Let's do an Inner Exploration on I AM THAT,
Chapter 4.
Real world is beyond the mind.
Today's exploration is on the contradictions that arise in the mind and how they lead to doership and experiencership.
Let's sit comfortably.
Let's close our eyes.
The nature of the mind is to have a myriad of thoughts and most of them are opposing thoughts.
For example,
While sitting at home comfortably,
You have a desire,
Let's go for a walk.
Immediately there is the next desire that arises and says,
Oh,
It's very comfortable,
Let's just continue sitting on this sofa.
These are opposing pair of thoughts.
Another example,
When you are finally out for the walk,
You keep thinking what you are going to do when you go back home.
And then immediately the next thought arises and says,
Stay in the present and enjoy the walk.
This is another example of an opposing pair of thoughts.
Another example is a thought arises,
Let me not continue this Advaita class,
It is very time-consuming.
And immediately a thought arises,
No,
This is good for my spiritual growth,
Let me continue.
Do you notice that the mind continuously has opposing pair of thoughts?
Take a minute to remember any two opposing thoughts that arose in your own mind in the past few days.
Did you notice that the mind said,
How can I remember so quickly some opposing thoughts that I had in the past few days?
And then the mind said,
Yes,
I can remember,
Let me at least attempt to do it.
This in itself was two opposing thoughts that you just had.
Another possibility right now would have been,
Oh,
I didn't have any thoughts.
And an opposing thought could arise,
Reminding you of something that happened in the past few days.
These are again opposing thoughts.
One saying,
I cannot remember anything,
And the other bringing up some remembrance from the memory.
These are two opposing thoughts.
Do you notice that you do not have a control on the arising of any thought?
Thoughts arise on their own.
In case of opposing thoughts,
One arises after the other in succession of its own accord.
Neither of them were thought of by you.
Do you notice that when the thought arises,
At that time you are just a witness to that thought?
You are simply perceiving the thought.
You are not involved in its arising.
A thought arises on its own accord.
Do you notice that after it has arisen,
You perceive it?
Do you notice that you did not know of it before it had arisen?
This means that you are not involved in its creation.
You are not the creator of that thought.
You are not the thinker of that thought.
You are simply the perceiver of that which has arisen.
You are simply perceiving that which can be perceived.
Do you notice that after you perceive the thought,
You forget your witnessing position?
Before it arose,
You were simply witnessing what is,
And that's how you witnessed the arising of the thought.
The moment you perceived it,
You forgot your witnessing position and you assumed it to be as my thought.
You got involved.
Do you notice that after assuming that it is my thought,
Doership develops?
Doership cannot develop before the feeling of mine.
Do you notice that after doership developed,
You started feeling guilty for one of the opposing thoughts and you started feeling good about the other thought?
The moment feeling gets involved,
You assume experiencership.
Now you are experiencing the effect of a good thought and the effect of the opposing bad thought.
Mindness creates doership and experiencership follows doership.
But all of it is an assumption.
Do you notice this drama of false doership and false experiencership?
When the arising of a particular thought is not in my hands,
Then how can the thought be mine?
When the arising of a particular feeling is not in my hands,
Then how can it be my feeling?
I did not create the thought.
How can I be the thinker?
I did not create that feeling.
How can I be the feeler?
This is all the mind's story.
It is simply the assumption that is made when the witness forgets its true nature of pure consciousness and thinks of it to be the body-mind.
So take a step beyond.
Step back from the thoughts,
The feelings,
Sensations,
Even the perception of the sound of these words.
Simply be a witness to them without indulging,
Without getting involved.
When you remain as the witness,
You can avoid forgetfulness about yourself,
Your true nature.
When you stay in your nature,
You recognize that your nature is consciousness.
It is pure.
It is untouched.
It is peaceful.
When you recognize the peace,
You avoid any interruption of the peace.
Forgetfulness of yourself and assuming to be the body-mind is an interruption in this peace.
You start avoiding the interruption and rest in your true nature.
You avoid indulgence in false doership and false experiencership.
This is the true meaning of being pure,
Of maintaining purity.
Stay pure.
Remain steady as the witness.
Every time contradictions arise in the mind,
Study your mind.
And recognize the false doership and the false experiencership.
Stay pure.
I am not the doer.
I am not the experiencer.
