apart from the world. There is no seeing the devil apart from the world. There is no seeing materialism apart from the world. There is no seeing religion apart from the world. There is no seeing spirituality apart from the world. There is no seeing ignorance apart from the world. There is no seeing liberation even apart from the world. All these are simply subjective ideas. They are different ideas but they are not separate. They all belong to the waking world. They are all limited to the waking world. They appear after the sense of I am. They only appear to be different but they are not separate. All the reflections after the sense of I are one and the same. All the reflections after the sense of I are one and the same. Without the sense of I am, There is nothing. The right knowledge of the sense of I am leads to freedom and happiness. False ideas about I am lead to bondage. The recognition of pure consciousness or the primordial awareness is always preceded by the recognition of the sense of I am. The sense of I am is the master key that opens the door to pure consciousness. The moment I recognize the sense of I am, I become aware that it is my first reflection in the mirror. I am the pure consciousness and my reflection is the sense of I am. Then the sense of I am is reflected as the mind. The mind is reflected as the body. And the body is reflected as the world. The sense of I am is the master key to the objective reality. Hold on to the master key, The sense of I am, And reject all subjective ideas, All desires, All fears, All concepts, Whether materialistic or spiritual. All are subjective. Reject them and simply hold on to the master key, The sense of I am. As the subjective world drops, The sense of I also drops, Leaving behind shoonyata, Nothingness, Emptiness, Stillness. That is reality. The reality is objective. Reality is objective.